The Mass Deportation Coalition’s playbook
The Mass Deportation Coalition, a group of immigration law and policy experts and former law enforcement officials, published its MDC Playbook in March 2026. It lays out 21 policy recommendations, from worksite enforcement and employment verification to detention capacity and asylum reform, aimed at reaching one million deportations in 2026.
Note: nomoreh1bs.com is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or speaking for the Mass Deportation Coalition. We link to their work because it’s relevant; the playbook and its contents are theirs.
Their key principles
The coalition says it is united around these key principles:
- End "worst-of-the-worst" as the rule. Prioritization of criminal enforcement policy, also known as "worst-of-the-worst," is rooted in the Clinton Administration and morphed from the exception into the rule during the Obama and Biden Administrations. It is unwarranted in the Trump Administration, as it creates an operational cap on enforcement results. Focusing the bulk of removal resources on a small subset of the removable population results in small removal numbers. Instead, the Phase Two focus should be on populations that are easier to remove, such as deportable aliens with final orders of removal and visa overstays, and on policies like worksite enforcement.
- Bring back worksite enforcement. Worksite enforcement is the most critical missing enforcement policy for the Trump Administration to get on track and meet his agenda. The coalition stands by the key findings of the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform, led by former Representative Barbara Jordan (D-TX). Too many in Congress have shown disdain for the enforcement of our laws.
- Self-deportation follows enforcement. Meaningful numbers of self-deportations will only occur when ICE deportations significantly increase and there is a whole-of-government effort to encourage deportable aliens to leave.
- Publish the data. Regular and complete data transparency from the Trump Administration is a requirement to achieve confidence that the administration is still pursuing his signature campaign promise, which will be his defining policy legacy.
- Count removals one way. See how the coalition counts removals below.
How the coalition counts removals
Over the course of several administrations, the government has used different components and definitions to arrive at deportation and removal numbers. The coalition consolidates public understanding of removals into one metric: ICE interior removals, defined as the combination of:
- Expedited Removals from the interior of the United States
- Reinstatement of Removal
- Administrative Removals (e.g. aggravated felons)
- Removal Orders from an Immigration Judge
- Voluntary Removals with active government participation, such as use of the CBP Home App
Not included in ICE interior removals: turn backs, maritime interdictions, timely self-departures, and untimely self-departures. A subset of untimely self-departures would include CBP Home App completions.