In a bombshell announcement that has sent shockwaves through legal and civil rights circles, the White House confirmed Tuesday that President Donald Trump is actively exploring ways to deport US citizens—a move experts say would defy constitutional protections and set a dangerous precedent.
At a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed that the administration is investigating whether there is a “legal pathway” to remove American citizens accused of crimes—ranging from violent offenses to lesser violations—and send them to El Salvador, where the government has already begun incarcerating deported immigrants in prisons notorious for human rights abuses.
Leavitt framed the idea as targeting “heinous, violent criminals who have broken our nation’s laws repeatedly,” but Trump has publicly mused about expanding the scope to include minor offenses, particularly those tied to protests against his administration’s policies.
“The president has said if it’s legal—if there is a legal pathway to do that—he’s open to it,” Leavitt told reporters. “It’s an idea that he has floated in the spirit of transparency.”
The statement follows Trump’s Sunday remarks aboard Air Force One, where he praised the concept, calling it an “honour” to send US citizens to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, an authoritarian leader who has partnered with Trump on his hardline immigration agenda.
The Trump administration has already deported hundreds of immigrants to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a rarely invoked law allowing the expulsion of foreign nationals from “hostile” nations. Many of those deported—primarily Venezuelan men accused of gang ties—now languish in Salvadoran prisons, where reports of torture and inhumane conditions have surfaced.
Now, the administration appears to be eyeing a similar tactic for American citizens, though legal scholars argue no such authority exists.
“This is a blatant violation of due process,” said constitutional law professor Laurence Tribe. “The government cannot strip citizenship or exile Americans without a constitutional amendment. This is a direct assault on the 14th Amendment.”
The proposal is the latest in a series of legally dubious maneuvers by the Trump administration, which has increasingly relied on wartime statutes and executive overreach to bypass Congress and the courts.
In March, Trump suggested sending Tesla protesters—who vandalised vehicles in opposition to Elon Musk’s role in his administration—to Salvadoran prisons, quipping that they could enjoy the country’s “lovely conditions.”
Meanwhile, Musk, who heads Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, has overseen sweeping cuts to federal agencies, raising concerns about accountability.
Any attempt to deport citizens would trigger immediate lawsuits, with civil rights groups vowing to fight the move.
“This isn’t just unconstitutional—it’s un-American,” said ACLU Director Anthony Romero. “The government doesn’t get to exile its own people. We will see them in court.”
The administration has yet to clarify what legal mechanism it would use, but critics warn that normalizing the expulsion of citizens could open the door to broader abuses. (HuffPost)