By Ted Hesson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President-elect Donald Trump aims to deport all immigrants in the U.S. illegally over his four-year term but wants a deal to protect so-called "Dreamer" immigrants, he said in an interview that aired on Sunday on NBC News' “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker.”
Trump also said he plans to take executive action on his first day in office to try to end birthright citizenship, which confers citizenship on anyone born in the U.S. regardless of their parents' immigration status.
Trump, a Republican who won a second term in the White House promising mass deportations, is expected to declare illegal immigration a national emergency when he takes office on Jan. 20 and draw on resources from across the federal government to support a wide-ranging crackdown.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security estimated some 11 million immigrants were in the U.S. illegally as of January 2022, although the figure is likely higher today. In the NBC News interview, Welker asked Trump if his plan was to deport everyone without legal status.
"I think you have to do it," Trump said. "It’s a very tough thing to do. You know, you have rules, regulations, laws."
Trump said he wanted a deal to protect "Dreamer" immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children, saying Republicans are open to the idea.
During his 2017-2021 presidency, Trump tried to end a program that provides deportation relief and work permits to the immigrants, but was rebuffed by the Supreme Court.
Trump's plans to try to end birthright citizenship will likely face legal challenges. The right stems from an amendment to the U.S. Constitution and is supported by 1898 Supreme Court precedent.
Speaking to Welker, Trump suggested Republicans may need to pursue a constitutional amendment to address the issue - an arduous process.
"We'll maybe have to go back to the people," he said.
Trump's incoming border czar Tom Homan and deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller both told Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" that Congress should provide a major funding increase for immigration enforcement.
The pro-immigration American Immigration Council estimated that deporting all immigrants in the U.S. illegally over more than a decade would cost $88 billion annually.
Homan said the minimum needed would be near that amount.
"We're going to need as much money as Congress can get us," he said.