'Another obstacle' threatens Trump’s major policy platform: report

After defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in the United States' 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump quickly doubled down on his promise of mass deportations. The deportations, according to the president-elect, will get underway as soon as he is sworn in for a second term as president.

Many economists, including former New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, have been warning that mass deportations could have a negative economic impact. Krugman has warned that "across-the-board tariffs and mass deportation of undocumented immigrants" will "probably cause soaring inflation" — including significantly higher prices for groceries.

According to Time Magazine reporter Brian Bennett, another likely impact of mass deportations is a "massive" courts backlog.

READ MORE: Krugman delivers economic reality check: Trump’s mass deportations will make grocery prices soar

In an article published on December 30, Bennett explains, "On the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised to launch the 'largest deportation' in American history. But actually getting that done will require billions of dollars to hire thousands of new federal workers and pay for new spaces to hold those waiting to be deported. But perhaps most daunting will be another obstacle: moving through a massive backlog in immigration court cases."

Bennett continues, "Before a person in the U.S. can be deported, U.S. law requires they have a final order of removal issued by an immigration court. Those courts have been underfunded and understaffed for years, leading to wait times for a decision that stretch for years."

The United States, Bennett reports, currently has "3.6 million cases pending before immigration judges."

According to John Sandweg — who served as acting director of the U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under former President Barack Obama — a lot more immigration judges and support staff will need to be hired in order to accelerate deportations.

READ MORE: At least one state is totally unprepared for Trump's mass deportations

Sandweg told Time, "The problem is also because in the three, four, five, six years that they're going through the system, they're just more deeply integrated into U.S. society — and everything then becomes politically much harder for ICE to deport."

READ MORE: 'Not going to cooperate': Border state sheriffs vow to defy Trump’s mass deportations plan

Read the full Time article at this link.