Trump will use MAGA sheriffs and citizen volunteers for his roundup agenda: experts
President-elect Donald Trump is likely to enlist the help of citizen militias and county sheriffs to carry out his mass deportation schemes, former FBI official Frank Figliuzzi warned on MSNBC Friday evening — in response to reports that some militias are already gearing up for such a project.
"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 agreed. "And 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 train with the sheriff's instructors. And I would say, if I had to do some predictive analysis, you'll seen certain counties in Arizona and Texas have citizens engaging in roundups. And somehow empowered or deputized to assist federal agents."
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The fact is, he continued, "there's no way federal agents can do this by themselves. Absolutely not believable it can happen. They're going to need state, local, county. And the first you look to is the sheriffs and counties in those two states."
Former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann agreed with that assessment.
"Frank is absolutely right that the sort of federal law enforcement is not equipped to do the sort of mass deportation, so you'll see sort of state and locals," he said. "But you could also see the president using the military domestically ... America [is] looking more and more like Hungary and Russia. There is a blueprint we are about to confront and the way to expand globally. This is America following a well-run and worn model of authoritarianism. There will be ways to try to bring it to the courts. But the president has enormous power here."
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