A Democratic strategist left a CNN panel stunned after claiming the US military would open fire on Americans who try to prevent the deportation of illegal migrants.

Julie Roginsky, 51, made the wild suggestion Monday on CNN’s NewsNight, as the panel discussed Donald Trump’s endorsement of “military means” to enforce mass deportations across the country.

“I promise you with every fiber of my being, because I will probably be one of those people, that if someone comes and takes these people and tries to take them out by force, there will be protests,” said Roginsky.

The strategist, known for co-founding the nonprofit Lift Our Voices in the wake of the MeToo movement, said she would be particularly offended by children being taken to migrant shelters.

“(American citizens) would prevent these little children from being dragged out of these shelters,” she continued.

“What will happen to these people? What will happen to the soldiers when they open fire on us?

The remark caused Roginsky’s fellow panelists to gasp, and Scott Jennings responded, “We’re at the bottom of the rabbit hole here.”

Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky left a CNN panel stunned after claiming the US military could open fire on Americans trying to prevent the deportation of illegal immigrants.

The panel spoke hours after Donald Trump announced he would use “military means” to impose mass deportations across the country.

The panel discussed Trump’s planned mass deportations hours after the president-elect announced he would call in the military to carry out the order.

Although Trump has said his plans would affect the staggering 20 million illegal immigrants, some say that figure is not achievable – with his own Vice President-elect JD Vance also saying the administration could instead consider to expel a million per year.

Roginsky, however, claimed that the only people who would be targeted by Trump’s order would be “women and children.”

Asked whether the lack of screening among migrants increases the chances of a terrorist infiltrating the United States, Roginsky retorted: “Stop, how do you know who it is?”

“I’m sorry, I live next to these people,” she continued.

“I can tell you, they are women and children. Are there terrorists among them? I don’t know.

“But what I’m telling you right now, in practice, there will be American citizens who will prevent these little children from being dragged out of these shelters.”

Roginsky’s co-panelist Scott Jennings seemed exasperated when she claimed the military would shoot Americans, responding in response: “We’re down the rabbit hole here.”

Trump has frequently spoken about his desire to deport millions of illegal immigrants from the United States during his election campaign, and recently said he would take “no price” for carrying out that order.

Trump frequently spoke about his desire to deport millions of illegal immigrants from the United States during his election campaign, drawing attention with his incendiary language when he described migrants as “poisoning the blood of our country.”

And he has shown no signs of slowing down since winning the presidential election, and earlier this month promised “the largest deportation effort in American history.”

A report from the American Immigration Council found that deporting one million migrants would cost between $88 billion and $315 billion. If an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants live here, that would result in a staggering cost of $968 billion.

But in an interview with NBC News days after securing a second term in the White House, Trump pledged to make the border “strong and powerful,” and insisted that cost would not be an obstacle. .

“It’s not a question of price. That’s not the case – in reality, we have no choice,” Trump said.

“When people killed and murdered, when drug lords destroyed countries, and now they’re going to go back to those countries because they don’t stay here. There’s no price.