Connect with us

News

Trump promised dozens of actions on immigration on Day 1. Here's what we know

Published

on

Trump promised dozens of actions on immigration on Day 1. Here's what we know

In this aerial view, the U.S.-Mexico border wall ends with a gap on Sunday near Sasabe, Ariz. Although immigrant crossings are down sharply, the incoming Trump administration has vowed to complete the wall and “seal” the border completely.

John Moore/Getty Images


hide caption

toggle caption

Advertisement

John Moore/Getty Images

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to kick off a slew of executive actions related to immigration after his inauguration ceremony, beginning as soon as Monday.

Since the early days of the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump has vowed to begin his second term with both new and old efforts to curb legal migration and deport those who are in the U.S. without legal status.

Last night during a rally in Washington D.C., Trump said he plans to sign executive orders quickly and launch “the most aggressive, sweeping effort to restore our borders the world has ever seen.”

Advertisement

“Very soon, we will begin the largest deportation operation in American history,” he added.

Incoming Trump border czar Tom Homan also said large-scale raids to deport and detain those without legal status are set to begin as soon as Tuesday, focusing on people considered a security or safety threat.

“While we hope for the best, we take Trump at his word. We are prepared to fight back against any cruel or violent attacks on immigrant communities in the U.S. or those fleeing to this country in search of safety and refuge,” said Kerri Talbot, co-executive director of the Immigration Hub, an advocacy organization.

The U.S. had seen an increase in border crossings under the Biden administration, at times reaching all-time highs. But Customs and Border Protection’s recent numbers have shown a sharp decrease in unauthorized apprehensions in the past six months.

Trump campaigned on border security promises, and he and his allies argue that his electoral win is an endorsement of his upcoming efforts on the issue. Republicans criticized Biden’s immigration policies, and lawmakers voted to impeach Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Advertisement

Still, the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll finds that Americans are evenly split on whether to mass deport people who are in the U.S. without legal status — though divisions fall along party lines.

With Republican control of the White House, Senate and House, Trump’s immigration policies are also a key priority to push through Congress.

Here are some of his promises:

Declare a national emergency, which would unlock federal funding and other authorities to help him carry out plans to secure the border

  • Restart construction of a border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border
  • Start the work of ending birthright citizenship, though Trump also admitted that this kind of change requires a constitutional amendment
  • Reinstate the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy, also known as the Migrant Protection Protocol, which would require certain asylum seekers to wait in Mexico until their court hearing dates in the U.S. before entering
  • Launch large-scale deportation operations
  • Restore travel bans and limit refugee admissions and resettlements
  • Bring back Title 42, a public health order from Trump’s first term that allows immigration authorities to expel and prevent asylum seekers from entering the U.S.
  • These efforts may take time

    Although Trump has reiterated these promises for over a year, they may take weeks or months to implement. Several actions will likely be the subject of legal challenges or need Congress to mobilize new funding that Trump currently does not have.

    “We get into the big question marks. He’s talked about using, expanding, detention facilities. That will almost certainly happen,” Andrew Selee, president of the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute, said in an interview with NPR’s Morning Edition.

    “But whether he’ll be able to use military bases or not, or other federal facilities — and whether he will try and use the military itself, and that would require going back to the Alien and Sedition Act of 1798, and that will almost certainly be litigated in the courts.”

    Advertisement

    In fact, even quickly scaling operations might be difficult for the new administration. An NPR investigation last year found that U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, the agency responsible for removals, struggled to scale up to Trump’s immediate demands during his first term, which included attempts to increase deportations.

    Congress must also provide the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies with the funding to execute the policies.

    In their final budget request, the Biden administration asked for $19 billion to fund additional personnel, facilities, repatriation capabilities, and other enforcement resources along the southwest border.

    Lawmakers are expected to take up border security funding as a part of a bigger budget-related measure later this year.

    Advertisement

    News

    Trump fires last members of election commission, inciting fears of midterm ‘chaos’

    Published

    on

    Trump fires last members of election commission, inciting fears of midterm ‘chaos’

    Donald Trump has terminated the remaining members of the independent, federal commission that assists election administration officials nationwide just a few months before the midterm elections, multiple outlets reported Thursday.

    The remaining three commissioners of the four-member bipartisan commission ⁠were forced out on Thursday in different ways. The one Republican appointee resigned and the other ⁠two, Democratic appointees were notified of their terminations via email from ​the White House presidential personnel office.

    “On ‌behalf of President ‌Donald J Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position ‌as Commissioner of the Election Assistance Commission is terminated, effective immediately. Thank you for your service,” the email, seen by Reuters, said.

