The southern border of the U.S. looks drastically different under President Donald Trump than under former President Joe Biden, who claimed during his term that he could do nothing to secure the border without Congress.
The first major step President Trump took on re-entering the White House was declaring the border crisis a national emergency, allowing for reallocation of personnel and resources from the Armed Forces to support the activities of the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security. In this case, the goal is to obtain complete operational control of the U.S.-Mexico border.
In another January 20 executive action without Congress, Trump suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program indefinitely. Executive Order 12013 states that, “the United States has been inundated with record levels of migration, including through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Cities and small towns… have sought federal aid to manage the burden of new arrivals. This order suspends the USRAP until such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests of the United States.”
Criminal cartels
The goal of the order is to fortify the United States’ capabilities to counter threats to the safety and security of its citizens. Even without Congress, Trump designated cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and its members as specially designated global terrorists. Criminal cartels like the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, Mexico’s Sinaloa, Jalisco, Zetas and Gulf cartels, and the Salvadorian gang MS-13, who have committed atrocities across the United States, were main targets by the Trump administration. The same tools with which the United States fights international terrorism will be used against these gangs: travel bans, asset forfeiture and freezes, and heightened penalties for anyone providing material support or association with known terrorists.
Trump racked up seven immigration and border-related actions on his first day in office, with more following the initial batch. Those include: expanding migrant operations at Guantánamo Bay to full capacity for high priority, criminal aliens; the imposition and subsequent lifting of 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico; consolidating and reinforcing that the President has sole power to conduct foreign policy and clarifying the hierarchy stated in Article II of the United States Constitution; and ending the practice of using taxpayer money for subsidies for illegal immigrants or associated programs.
Messaging
Trump’s rhetoric on immigration
Despite the narrative of both "woke" celebrities and outlets like MSNBC who four days ago blamed Trump’s rhetoric for a child’s suicide, the issue of deporting violent criminals who are here illegally is still popular with the American people. In a fresh Harvard CAPS/Harris poll, the deportation efforts show broad 81% support.
Seventy-six percent of those polled support closing the border with added security and policies that discourage illegal crossings. A separate poll conducted by Gallup found that 55% of respondents want less immigration. That is the highest it’s been in 24 years.
During this past weekend’s annual Conservative Political Action Conference, border czar Tom Homan touted some of the latest immigration statistics: after 10.5 million encounters with illegal aliens at the southern border the last four years and 8 million of them getting released into the country, border crossings are down 95%.
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