One Major Obstacle to Trump’s Mass Deportation Promise: Local Law Enforcement

“I’m not gonna let the government tell me what to do in my job,” one Trump-supporting sheriff told NOTUS.

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Donald Trump said “local police” will be central to his mass deportation effort. Eric Gay/AP

Donald Trump has said his mass deportation plans will need buy-in from state and local law enforcement.

Officers at the border aren’t so sure they want to play a central role.

Out of the six current and former law enforcement officers stationed in different capacities at the border who NOTUS spoke to, all voted for Trump except one — Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez of Val Verde County, Texas. Almost all were wary of their offices being heavily involved in Trump’s push to deport large numbers of undocumented immigrants.