On January 20, 2025, President Trump rescinded nearly 70 executive orders signed by Biden, then signed a series of new ones.
✔️Declare a national emergency at the southern border and appropriate funds to continue building the wall, transporting immigrants, and providing detention facilities.
Trump tried to do this during his first term, but was sued and stopped by the courts.
✔️Increase inspections at the southern border to suspend entry for anyone who cannot provide complete medical information, criminal history, or background information.
This will lead to border controls becoming much stricter, even for immigrants who have all their visas and documents in order.
✔️Task for the military – to “close” the border and prevent illegal immigrants from crossing.
The order requires the military to come up with a plan within 10 days. It’s unclear how the military will respond.
✔️Stop granting birthright citizenship from February 20, 2025 to children born in the US if their mothers are in the US illegally, or if their mothers are in the US legally but temporarily (such as under a visa) but the father is not a US citizen or permanent legal resident.
The American Civil Liberties Union has already filed a lawsuit challenging this order as a violation of the US Constitution.
✔️Strengthen enforcement of illegal immigrants and their deportations.
This has always existed, but has not been fully enforced due to capacity constraints. Unless Congress provides more money to enforce this requirement, additional capacity will not be forthcoming. However, Trump’s focus on this could increase fear and anxiety in the society.
✔️Expand expedited deportation from border communities to the entire country. This means that illegal immigrants who have been in the U.S. for less than 2 years will be deported under expedited deportation.
Expedited deportation has existed as part of federal immigration law for years, but was limited to the border region (100 miles from the border) under the Biden administration. Trump expanded it to the entire country, as it was previously during his first term.
✔️Implement mandatory detention of individuals during deportation proceedings.
Without additional resources, detention capacity is limited to current levels. The average daily detention rate is between $250 and $500 per person.
✔️Withhold funds from “sanctuary cities” that protect illegal immigrants and do not help detain and deport them.
Trump tried to do this during his first term but lost in court.
✔️Strengthen checks of illegal immigrants’ illegal employment.
There is also insufficient funding for serious checks. But if this were implemented, it would negatively impact the economy and lead to mass unemployment and poverty among immigrants, both illegal and legal, who have lost their documents.
✔️Stop automatic extensions of temporary humanitarian parole for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans. Humanitarian parole can still be extended, but each case will be considered individually.
It is not yet clear how this will be implemented and what the consequences will be.
✔️Suspend the refugee admissions program starting January 27, 2025.
Every year, the US president decides how many refugees to admit into the country. Trump cut refugee admissions to historic lows during his first term.
✔️Implement additional screening of visa applicants and potentially suspend visas for certain countries starting February 20, 2025.
This happened during Trump’s first term and was used to discriminate. It is too early to say how this will be implemented now.
✔️Restore the “Remain in Mexico” program, which requires asylum applicants to wait outside the US for procession of their application. The CBP One app which made for easier to apply for asylum has already been discontinued.
This has already begun to be implemented and the Trump administration will likely succeed in implementing these applications.
✔️Audit of public organizations helping illegal immigrants.
Most of these organizations are already under strict reporting rules. It is unlikely that this will have any impact.
✔️Denial of government benefits for illegal immigrants.
Most illegal immigrants are already ineligible for federal government benefits, so this is unlikely to result in the loss of any benefits. But it may cause fear among those who are eligible for such benefits and they will be afraid to apply.
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