Donald Trump’s candidacy continues to ruffle the feathers of the immigration extremists who have been pushing Open Borders and amnesty for years.
The latest button The Donald pushed was his claim that mass deportations were not only possible but in fact have been successfully carried out in the past. 
There was indeed such a plan, dubbed “Operation Wetback,” and developed by President Eisenhower to address what was then a growing illegal immigration problem. Ike reached back to his West Point days to find a military officer – General Joseph Swing – whom he trusted to implement his draconian plan, which saw more than a million illegal immigrants deported to Mexico in the space of a year.
Did it work? It depends on who you talk to. Border Patrol agents still talk about the plan as a huge “success,” claiming that most of the nearly 3 million illegal immigrants then in the country were eventually pushed out – or “self-deported,” fearing imminent expulsion. “Operation Wetback” didn’t just escort illegal immigrants to the U.S.-Mexico border, the common practice now. It used buses, trains, railroad and even planes to dump those captured deep into the Mexican interior, where most had no family ties but work, in theory, was plentiful.
Illegal immigration became a problem during the Second World War when labor shortages left farmers shorthanded. A plan to bring laborers in from Mexico for a short time, called the Bracero Program, alleviated some of the shortage. However, many farmers continued to hire and pay illegals.
When the program ended, Eisenhower declared success and both sides of the border focused on shoring up the Bracero Program, which continued for another decade.
Mass deportation is possible but as noted:
his plan would face monumental court challenges – and fierce political opposition — that would likely delay or block implementation for months, maybe years.
Yes, even the thought of a successful plan to enforce current immigration law makes liberals nervous.
