The first time America tried mass deportation, it was a disaster politico.com/magazine/story/20

The Indian Removal Act of 1830 forced 80,000 people from their homes. "It was a humanitarian disaster and remains one of the most shameful episodes in the country’s history."

It was hotly contested and opponents filed many petitions against it.

"With one or two exceptions, the petitions voiced a powerful opposition to the forced emigration of native peoples. They addressed the particulars of the matter—broken treaties and the imperious claims of state governments—but they also spoke to a deep-seated belief about the young republic that is relevant to today’s debate about undocumented immigrants. The United States, they insisted, stood for 'justice and the rights of mankind. It did not disregard 'the cries of the oppressed and the sufferings of the helpless.'

"Recalling their own ancestors who had fled from oppressive governments in Europe, petitioners called for justice to be done to the native peoples who long ago had welcomed European immigrants. They condemned state laws that persecuted Native Americans and questioned the ability of the government to remove so many people safely. More generally, they called on Congress to prevent 'our national character from being disgraced, by the perpetration of an atrocious outrage.'

"The Indian Removal Act passed the House of Representatives in May 1830 by a mere five votes out of 199 cast. The public debate over the policy led anti-slavery activists such as William Lloyd Garrison to recognize the folly and immorality of mass deportation and encouraged them to turn against contemporaneous efforts to deport free and enslaved African-Americans to Africa. The deportation of Indians, recognized one group of residents from Lexington, New York, would 'stamp our national character with indelible infamy.' They were right. Politicians and their supporters should take note. We shouldn’t make the same mistake twice."