Donald Trump threatens to use US military to deport undocumented immigrants

'You see what’s happening at the border, all of the sudden for the first time, we’re getting gang members out, we’re getting drug lords out, we’re getting really bad dudes out of this country'

Donald Trump has threatened to deploy US military forces to remove undocumented immigrants from the country.

The US President claimed his administration’s efforts to remove “bad dudes”, including “gang members”and “drug lords”, was a military operation to reduce crime, despite little evidence indicating undocumented immigrants are disproportionately responsible.

“You see what’s happening at the border, all of the sudden for the first time, we’re getting gang members out, we’re getting drug lords out, we’re getting really bad dudes out of this country,” Mr Trump said.

“And at a rate that nobody’s ever seen before, and they’re the bad ones, and it’s a military operation because that has been allowed to come into our country. And you see gang violence that you’ve read about like never before, all of the things, much of that is people that are here illegally. And they’re rough and they’re tough but they’re not tough like our people.”

However, despite the US President's incendiary claims, security chief John Kelly said there would be "no use of military force in immigration operations.” Press secretary Sean Spicer also issued a denial after the meeting, claiming Mr Trump’s use of the word “military” was as an adjective to highlight the precision used in the deportation operations.

His comments came as Mexico’s foreign minister expressed "worry and irritation" about US policies at a meeting in Mexico City with Mr Kelly and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Luis Videgaray said it was a "complex time" for US-Mexico relations, which have gone downhill quickly since Mr Trump was elected president last November.

Relations were put under further strain this week when the US said it would seek to deport many illegal immigrants to Mexico if they entered the country from the southern border, regardless of their nationality.

The immigration guidelines are the latest point of tension between neighbours that have also been at odds over Mr Trump's vow to build a wall on the border and his attempts to browbeat Mexico into giving concessions on trade.

Mr Kelly and Mr Tillerson were much more measured in their words than either the Mexicans or Mr Trump. Mr Kelly, who Mr Trump praised as being “unbelievable at the border” denied the military claim and insisted there would be "no, repeat, no" mass deportations.

None of the officials made direct references to the deportation of immigrants from third countries to Mexico, or to paying for the border wall planned by Mr Trump, a red-flag issue for Mexico.

Additional reporting by agencies