Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Thursday went so far as to take credit for President Obama's plan to conduct large scale deportation raids against illegal immigrants.
"Wow, because of the pressure put on by me," Trump wrote on Twitter on Thursday, continuing in all caps, "ICE TO LAUNCH LARGE SCALE DEPORTATION RAIDS. It's about time!"
Wow, because of the pressure put on by me, ICE TO LAUNCH LARGE SCALE DEPORTATION RAIDS. It's about time!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 24, 2015
The Department of Homeland Security is planning to conduct a series of raids to round up and deport hundreds of illegal immigrants previously ordered to leave the U.S. by immigration courts, The Washington Post first reported Wednesday night, citing unnamed officials familiar with the plan. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is expected to kick off the plan in January, though DHS still needs to give final approval.
As The Washington Times notes, the immigrant-rights group America's Voice, which strongly opposes the proposal, ironically agreed with Trump's assessment of the driving force behind the plan. "The plan raises the ugly specter of the very mass roundups and deportation advocated by several candidates running for the GOP presidential nomination - most notably Donald Trump." the group said in a statement.
Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton said earlier Thursday that she has "real concerns" about the plan.
"Hillary Clinton has real concerns about these reports, especially as families are coming together during this holiday season. She believes it is critical that everyone has a full and fair hearing, and that our country provides refuge to those that need it. And we should be guided by a spirit of humanity and generosity as we approach these issues," a campaign statement read.
Rival presidential candidates Sen. Bernie Sanders said he was "very disturbed" and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley referred to them as "mindless deportations," reported The Washington Examiner.
