Trump confirms he wants to use the military to carry out his mass deportation plan

President-elect Donald Trump confirmed Monday on his social networking site Truth that he intends to declare a national emergency to subsequently use the U.S. military in some form to assist in his plans for mass deportations.

Responding during the early hours of the morning to a post made earlier this month by Tom Fitton, who heads the conservative group Judicial Watch, Trump confirmed that he wants to use military assets to deport illegal immigrants.

In his post, Fitton said the Trump administration would "declare a national emergency and will use military assets" to deal with illegal immigration "through a mass deportation program."

Early Monday morning, Trump quoted Fitton's post with the comment, "TRUE!!!"

According to the New York Times, Congress has, throughout history, given presidents broad powers to declare national emergencies at their discretion, a situation that unlocks reserve powers such as redirecting legislative funds approved for other purposes.

"During his first term, for example, Mr. Trump invoked this power to spend more on a border wall than Congress had been willing to authorize," explained the New York Times. The president-elect could opt for a similar strategy for his deportation plans.

Trump's intention to use the military to help with his immigration plans is not new talk.

Earlier during the campaign, Trump's top immigration adviser, Stephen Miller, who was named the next administration's new deputy chief policy adviser, told the New York Times that funds earmarked for the U.S. military could play a role in fighting illegal immigration.

Miller said military funds would be used to build "vast holding facilities that would function as staging centers" for immigrants while their cases progressed pending deportation. According to the top Trump adviser, the Department of Homeland Security would manage this effort, which will be led by South Dakota's governor, Kristi Noem.