US Republican Senator Rand Paul This Sunday he was opposed to the idea of using the Army to carry out mass deportations of people living illegally in the country, after the president-elect, donald trumpnoted last week that it plans to do so.
“It’s not done with the Army because it’s illegal,” Paul said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “If they send the Army to New York and you have 10,000 soldiers marching carrying semi-automatic weapons, I think it is a terrible image, and I will oppose it.
A 19th century American law prohibits the use of federal troops to enforce the law in the country, except when authorized by Congress.
Paul, sometimes a maverick within his party, said he supports the idea of deporting people who live in the United States illegally and have criminal records, but said law enforcement is better equipped than the military to perform that role and to respect the prohibition of Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution about unreasonable searches and seizures. Among Americans there is a “mistrust of putting the military on our streets,” Paul said.
Asked if this is a red line for him and whether it would affect his vote in the Senate to confirm Trump’s choice of South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland SecurityPaul said: “I will not support and will not vote for using the military in our cities.”
Trump’s transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
