Former President Donald Trump has promised to prioritize mass deportation of undocumented immigrants if re-elected in 2024. His team has outlined plans for what they describe as the largest domestic deportation effort in U.S. history, with significant involvement from the military.

However, experts warn that executing such a plan would be financially burdensome and face substantial logistical challenges.

During his first term, Trump’s administration deported around 1.5 million people, far fewer than the 3 million criminal deportations he had initially promised. His second term ambitions are even larger, but the obstacles remain steep, with high costs per deportation, increased complexity in migrant origins, and legal hurdles in immigration courts.

According to a report from the Migration Policy Institute, deporting 1 million people per year is unrealistic. The cost of deporting one person in 2016 averaged $10,900, and expenses have only increased.

An analysis by the American Immigration Council estimated that deporting all undocumented immigrants could cost the U.S. nearly $1 trillion over a decade. Additional costs would come from expanding ICE operations and detention facilities, along with staffing and other resources.

Building detention centers and expanding ICE operations would add further expenses. The Department of Homeland Security allocated nearly $1 billion for temporary detention facilities in 2023, and Trump’s plan would require building much larger facilities, significantly increasing costs.

Additionally, the immigration court system, which already has a massive backlog of cases, would likely slow down any deportation efforts.

Legal complexities add to the challenges. Even undocumented immigrants have the right to due process, and lengthy court proceedings can delay deportations. Some countries also refuse to accept deportation flights, further complicating the logistics.

Experts argue that Trump's mass deportation plan, while politically charged, faces overwhelming financial and logistical barriers that make its implementation highly unlikely.