President-elect Donald Trump may enlist citizen militias and county sheriffs to implement his mass deportation plans, former FBI official Frank Figliuzzi warned on MSNBC Friday. His comments followed reports that some militias are already preparing for such efforts.
“I think, historically, the bulwark against that has been the rule of law, and I wonder how, in light of the last conversation, these groups maybe hear something different and don’t feel there is resistance to what they seek to do?” asked anchor Nicolle Wallace.
“This is the emboldening and enabling of militia groups,” Figliuzzi responded. “In particular, I’d focus on two border states where there are ‘constitutional sheriffs’ who have large posses. They literally call them the sheriff’s posse, and they are deputized and trained with the sheriff’s instructors. If I had to predict, I would say you’ll see certain counties in Arizona and Texas where citizens engage in roundups, somehow empowered or deputized to assist federal agents.”
He continued, “The fact is, there’s no way federal agents can handle this alone. It’s simply not believable. They will need state, local, and county support. The first ones to look to are the sheriffs and counties in those two states.”
Former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann agreed with Figliuzzi’s analysis.
“Frank is absolutely right that federal law enforcement is not equipped to carry out mass deportation, so you’ll see state and local involvement,” Weissmann said. “But you could also see the president using the military domestically… America is starting to resemble Hungary and Russia more and more. There is a blueprint we are about to confront, a model of authoritarianism that could expand globally. The president has immense power here.”
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