President Donald Trump’s first historic acts in the White House included several executive actions specifically focused on the border and immigration, among the first of more than 200 actions that his office has promised to blast through in his first days in office.
The border orders came as part of sweeping actions that Trump took once settled in at the White House Monday evening after signing several non-border orders while speaking at Capital One Arena in downtown Washington earlier in the day.
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- Trump declared a national emergency at the border
The action will allow the Defense Department to deploy active-duty and National Guard military to the southern border, erect barriers, and work on ways to take down enemy drones.
The number of troops deployed will be at the discretion of the Pentagon. - Clarified the military’s role in protecting the territorial integrity of the United States
“What this action does is it assigns the mission to seal our borders and institute campaign planning requirements for the military,” one official said. “The executive order directs the military to prioritize our borders and territory integrity in strategic planning for its operations, to maintain sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of the U.S. by repelling forms of invasion, including unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking and other criminal activities.” - Ended “catch and release,” restarted “Remain in Mexico,” and building the wall
“This specifically directs building the wall and detaining and deporting illegal aliens, prioritizes public safety, and developing federal and safe partnerships to enforce immigration policies and priorities,” an official said on the call. - Designated criminal cartels and others as specifically designated global terrorists
“This initiates a process that will lead to the designation of the cartels like the aforementioned Tren de Aragua and MS-13 as [foreign terrorist organizations], and for specifically designated local terrorists, it directs the removal of Tren de Aragua gang members,” one official said. “And it finds, under the Alien Enemies Act, that the gang is an irregular armed force of Venezuela’s government conducting a predatory incursion and invasion into the United States.” - Suspended refugee resettlement for at least four months
“Over the last 4 years, the United States has been inundated with record levels of migration, including through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Cities and small towns alike, from Charleroi, Pennsylvania, and Springfield, Ohio, to Whitewater, Wisconsin, have seen significant influxes of migrants. Even major urban centers such as New York City, Chicago, and Denver have sought Federal aid to manage the burden of new arrivals. Some jurisdictions, like New York and Massachusetts, have even recently declared states of emergency because of increased migration,” the executive order stated.
“The United States lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans, that protects their safety and security, and that ensures the appropriate assimilation of refugees. This order suspends the USRAP until such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests of the United States,” the order continued. - Started immediate removals
Through a proclamation, there will be the start of the removal process without the possibility of asylum for immigrants at the border who do not meet grounds for credible fear, the first step of asylum. - Ended birthright citizenship
“It is the policy of the United States that no department or agency of the United States government shall issue documents recognizing United States citizenship, or accept documents issued by State, local, or other governments or authorities purporting to recognize United States citizenship, to persons: (1) when that person’s mother was unlawfully present in the United States and the person’s father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth, or (2) when that person’s mother’s presence in the United States was lawful but temporary, and the person’s father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth,” the executive order stated. - Enhanced vetting and screening of illegal immigrants
“We are going to direct agencies to report to the president regarding recommendations for the suspension of entry for nationals of any country of particular concerns,” the official said. - Protected the public against invasion
“What this particular action does is it rescinds the open borders policies of the Biden administration and equips agents and officers of [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] with the authorities needed to deport illegal aliens from the U.S.,” one official said. “It also reaffirms the faithful execution of the immigration law, prioritizes enforcement actions against criminal illegal aliens, and establishes federal Homeland Security Task Forces to cooperate with state and local law enforcement in the removal of gangs, criminals, and illegal aliens from the United States.” - Restored the death penalty in public safety
“This action, in particular, directs the attorney general in capital punishment for the murder of law enforcement officers and capital crimes committed by illegal aliens. It encourages state [attorneys general] and district attorneys to bring capital state charges for these crimes,” the official said. - Reevaluate and realign foreign aid to countries, including a 90-day pause
“It is the policy of United States that no further United States foreign assistance shall be disbursed in a manner that is not fully aligned with the foreign policy of the President of the United States,” the executive order stated. - Do away with the CBP One app’s immigration functions
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency’s phone app was expanded by the Biden administration to allow more than 730,000 non-U.S. citizens to fly into the country from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, as well as apply for appointments at ports of entry — moves that were intended to deter illegal immigration at the southern border - Collect DNA from illegal immigrants in custody
- Determine if illegal immigrants in custody are related and family members; prosecute adults who are not related to children they claim to be related to
Other executive orders expected Monday and in the coming days are expanding immigrant detention facilities, shutting down the government CBP One app, and placing sanctions against countries that refuse to take back their citizens.
Trump teased the exhaustive list of orders in a speech given at Capital One Arena in Washington on Sunday evening.
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“The border security measures I will outline in my inaugural address tomorrow will be the most aggressive sweeping effort to restore our borders the world has ever seen,” Trump said on Sunday.
“By the time the sun sets tomorrow evening, the invasion of our borders will have come to a halt,” Trump said at a preinauguration rally. “And all the illegal border trespassers will, in some form or another, be on their way back home.”
