Rand Paul Opposes Military Deportations: A Clash of Ideals

Senator Rand Paul opposes President-elect Trump's plan to use the military for mass deportations, deeming it illegal and inappropriate. He believes law enforcement, not the military, should handle deportations of illegal residents with criminal records, upholding the Fourth Amendment's search and seizure protections.

Republican U.S. Senator Rand Paul publicly criticized the notion of utilizing the military to conduct mass deportations of illegal immigrants in response to President-elect Donald Trump's recent signals. Speaking on CBS's 'Face the Nation,' Paul firmly stated, 'You don't do it with the Army because it's illegal.'

The senator pointed to a 19th century law that restricts federal troops from engaging in domestic law enforcement unless Congress authorizes it. While Paul supports deporting illegal immigrants with criminal records, he insists that civilian law enforcement is more appropriate and constitutionally obliged to conduct such actions with respect to the Fourth Amendment.

Paul further emphasized this stance would influence his Senate vote regarding Trump's Department of Homeland Security nominee. As Trump prepares policy plans for large-scale deportations, Paul, alongside some other Republicans, questions military involvement, advocating for federal agencies to undertake these duties instead.

(With inputs from agencies.)