In a bold and controversial proposal, President Donald Trump suggested removing violent repeat offenders from the United States and imprisoning them in foreign countries for a fee. The idea was shared on Monday while Trump addressed the House Republican Conference at Trump National Doral Golf Club in Florida, where he highlighted the rising problem of serial criminals in the U.S.
Trump pointed to a growing issue in American cities—repeat offenders with extensive criminal histories who have been arrested dozens of times without facing effective consequences. He singled out individuals with criminal records that stretch for 30, 40, or even more arrests.
“There are violent criminals in our country who didn’t necessarily come here illegally, but have been arrested 30, 35, 40 times,” Trump said. “Some of these people have rap sheets longer than most could imagine—murderers, violent offenders, people pushing people in front of subways, baseball bat assaults, home invasions.”
The president expressed frustration with the justice system’s handling of these repeat offenders, noting that many such criminals pose an ongoing threat to public safety. “I don’t want these violent repeat offenders in our country any more than I want illegal aliens who misbehave,” he continued.
Trump’s proposed removing these criminals from the U.S. and sending them abroad to serve their sentences in foreign prisons. He claimed the move would be more cost-effective than keeping them in American jails, particularly private prisons that charge high fees for housing prisoners.
“I want them out of our country. And I say, and this is subject to getting it approved, but if they’ve been arrested many, many times—they’re repeat offenders by many numbers—I want them out of here,” Trump added. “We’re going to get approval, hopefully, to get them the hell out of our country, along with others.”
The former president suggested that the U.S. could strike an agreement with a foreign country, paying a “very small fee” to house these criminals for the duration of their sentences. “Let them be brought to a foreign land and maintained by others for a very small fee, as opposed to being maintained in our jails for massive amounts of money,” he said.
Trump’s proposal comes as his administration, under the leadership of Border Czar Tom Homan, prioritizes the removal of violent illegal immigrants as part of an aggressive mass deportation initiative. Since Trump returned to office just a week ago, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has carried out high-profile operations targeting criminals who have entered the country illegally. In the first days of Trump’s second administration, ICE agents apprehended 538 illegal aliens, including gang members, sex offenders, and a suspected terrorist, as part of a nationwide crackdown.
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This one probably will never fly. As much as it may make financial sense. Shipping citizens to Siberia just isn’t in our system.
What do you mean “she resides in the Free State of Florida?” All of the states are “free.” Unless of course there is one I have never heard of.
Criminals like this will never change. I’ve got a better idea that’s even cheaper. Cost about $500 up front and can then deal with an unlimited amount of such criminals. Gallows and rope are reusable.