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How difficult is it to deport 3 million immigrants?

It's more complex than many think
Posted at 7:54 PM, Nov 15, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-15 21:17:54-05
As a candidate, Donald Trump said he would deport all 11 million undocumented immigrants currently in the U.S.
 
As president-elect, he is softening his stance, now talking about 2 to 3 million immigrants that would need to be deported. In a recent interview with CBS 60 Minutes Mr. Trump said he plans to deport those immigrants who committed crimes. 
 
“It’s not as simple as putting someone on a plane and bringing them back to their country of origin,” said William Cavanaugh, immigration lawyer in West Palm Beach. “It’s not like they can kick people out of the country without them having a fair hearing.”
 
Securing the border will likely come down to a fight over money in Congress. 
 
Experts estimate that it costs the government $10,000 per deportation case. 3 million deportations would cost the government around 30 billion dollars. 
 
“It costs money," Cavanaugh said. "They have to hire judges.” 
 
Cavanaugh said it usually takes about a year for a deportation case to go through. In case of Greencard holders or complicated cases it can be even longer, especially if they have children in the country who are U.S. citizens. 
 
Trump's campaign website states that he plans to "move criminal aliens out in joint operations with local, state and federal law enforcement." 
 
That would be a change from the current system. Currently local law enforcement agencies are not tasked with deportation issues and some have already refused to get involved in the future like the LAPD. 
 
“Local law enforcement is busy enough as it is with criminal violations," Cavanaugh said. "I cannot imagine them being tasked with immigration enforcement.”
 
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office told NewsChannel 5 it currently isn't booking deportation detainees and referred us to the Immigration Customs Enforcement officers. 
 
Meanwhile, Cavanaugh is getting ready for a Trump presidency. 
 
“I think we’re going to see an increase in removal cases, court cases and we’re prepared for that,” Cavanaugh said. 
 
He said ever since Donald Trump won, his office is getting calls from worried clients every day.
 
"It's people from Canada, Europe and all over the place," Cavanaugh said. "Even those with Green cards are worried about what might come next."