Last week the Mass Deportation Coalition (MDC)—a collection of national and state-level groups and individuals of varying influence, all aligned with the MAGA movement—published a “Playbook” of 21 recommendations for the Trump administration to pursue a “whole-of-government” effort expanding its draconian immigration enforcement operations. “With little over a year of this administration completed,” the document urges, “the time for the first phase of deportations, ‘the worst first,’ should come to an end and advance to phase two: a mass deportation program.”

Among its policy proposals, the coalition’s playbook directs the Trump administration to “dramatically expand immigration detention,” despite capacity already exceeding record levels following the One Beautiful Bill Act’s dedication of $45 billion to detention alone. Unsurprisingly, ICE has overseen a record number of deaths in detention facilities; as of today, 43 people have died, including 14 this year—or one death every six days in 2026.

Seemingly every day, additional reports and lawsuits suggest countless others in ICE custody are subject to inhumane conditions with overcrowding, malnourishment, and medical neglect.
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MDC’s existence is testament to the inhumane commitments of the anti-immigrant Right. These groups aren’t dissuaded by the needless and deadly havoc their favored policies bring to cities and untold numbers of immigrant families (citizen and noncitizen) and communities since the second Trump administration began. By the coalition’s own admission, they want to make matters worse.

https://religiondispatches.org/2026/04/06/new-project-2025-inspired-playbook-urges-trump-double-down-mass-deportation