Clear battle lines are being drawn between Republican and Democrat-led states when it comes to implementing President-elect Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration plans, especially mass deportations.
This week, 26 GOP governors signed a joint letter stating they “stand united in support” of his plans to protect American citizens from “disastrous open border policies”.
Among those who signed were Texas’ Greg Abbott, South Carolina’s Henry McMaster, and Florida’s Ron DeSantis.
“When the Biden Administration refused to secure our borders and uphold the rule of law, it was Republican governors who took action,” the letter read. “We mobilized state resources, including law enforcement and National Guard units, to protect Americans from disastrous open border policies and prevent illegal immigration from overwhelming our country.”
By contrast, Democratic governors and mayors have promised to protect undocumented migrants in their communities, using sanctuary laws that have prevented local officials and law enforcement from assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
At the local level, it gets more complicated. New York City Mayor Eric Adams gave a somewhat mixed message at a press conference Thursday after meeting with incoming border czar Tom Homan. He said the city would continue to protect long-term residents and migrants, while also look to use executive action to remove those protections for criminals.
“We are a city of immigrants, and we will always be true to those roots, but we also have to be honest and be clear that our immigration system is broken and a small number of repeat, violent offenders are taking advantage of that broken system,” Adams said.
States that have promised to help with mass deportations
All but one GOP governor – Vermont’s Phil Scott – signed the letter declaring support for Trump’s plans earlier this week.
While some have been extremely vocal about border security during President Joe Biden’s term, such as Abbott, whose state sits on the U.S.-Mexico border, others have been relatively quiet on the issue until now.
The letter repeated messages heard from Trump and other GOP leaders during the election campaign around illegal immigrant criminals and perceived threats to communities across the country from “open border” policies.
“We are proud to welcome President Trump back to the White House, a leader who has consistently put America first,” the letter read. “His leadership is exactly what our nation needs to restore law and order at the border, and we are eager to work alongside his Administration to tackle the critical challenges facing our nation.”
Andrew Harnik/Alex Slitz/JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images
“Republican governors remain fully committed to supporting the Trump Administration’s efforts to deport dangerous criminals, gang members, and terrorists who are in this country illegally. We understand the direct threat these criminal illegal immigrants pose to public safety and our national security, and we will do everything in our power to assist in removing them from our communities,” the governors wrote.
They said they would use every tool at their disposal to aid in the effort to remove illegal immigrants, including local law enforcement and the National Guard.
The full list of governors who signed the letter is as follows:
Kay Ivey (Alabama), Mike Dunleavy (Alaska), Sarah Sanders (Arkansas), Ron DeSantis (Florida), Brian Kemp (Georgia), Brad Little (Idaho), Eric Holcomb (Indiana), Kim Reynolds (Iowa), Jeff Landry (Louisiana), Tate Reeves (Mississippi), Mike Parson (Missouri), Greg Gianforte (Montana), Jim Pillen (Nebraska), Joe Lombardo (Nevada), Chris Sununu (New Hampshire), Doug Burgum (North Dakota), Kevin Stitt (Oklahoma), Mike DeWine (Ohio), Henry McMaster (South Carolina), Kristi Noem (South Dakota), Bill Lee (Tennessee), Greg Abbott (Texas), Spencer Cox (Utah), Glenn Youngkin (Virginia), Jim Justice (West Virginia), and Mark Gordon (Wyoming).
States that will oppose Trump’s immigration plans
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In contrast, multiple Democrat-run states have said they will not offer local law enforcement or other state resources to assist with the plans, including Illinois, New York, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania.
Many of the governors and city mayors signaling they plan to stand against the plans have voiced concerns over the logistics of such an operation, which will seek to target at least 11 million undocumented migrants.
Other concerns include the separation of families and negative impacts on local and national economies if workers are deported.
“I will not tolerate misguided policies that don’t actually help with the critical work that’s happening here, that you’re seeing here today, that actually keeps our communities safe and secure,” Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs said during a recent press conference. “I will not tolerate terrorizing communities or threatening Arizonans.”
In the sanctuary city of New York, Adams said Thursday that he needed federal funding to refill city coffers after spending some $6.65 billion since early 2022 on supporting new arrivals. He also called for bipartisan agreement on increasing border security, protecting Dreamers and a modernization of the country’s immigration system.
Even in states that overall have shown support for Trump’s plans, some lawmakers such as Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, have raised concerns about the potential wide-sweeping approach rather than a more targeted program to remove migrant criminals.
Newsweek reached out to the governors’ offices in the nine states where the situation remained unclear as of Friday morning.
