President Trump took a series of executive actions on immigration within hours of taking office as he sought to roll back four years of policies implemented by the Biden administration and reintroduce an agenda that would fundamentally upend America’s global role. the forefront.
In a series of orders signed late Monday, Trump moved to seal the U.S. border, ban immigrants from entering the country and systematically crack down on undocumented immigrants already in the United States, part of a series of policies that include declaring a national emergency. To deploy troops to the border and try to cut off birthright citizenship from the children of non-citizens.
While some of these orders may face serious legal challenges and may be difficult or impossible to enforce, the directives send a clear message that Trump is serious about fulfilling his frequent campaign promises to crack down on the border and escalate countermeasures. -He has made an immigration agenda central to his political identity.
“Through these actions, we will begin the radical restoration of America and the revolution of common sense,” Trump said in the Capitol Rotunda after being sworn in. “All illegal entry will cease immediately and we will begin sending millions of criminal aliens back to where they came from.”
Minutes after Trump was sworn in, his administration shut down a government program created by his predecessor that had allowed immigrants to make appointments through an app to enter the United States through legal ports of entry. The cancellation of the program, known as CBP One, has left about 30,000 immigrants who had reservations to enter the United States in limbo and suggested the situation will now become even more difficult.
Hours later, Trump took action in the Oval Office to stop asylum seekers and seal the border to those seeking protection in the United States. The Trump administration believes that illegal border crossings pose a national security and public health problem. Trump did not mention specific disease threats, saying simply that immigrants were not providing “comprehensive health information” to border authorities, posing a public health risk.
He declared a national emergency along the U.S.-Mexico border to be able to bypass Congress and free up federal funds for border wall construction and other enforcement efforts. Trump appears to be using more than just the military to support border authorities. He also signed an order explicitly giving the military a role in immigration enforcement and directing the Department of Defense to develop a plan “to seal our borders and preserve the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of the United States by repelling all forms of incursions.” .
The directive may conflict with the 1870s-era Posse Comitatus Act, which generally restricts the use of regular federal troops for domestic policing duties.
“This is truly dangerous and wrong,” said Elizabeth Goine, senior director of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law. She added that the order directs the military to view the border not as a law enforcement issue but as a comprehensive military operations.
Although conditions at the border are currently relatively calm, Trump’s measures come as the number of border crossings has been drastically reduced after the Biden administration took major steps to restrict immigration.
Still, many of the executive actions Trump has foreseen in recent years have been aimed at delivering on promises to reduce immigration and implement mass deportations.
In a separate order issued on Monday, Trump announced that his administration would no longer treat all children born in the United States as citizens, signaling his intention to fundamentally ignore the Constitution’s guarantee of birthright citizenship. The order directs federal agencies, starting within 30 days, not to issue citizenship documents to children born in the United States to undocumented mothers or mothers on temporary visas if the father is not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
The move, which amounted to an extraordinary change to the 157-year-old 14th Amendment, prompted a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union within hours.
Mr. Trump cannot single-handedly abolish birthright citizenship. Any changes to the Constitution require a supermajority vote in Congress and then ratification by three-fourths of the states. But denying the children of some immigrants access to citizenship documents effectively means they could be barred from using public services, which could have the same effect as abolishing that right.
“What the Trump administration is preparing goes well beyond immigration policy,” said Vanessa Cárdenas, executive director of American Voices, a pro-immigration think tank. “For example, undermining 150 years of established law and hard-won progress by attacking birthright citizenship is designed to reshape America’s future by taking this country backwards.”
On Monday, Trump signed an order in front of thousands of supporters at Capital One Arena that repealed a raft of former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s immigration policies, including establishing a task force to help deal with Trump’s A policy to reunite separated families. Another revives Trump’s effort to withhold federal funds from local agencies that refuse to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Trump is likely to issue more immigration orders in the coming days, but there are already signs of significant changes to the system within hours of taking office.
At the El Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico, dozens of migrants stared at their phone screens, trying to check if their appointments were still valid, only to find a heartbreaking message: “Existing appointments have been cancelled.” “
“I was shocked,” said Maura Hernandez, who arrived with her four young children and booked an appointment for Tuesday.
“I don’t know what will happen to us,” she said, adding that they fled their homes amid severe insecurity.
This is just one aspect of Trump’s first day of action.
In an executive order, Trump also raised the possibility of imposing a travel ban, similar to his first term. He directed the government to use 60 days to identify countries that fail to thoroughly vet tourists and visa applicants and pose potential risks to national security. In this case, the government should consider whether a full or partial ban on entry into the United States by persons from these countries should be considered.
Trump also pauses refugee resettlement and increased scrutiny of those seeking to come to the United States from overseas. He signed an executive order ending the practice of “arrest and release,” in which immigrants are released into the United States after crossing the border to await court appearance. As with many of Trump’s actions, the details of the order remain unclear.
Trump has also designated drug cartels as terrorist organizations, increasing his administration’s ability to target them.
The Biden administration moved in June to ban asylum for immigrants who entered the country illegally. The order remains in effect, and border numbers have dropped sharply in recent months. Border agents use the order to quickly remove immigrants caught crossing the border without authorization.
“All illegal aliens seeking to enter the United States should be returned now,” Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff and the architect of his anti-immigration agenda, wrote on social media on Monday. “Anyone entering the United States without authorization will face prosecution and deportation.”
Trump also said he would reinstate the so-called “Remain in Mexico” policy, which forces immigrants to wait in the country until their immigration cases go to court. The policy was a centerpiece of Trump’s border crackdown during his first term. However, the Trump administration will need Mexico’s cooperation to fully implement the policy.
Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente said at a press conference on Monday morning that Mexico does not agree to return to the “Remain in Mexico” policy, and if it were, Mexico would not be obliged to process asylum requests from the United States. However, he said the country would find ways to operate “in the best way possible”.
Paulina Villegas Contributing reporting from Tijuana, Mexico, Emiliano Rodriguez Mejia from Mexico City and Eric Schmidt From Washington.
