Trump’s Immigration Plans: Key Promises and Actions
After winning the election, President-elect Donald Trump has quickly started shaping his immigration agenda by appointing conservative hardliners to key positions.
Key Appointments
- Border Czar: Trump created the position to oversee immigration policy and appointed Tom Homan, former director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
- Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy: Stephen Miller, a longtime Trump adviser on immigration, was named to this role.
Trump’s Promises on Immigration
Ending Birthright Citizenship
- Executive Order: Trump’s Agenda 47 outlines a plan to stop automatic U.S. citizenship for children born to undocumented immigrants.
- The order would require at least one parent to be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident for a child born in the U.S. to gain automatic citizenship.
- This would challenge the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to anyone born in the U.S.
- Experts, including the libertarian Cato Institute, call this an “unorthodox” and legally unsupported interpretation.
Stopping “Birth Tourism”
- Trump has pledged to curb “birth tourism,” where immigrants enter the U.S. on tourist visas to give birth and secure citizenship for their children.
- In 2020, Trump introduced visa guidelines to limit this practice, though evidence of its prevalence was not provided.
“Core 20 Promises” on Immigration
- Seal the Border: Trump vowed to fully secure the U.S.-Mexico border and stop what he calls a “migrant invasion.”
- Currently, 654 miles of the 1,954-mile border have barriers.
- Trump has threatened tariffs on Mexican imports if Mexico does not help curb migration.
- Crime and Migrants: Trump often linked immigration to violent crime during his campaign.
- He referenced the murder of nursing student Laken Riley, allegedly committed by a Venezuelan migrant, and painted migrants as potential violent offenders.
- However, research from the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Cato Institute shows immigrants commit fewer crimes than U.S.-born citizens.
- Combat Cartels and Gangs: Trump promised to dismantle drug cartels, stop gang violence, and incarcerate violent offenders.
- On November 7, a federal grand jury indicted a senior member of the Sinaloa Cartel for trafficking drugs into the U.S.
Economic and Border Challenges
- Trump’s plans to tighten immigration policies could face challenges:
- Economic Impact: Restrictions could affect industries reliant on migrant labor, such as agriculture.
- Border Control: Despite promises, no administration has fully sealed the border.
Trump’s appointments and proposed policies highlight his commitment to taking a hardline stance on immigration, though legal and logistical hurdles remain significant. His administration will likely face pushback on efforts to challenge long-standing immigration laws and practices.