In this aerial view, the U.S.-Mexico border wall ends in a breach Sunday near Sasabe, Arizona. Although the number of immigrant crossings is down sharply, the new Trump administration has pledged to complete the wall and completely “seal” the border.
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President-elect Donald Trump is expected to launch a series of immigration-related executive actions after his inauguration ceremony, which begins Monday.
Since the early days of the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump has pledged to begin his second term with both new and old efforts to curb legal immigration and deport those in the United States without legal status.
Last night, at a rally in Washington DC, Trump said he planned to quickly sign executive orders and launch “the most aggressive, broad-based effort the world has ever seen to restore our borders.”
“Very soon, we will launch the largest deportation operation in American history,” he added.
Trump’s new border czar, Tom Homan, also said large-scale raids aimed at expelling and detaining people without legal status should begin as early as Tuesday, focusing on people considered a security threat or safety.
“While we hope for the best, we take Trump at his word. We are prepared to fight against any cruel or violent attacks against immigrant communities in the United States or against those who flee to this country in search of safety and security. ‘a refuge,’ said Kerri Talbot. , co-executive director of the Immigration Hub, an advocacy organization.
The United States has seen an increase in border crossings under the Biden administration, sometimes reaching unprecedented highs. But recent Customs and Border Protection figures showed a sharp decline in unauthorized arrests over the past six months.
Trump campaigned on promises about border security, and he and his allies say his election victory is an endorsement of his future efforts on the issue. Republicans have criticized Biden’s immigration policies, and lawmakers voted to impeach Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas.
Yet the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll finds that Americans are evenly divided on whether to mass deport people who are in the United States without legal status — although the divisions fall along partisan lines.
With Republican control of the White House, Senate and House of Representatives, Trump’s immigration policies are also a key priority to pass through Congress.
Here are some of his promises:
Declare a national emergency, which would unlock federal funds and other authorities to help implement its plans to secure the border
These efforts can take time
Although Trump has reiterated these promises for more than a year, their implementation could take weeks or even months. Several actions will likely face legal challenges or require Congress to raise new funding that Trump does not currently have.
“We’re getting into some big question marks. He’s talked about using and expanding detention centers. That will almost certainly happen,” Andrew Selee, president of the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute, said in an interview with NPR. Morning edition.
“But whether or not he will be able to use military bases, or other federal facilities – and whether he will try to use the military itself, and that would require going back to the Alien and Sedition Act of 1798, and it would certainly be almost impossible to argue in court.
In fact, even a rapid expansion of operations could prove difficult for the new administration. An NPR investigation last year found that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency responsible for deportations, struggled to respond to Trump’s immediate demands during his first term, which included attempts to increase evictions.
Congress must also provide the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies with the funding necessary to implement these policies.
In its latest budget request, the Biden administration requested $19 billion to fund additional personnel, facilities, repatriation capabilities and other resources along the southwest border.
Lawmakers are expected to take up border security funding as part of a larger budget measure later this year.
