Trump emphasizes deporting criminals

Anecdotes about undocumented immigrants who committed heinous crimes pervaded Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

Trump promised that anyone living in the United States illegally would be subject to removal, with convicted criminals getting the highest priority for deportation.

"A Trump administration will stop illegal immigration, deport all criminal aliens, and save American lives," Trump said at a Nov. 2, 2016, rally in Miami.

WHY HE'S PROMISING IT

Trump continuously asserted that undocumented immigrants are an outsized source of criminal activity in the United States. There is no evidence, though, that immigrants commit crimes at higher rates than native-born citizens.

As of July 2015, there are approximately 180,000 noncitizens with criminal records living in the United States, despite a government order for their removal.

WHAT'S STANDING IN HIS WAY

As president, Trump could use his executive authority to revise President Barack Obama's deportation priorities or start from scratch.

Prioritizing criminals for deportation has been Obama's policy for the past few years, as well. More than 2 million people have been deported during the Obama administration.

Some of Trump's proposals would require congressional approval and funding.

For example, Trump wants Congress to pass Kate's Law, which would establish mandatory minimum sentences for undocumented immigrants who re-enter the United States after having been convicted of certain serious crimes.The measure is named for Kate Steinle, a woman killed by an undocumented immigrant who had been deported multiple times.  

He also wants to triple the number of deportation officers within Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  

And he proposes bringing back the Secure Communities program, which Obama discontinued in 2014. Under the program, state and local law enforcement agencies shared information with the federal government to help them identify undocumented immigrants for deportation.

HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST

These policies to prioritize removing criminal undocumented immigrants could cost several billion dollars over five years, according to a Washington Post analysis. Tripling ICE officers could cost about $11 billion, and reviving Secure Communities and passing Kate's Law could cost $1 billion each.

If Trump keeps with his broader promise to remove all undocumented immigrants, regardless of criminal record, experts say that could have a strong negative impact on the economy as a whole. The country would lose millions of laborers, and it could cost taxpayers $400 billion, according to conservative think tank American Action Forum.