On Monday, President Donald Trump proposed a controversial plan to subject repeat violent offenders to forced exile, a punishment not seen in the United States and last used in the United Kingdom nearly two centuries ago.
Speaking to House Republicans during a dinner at his Doral, Florida golf resort, Trump outlined his administration’s aggressive efforts to deport undocumented immigrants and turned his focus to native-born criminals with extensive arrest records.
Trump criticized repeat offenders for committing heinous crimes such as murder, assault, and robbery, and expressed his desire to remove them from the country, much like deported undocumented criminals. He suggested sending them to foreign nations where they would be maintained at minimal cost, contrasting this with the expense of housing them in American prisons.
The president claimed this approach would reduce crime, alleging without evidence that foreign governments have intentionally sent criminals to the U.S. to lower their own crime rates. Trump acknowledged that legislative approval would be required to implement such a plan, which faces significant constitutional hurdles, including potential violations of the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
Historically, the U.K. practiced “punishment by transportation,” exiling criminals to colonies like America and Australia, but this practice ended in the 19th century. Legal experts and critics argue that such a policy in the U.S. is unlikely to gain congressional approval or withstand judicial scrutiny.
