‘National emergency’
Trump has proclaimed that “America’s sovereignty is under attack”, declaring this to be a national emergency that allows him to free up more funding to reinforce the border with Mexico.
The same directive tells officials to relaunch efforts to build a border wall with Mexico that was started under his first presidency. This is not an executive order and it is unclear how such an effort might be funded.
Closing the border
The president has told the military to “seal the borders” – citing the flow of illicit drugs, human smuggling and crime relating to crossings.
Birthright citizenship
Trump has ordered that officials deny the right to citizenship to the children of migrants either in the US illegally or on temporary visas.
But the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution has long been interpreted to enshrine that right, and Trump’s order was immediately challenged in federal court.
Terrorism designation for gangs and cartels
Trump has designated drug cartels and international gangs as foreign terrorist organisations – adding the likes of Salvadoran gang MS-13 to a list that includes the so-called Islamic State.
‘Remain in Mexico’ and no more ‘catch and release’
Trump has re-implemented his “Remain in Mexico” policy from his first term. This returned about 70,000 non-Mexican asylum seekers across the border to await hearings, before being cancelled by President Joe Biden.
The same order demands the end of “catch and release”, a policy that allows migrants to live in US communities while they await their hearings. Trump has previously promised “the largest deportation program in American history”, but this could face legal and logistical challenges.
The order also shut down a major Biden-era immigration pipeline: a sponsorship initiative that allowed up to 30,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to fly to the US. It had been designed to cut illegal crossings.
Death penalty for some immigrant criminals
Trump has ordered that the federal death penalty be reinstated. Executions have not happened in recent years. It would apply to any “capital crime committed by an alien illegally present in this country” and anyone convicted of murdering a law-enforcement officer.
Refugee resettlement
Trump has suspended the US refugee resettlement programme, though details remain unclear.
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