Sat. Dec 14th, 2024 10:40:47 AM

Former U.S. President Donald Trump joins South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster on the field during halftime in the Palmetto Bowl between Clemson and South Carolina at Williams Brice Stadium on Nov. 25, 2023, in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster led a group of GOP governors in a letter of support for incoming President Donald Trump’s promises to deport noncitizens deemed to have criminal connections who are living in the United States illegally.

McMaster, in his new role as policy chairman of the Republican Governors Association, led 26 GOP governors in issuing a statement of support Wednesday of President-elect Trump’s pledge to deport “illegal immigrants who pose a threat to the United States’ communities and national security.”

“Republican governors remain fully committed to supporting the Trump Administration’s efforts to deport dangerous criminals, gang members, and terrorists who are in this country illegally,” read the six-paragraph statement jointly signed by the governors, starting with McMaster. “We understand the direct threat these criminal illegal immigrants pose to public safety and our national security, and we will do everything in our power to assist in removing them from our communities.”

McMaster and the other GOP governors stated they’d be willing to deploy state law enforcement or state National Guard troops to support the effort.

The GOP letter of support follows Democratic governors and mayors of major cities vowing the fight Trump’s deportation efforts.

There are about 11 million immigrants living in the United States without authorization, according to national estimates. Most have no criminal record, and some academic research suggests that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than U.S.-born residents, according to reporting by Stateline, an affiliate of the SC Daily Gazette.

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In July, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported 662,566 noncitizens with criminal histories on its national docket who it had released. Of those, 435,719 were convicted of a crime, either in the United States or abroad, and 226,847 faced pending criminal charges. More than 78,000 of the convictions, or 18%, were to traffic offenses. Assaults represented the second most-common category of convictions, at 15%, followed by “dangerous drugs,” at 12%.

Nearly 15,000 noncitizens with criminal convictions or pending charges remained detained in federal facilities, according to a Sept. 25 letter from ICE deputy director Patrick Lechleitner to Texas GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales.

Other governors to sign the statement include: Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Idaho Gov. Brad Little, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves , Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon.

There are 27 GOP governors nationwide. Gov. Phil Scott of Vermont was the lone Republican who did not sign the statement.

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