SENIOR members of the regional academic community have agreed that while there is an expectation that deportation of illegal Caribbean immigrants from the United States (US) will increase during President-elect Donald Trump’s second tenure, the mass expulsions he has threatened is unlikely.

During the recent presidential election campaign Trump vowed to deport millions of undocumented immigrants if he was successful.

But professor of political and social psychology in the Department of Government at The University of the West Indies, Mona, Christopher Charles, speaking at a virtual Vice-Chancellor’s Forum on Thursday, contended that the deportation of illegal immigrants continued across Administrations in the US and so it is expected to continue, and possibly increase. Professor Charles did argue, however, that a widescale rounding up and mass deportation will not work.

“It is just that [with Trump’s] promise of 20 million…[targeted for] mass deportation, [and] the nature of America in terms of core challenges, different stakeholders, it is difficult to determine who is illegal just by looking at someone. It therefore means that deportations will continue, but I don’t foresee the mass deportation as promised. It’s not possible — at least not in the short to medium term,” said Charles.

Weighing in on the matter, senior lecturer in political science and head of the Department of Government, Sociology, Social Work and Psychology at The UWI, Cave Hill campus, Dr Kristina Hinds said that while Caribbean immigrants represent just a portion of the illegal immigrant population in the US — 462,000 or just four per cent in 2022 — the region ought to take notice of the issue of undocumented people, particularly in relation to Haitians who sought refuge in the US from political, security, and economic turmoil in that country.

“So, although this is relatively small, just four per cent, we should also acknowledge that there are a number of persons from from Haiti — 852,000 the estimate is in 2024 — living in the United States of America who may be very nervous about what will become of them with this assertion that undocumented persons are going to be removed from the country,” Dr Hinds said.

“Also, those who have temporary protected status [under the Joe Biden Administration] may be worried that their temporary protective status can be revoked and they will be sent back… to a very volatile Haiti at present. These are not issues that are unimportant for people who are living in the Caribbean,” said Hinds.

Her counterpart, Professor Canute Thompson, chancellor of the board for undergraduate studies and professor of educational policy, planning and leadership, The UWI, said he also believes the prospects of deportations is strong and that there could be cuts in support for various programmes in Caribbean Community  states.

“I believe that part of the defence that the world will have to put up to deal with Trump is that intellectuals will need to be more assertive and challenge the attacks on democracy,” said Thompson.

“Notice that in the red states, prior to the elections, various laws were being made which were seeking to undo support for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and there were several pieces of legislation which sought to restrict the intellectual freedom of scholars.

“I suspect that we’re gonna see more of that attempt to trample on the sovereign intellectual rights of scholars to collect data, to interpret data, and share their views,” added Thompson.

The forum, which focused on the outcome of the 2024 US Presidential Election and its repercussions, saw contributions from several other regional academics.