Donald Trump’s militaristic plan to deport as many as 20 million undocumented immigrants would tear apart families, likely cost hundreds of billions of dollars, harm the economy, and raise all sorts of constitutional, humanitarian and logistical problems.
But ask Republican lawmakers and candidates about the particulars of what could be a “bloody story,” as the GOP presidential nominee himself acknowledged last month, and they quickly shift the subject or downplay its implications, a sign of how eager they are to exploit their advantage on immigration issues against Democrats without actually owning up to the extremeness of what their party’s leader is proposing.
“That’s a very big logistical undertaking,” Nevada Republican Sam Brown said Thursday in a debate with Sen. Jacky Rosen (D) when asked if he supported the proposal.
“Where we need to start is securing the border,” Brown added, pointing to migrants with criminal records. “This is a huge undertaking, but…