Washington
CNN
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President Donald Trump and his aides pledged Monday to begin his term with a series of sweeping immigration measures, including declaring a national emergency at the U.S. southern border and immediately ending the use of a border app called CBP One that had allowed migrants to enter legally. in the United States, and begin the process of ending birthright citizenship, which is expected to trigger a legal battle.
The executive actions are the culmination of multiple campaign promises and rethinking of policy ideas that fell through during President-elect Donald Trump’s first term. Trump aides signaled that they would be followed within days by a series of immigration sweeps targeting criminals, although they did not rule out that others could also be apprehended.
The CBP One Monday closure closed a key pathway for people wanting to come to the United States. Homeland Security officials have cited the app as helping reduce migrant crossings by providing an orderly way to apply to the United States. Now that that is gone and asylum restrictions are in place, the border is effectively closed to asylum seekers – an extraordinary move.
More than 936,500 people have successfully used the app to schedule appointments to present at ports of entry since January 2023, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Existing appointments have been canceled, the agency said.
Trump said in his inaugural address that he was declaring a national emergency at the U.S. southern border and that “any illegal entry would be stopped immediately.” The declaration would trigger, among other efforts, the deployment of additional Pentagon resources and the deployment of armed forces to complete the border wall. He is focused solely on southern border security.
“We will have military personnel on the southern border, but there are other elements of the U.S. government that will be working throughout the country,” a new White House official said.
Trump said he calls the cartels foreign terrorist organizations.
“This initiative is a process that will lead to the designation of cartels like…Tren de Aragua and MS 13 as FTOs and/or specifically designated as global terrorists,” a new White House official said, adding that the move would order the withdrawal of the gang. members and, under the Foreign Enemies Act, considers them “an irregular armed force of the Venezuelan government carrying out a predatory incursion and invasion into the United States.”
Trump also confirmed he was starting the process to reinstate his border policy known as “Remain in Mexico,” requiring migrants to remain in Mexico while they complete their immigration procedures in the United States. This policy requires the adhesion of Mexico.
Monday’s other executive actions, which Trump officials previewed but have not yet shared the text itself, include:
• Ending birthright citizenship, an issue that should be resolved through a constitutional amendment or through the courts. The action focuses on the phrase “and subject to 14th Amendment jurisdiction to clarify that on a prospective basis, the federal government will not automatically recognize birthright citizenship for children of illegal aliens born in the United States.” United.”
• Suspend refugee resettlement for at least four months.
• Direct the Attorney General to seek the death penalty for the killing of law enforcement officers and capital crimes committed by undocumented immigrants.
Trump’s executive actions on immigration were carefully and deliberately crafted to try to withstand expected legal challenges, according to a source familiar with the matter.
It’s a lesson learned from Trump’s first term, when several executive orders on immigration, some hastily written, were challenged in court. Trump allies say these legal fights have crippled Trump’s immigration agenda.
As Trump’s team crafted a series of executive orders on immigration, they tried to accommodate them.
“This time they are ready,” the source said.
Immigration groups have privately considered how they would approach lawsuits under the Trump administration, keenly aware that this Trump administration is better prepared and avoids knee-jerk reactions.
Trump inherits a relatively calm border. While the Biden administration grappled with record crossings in recent years, migrant crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border plummeted following President Joe Biden’s executive action last summer to repress the right to asylum.
In December, the last full month of the Biden administration, the U.S. Border Patrol recorded 47,300 migrant encounters, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In December 2020, the last full month of Trump’s first term, the number of illegal crossings hovered around 71,000.
This story has been updated with new information.