Ruben Gallego speaks out against Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans

PHOENIX — Democratic U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, who will soon represent Arizona in the Senate, opposes President-elect Donald Trump’s proposal to declare a national emergency and deploy the military for mass deportations.

It could diminish the trust people have for military forces, Gallego told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Monday.

“I don’t think Arizonans or Americans in general want to replace the chaos at the border with chaos in our communities,” Gallego told MSNBC.

Soldiers carrying out these types of deportations would be an unnerving and unusual sight for Americans, he added.

“You’ll actually really diminish the scope and the trust people have for our military forces when they’re being used against U.S. citizens, potentially,” Galego said. “Let’s not forget we have a lot of mixed families.”

Where did Trump express national emergency, military deportation plan?

Gallego spoke on this issue after the former President — who will resume office in January 2025 — wrote a message on Truth Social, a social media app, around 2 a.m. Monday.

Trump wrote “TRUE!!!” in a repost of a message another user sent about the future administration using military forces to deport thousands of undocumented migrants.

Arizona voters have come out in favor of Trump and his America-first agenda over Democrat Kamala Harris’ progressive plans.

They’ve also passed Proposition 314, a Republican-backed border security measure that makes it a state crime to enter Arizona from Mexico outside a legal port of entry.

“I think there’s a loud, clear message that people are unhappy with the security at the border,” Gallego said.

However, he believes Trump’s plan is dangerous.

“Involving the military is not going to make us a stronger country,” Gallego said.

Arizona Democrats speak out against mass deportations

Other Democratic leaders in the state have vowed to fight against mass deportations.

One is them is Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, who used to be married to Ruben Gallego and kept his last name after their 2017 divorce.

“I can say without equivocation that as long as I’m mayor, Phoenix will not use its police department — or any city resources whatsoever — to assist in mass deportation efforts by the Trump administration,” she told The Arizona Republic. “Our officers will focus their efforts on preventing and addressing crimes to keep Phoenix families safe.”

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes told reporters last week she thought Trump’s policies were “unacceptable.”

“The problem with that is it leads to abuses,” Mayes said when discussing mass deportations, according to the Arizona Mirror.