Senate Majority Leader Says GOP Needs to Be Realistic on Trump Mass Deportation Plan

‘Is it realistic to deport everybody? I mean, there’s a lot of people in this country who are here illegally,’ Sen. John Thune said.

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) speaks to the media during the weekly Senate Republican Leadership news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 13, 2022. Nathan Howard/Getty Images

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said that Republicans need to be “realistic” about President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to deport large numbers of illegal immigrants during his second term in office.

Trump has made mass deportations a priority, often saying he would initiate the largest enforcement action against illegal immigrants in U.S. history. After the November 2024 election, the president-elect selected as his border czar Tom Homan, who has pledged to initiate the deportations on day 1 of the new administration.