U.S. President-elect Donald Trump promised supporters on the eve of his swearing-in ceremony that he would begin enacting anti-immigration policies on the first day of his second term in office.
“By the time the sun sets tomorrow evening, the invasion of our borders will have come to a halt.
“All the illegal border trespassers will, in some form or another, be on their way back home,” the Republican said at a rally in Washington.
As he did during his election campaign, Trump made sweeping generalizations, depicting undocumented migrants in the U.S. as criminals.
While some areas of the U.S. have seen a rise in crime, experts link this to complex socio-political factors.
There is no evidence to support claims of a crime wave driven by migrants, nor that migrants commit crimes at higher rates than U.S. citizens.
One of Trump’s key election promises was to carry out mass deportations.
To implement this plan, Trump has nominated several right-wing hardliners to join his government.
According to U.S. media, the first raids are expected to begin shortly after his swearing-in on Monday.
The initial raids are planned for Chicago, with potential extensions to other cities.
The action is scheduled to last for a week.