    The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    The Election Assistance Commission serves as a “national clearinghouse of information on election ‌administration”, accredits testing laboratories and certifies voting systems, and maintains the national mail-voter registration form developed by the National ​Voter Registration Act of 1993, according to the commission’s website. The terminations follow Trump and top administration officials’ advocacy to change vote-by-mail requirements and investigations into the 2020 election outcome, which Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

    Advertisement

    “It is ⁠irresponsible and dangerous that this Administration remains dead set on ​causing chaos for ​our election officials across this ​country,” Arizona secretary of state Adrian Fontes said in a ​Thursday statement. “This ‌move undermines the integrity ​of nonpartisan ​election administration.”

    The 2002 law that established the commission, the Help America Vote Act, states the president can appoint replacements to the commission.

    It is unclear how Trump will move ahead with the commission.

    Reuters contributed reporting

    Advertisement
    Continue Reading

    News

    Former Olympian pleads not guilty in reflecting pool vandalism charges

    Published

    on

    Former Olympian pleads not guilty in reflecting pool vandalism charges

    Former U.S. Olympian David Hearn (left) walks with his attorney Norman Eisen to speak to reporters and protesters gathered after his arraignment at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.

    Finn Gomez/Getty Images


    hide caption



    toggle caption

    Advertisement

    Finn Gomez/Getty Images

    Former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn pleaded not guilty to damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in D.C. Superior Court Thursday morning.

    Federal prosecutors charged Hearn with a single count of destruction of property causing more than $1,000 in damage to the pool.

    Hearn has previously claimed, which his attorneys repeated during a short press conference outside the court, that he simply touched the water in the pool out of curiosity.

    Advertisement

    The Trump administration had just completed a $14 million renovation of the pool.

    But shortly after the work finished, peeling paint and algae gathered in the water. The remodel has been largely criticized as a massive failure and waste of taxpayer dollars.

    Superior Court Judge Carmen McLean released Hearn on his own recognizance. His next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 5.

    Norm Eisen, one of Hearn’s attorneys, spoke to reporters outside of court following the hearing. He said the administration is using Hearn as a “scapegoat … for their own failures.”

    “It is not a crime to touch the reflecting pool, to touch water in the United States of America,” he said.

    Advertisement

    Prosecutors say there is a host of evidence against Hearn.

    This is a developing story.

    Continue Reading

    News

    Three more people charged with damaging Reflecting Pool after Trump’s multimillion-dollar restoration | CNN Politics

    Published

    on

    Three more people charged with damaging Reflecting Pool after Trump’s multimillion-dollar restoration | CNN Politics

    Three more people have been criminally charged with destruction of property at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

    Officers say they detained Cameron Thiers, Sophie Dennison-Gibby and Justin Carreno one Saturday afternoon in June and described in court documents witnessing them peeling and removing pieces of blue paint from the Reflecting Pool.

    One officer “witnessed Carreno reach down into the reflecting pool and pull up a piece of the blue paint,” according to the court documents.

    The officer who detained Dennison-Gibby “found 1 additional piece of the reflecting pool liner” in her purse, the documents said.

    All three incidents were recorded on the officers’ body worn cameras, they said in the court documents.

    Advertisement

    Several “partnering law enforcement agencies assigned to the Reflecting Pool” working with US Park Police were involved in detaining the two men and one woman — including officers from Texas, Oklahoma, Montana and California.

    One of the officers said in court documents that Thiers “admitted to removing a piece of blue sealant from the Reflecting Pool and still had it in his hand when I made contact with him.”

    The three defendants were arraigned in court Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charges of destruction of property with a value less than $1,000. The judge ordered them to stay away from the Reflecting Pool.

    Lawyers for Thiers and Dennison-Gibby declined to comment. CNN has reached out to Carreno’s attorney.

    If found guilty of destruction of property, the defendants could be fined up to $1,000 and face a maximum of 180 days behind bars.

    Advertisement

    The New York Times first reported that three additional people had been charged with damaging the Reflecting Pool.

    President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that vandals caused major damage to the pool by gashing the lining after his administration spent more than $14 million on renovations, though he has not provided evidence to support that claim. The officers who charged Carreno, Thiers and Dennison-Gibby did not accuse them of gashing the lining.

    Former Olympic canoeist David Hearn was indicted by a grand jury in Washington, DC, last week for allegedly damaging the Reflecting Pool. Hearn — unlike Carreno, Thiers and Dennison-Gibby – was charged with destruction of property with a value of more than $1,000 which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, if convicted. He is set to be arraigned in court Thursday.

    Crews began draining the Reflecting Pool over the weekend to make repairs, according to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, for the second time in three months.

    The move comes after weeks of problems – algae blooms, green-hued water, a chipping bottom and the administration’s allegations of vandalism – that have plagued the iconic landmark, making its woes the subject of national interest.

    Advertisement
    Continue Reading
    Advertisement

    Trending