President Trump signed an Executive Order on Wednesday calling for the construction of a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico, the first step toward delivering on one of the most controversial and oft-stated promises of his campaign.
He also signed a related order calling on the Department of Homeland Security to enforce existing U.S. immigration laws. That’s a rebuke to President Obama, who directed a controversial shift in policy by calling on enforcement agencies to focus on the most dangerous immigrants.
Trump promised throughout his presidential campaign that he would enforce the laws, and at a meeting at DHS, he reiterated that pledge again, by saying he is asking DHS to “enforce the laws.”
“We’ve been talking about this right from the beginning,” Trump said as he signed the orders at the Department of Homeland Security headquarters. Trump was there to sign the orders and attend the swearing-in of John Kelly, his homeland security secretary.
Trump’s order on the border wall said it’s U.S. policy to secure the southwestern U.S. border “through the immediate construction of a physical wall.” It’s also U.S. policy to detain everyone suspected of violating federal immigration law, and moving them as quickly as possible.
Read that order here:
Trump’s second order reiterated much of the speech he delivered at DHS, where he told agents to enforce all laws. It said it’s U.S. policy to “ensure the faithful execution” of immigration laws, and set out seven enforcement priorites.
Priorities are immigrants who were convicted of a crime, charged with a crime, committed acts that are chargeable as a crime, engaged in fraud against the government, abused public benefits, are subject to removal but have not been removed, or if they pose other risks as determined by a federal immigration officer.
Read that order here:
