Trump Signals a Crackdown on Legal and Illegal Immigration
The president plans to suspend refugee resettlement and declare a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border.
As President Donald Trump delivered his inaugural address on Monday, he outlined the series of executive orders he planned to sign that day to "begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense." First on that list were several immigration- and border-related measures.
"First, I will declare a national emergency at our southern border," Trump said. "We will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came." Other moves will include reinstating the "Remain in Mexico" policy, sending troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, and "eliminat[ing] the presence of all foreign gangs and criminal networks" in the U.S. by invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
A fact sheet released by the Trump White House Monday afternoon indicated that the president's crackdown would target legal and illegal immigrants alike.
Trump plans to enhance the "vetting and screening of aliens." Though the White House fact sheet did not specify what that would involve, Trump has previously suggested some broad and fraught applications. On the campaign trail, he promised to implement "strong ideological screening of all immigrants" to keep out "dangerous lunatics, haters, bigots, and maniacs." He would also "keep foreign, Christian-hating communists, Marxists, and socialists out of America," he said in a 2023 speech.
The president plans to suspend refugee resettlement, reportedly for at least four months. For over 40 years, the U.S. has resettled heavily vetted people who have faced or who fear persecution based on certain criteria. The president plays a powerful role in shaping the number of annual refugee admissions. (Trump set a lower and lower ceiling each year of his first term.) Suspending the program will leave displaced and vulnerable people at risk of persecution. Among others, that includes thousands of Afghan nationals who assisted the U.S. during its war in Afghanistan and are still awaiting relocation.
The CBP One app, which since January 2023 has allowed migrants to schedule screening appointments with an officer at a port of entry, went offline today. "Approximately 270,000 migrants are estimated to be waiting on the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico border, hoping to get an appointment to enter the U.S.," reported CBS News yesterday, citing government figures. The CBP One app had its problems—it was glitchy and demand far outpaced the number of available appointments—but eliminating a program that attempted to create a more traceable, predictable migration pathway could drive sufficiently desperate migrants to attempt illegal crossings instead.
Trump set a sky-high expectation for managing border crossings during his inaugural address, claiming that "all illegal entry will immediately be halted." Even his most forceful border-focused actions—such as building the border wall, "ending asylum for illegal border crossers," and sending soldiers to the southern border—can only do so much toward that goal if legal pathways are unworkable for hopeful migrants. And punitive border policies come with human costs. During the first Trump administration's implementation of Remain in Mexico, migrants forced to await court dates south of the border reported numerous instances of rape, kidnapping, and torture.
It comes as no surprise that immigration and the border are top of mind for the newly inaugurated Trump, who made a mass deportation operation and ending birthright citizenship centerpieces of his campaign. As the second Trump administration's immigration and border policies take shape, it's clear that the crackdown to come will sweep up legal and illegal immigrants alike.
