In a recent interview with Sharyl Attkisson, former President Donald Trump reiterated his familiar anti-immigrant rhetoric, asserting, “We’re not a dumping ground,” and pledging to swiftly remove undocumented individuals from the country. However, a notable moment in the conversation diverged from his typical discourse. Trump suggested that local law enforcement could easily identify foreign criminals, claiming they are aware of immigrants’ “serial numbers.”
While some reports have interpreted this as Trump proposing the creation of serial numbers for immigrants, a closer examination of his comments reveals a different implication: Trump appears to believe that immigrants already possess such identifiers. He expressed the conviction that local police have access to lists containing the names and corresponding “serial numbers” of immigrants.
This is not the first time Trump has made such claims. In August 2016, during an interview with Fox News, he similarly asserted that law enforcement was aware of the undocumented population but had failed to act, stating, “We are going to get them out… They are known by law enforcement who they are. We don’t do anything.”
At that time, his statements raised eyebrows, as they suggested an alarming disconnect between law enforcement’s role and his understanding of immigration enforcement. Fast forward eight years, and despite having served a presidential term, Trump continues to misinterpret the realities of local policing and immigration policy.
Importantly, local police departments do not maintain lists of undocumented immigrants or any corresponding serial numbers. The absence of such records underscores a significant misunderstanding on Trump’s part, reflecting a concerning gap in his grasp of government functions and law enforcement operations.
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