Donald Trump’s Border Plan
Bottom Line: As President-Elect Donald Trump’s cabinet continues to take shape, we’ve learned who his key players pertaining to the border will be. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem will be the next Homeland Security Secretary and former acting Ice Director Tom Homan will be the next “Border Czar”. The former and future president of the United States has already made it clear that his plan pertaining to illegal immigration will begin on Day 1. But what specifically is in that plan?
Trump’s official policy positions are stated as “Agenda 47”. Specific to illegal immigration and southern border policy, these are his stated positions he intends to enact upon becoming president once again – buckle up there’s a lot here:
- Restore all Trump border policies and fully secure border (restoring the Remain in Mexico policy, ending of “Catch and Release” programs, restarting construction of the southern border wall)
- Total Ban on Taxpayer Dollars Used to Free Illegal Aliens and Criminal Penalties for Administrative Noncompliance
As for the specifics as to how policy will be carried out (including a myriad of Day 1 executive actions):
- Executive Order Implementing the Travel Ban and Pausing Refugee Admissions
- Executive Order on Border Security and Immigration Enforcement
- Presidential Memorandum on the Extreme Vetting of Foreign Nationals
- Presidential Memorandum to Create a National Vetting Center
- Executive Order to Unleash Interior Immigration Enforcement
- Executive Order to Block Federal Grants to Sanctuary Cities
- Presidential Memorandum Ordering DHS to Train National Guard Troops to Assist with Border Enforcement
- Presidential Memorandum to End "catch and release" at the Border
- Presidential Proclamation Suspending Entry Across Southern Border Outside Ports of Entry to Bar Asylum Access
- Executive Order requiring the U.S. Government to Prioritize the Hiring of U.S. Workers in the Administration of all Immigration Programs
- Executive Order on Aligning Federal Contracting and Hiring Practices with the Interests of American Workers
- Presidential Proclamation Suspending Chain Migration, Visa Lottery, and All Non-Essential Foreign Workers
- Presidential Proclamation on Suspension of Entry of Immigrants Who Will Financially Burden the United States Healthcare System
- Presidential Memorandum to Cut Off Immigrant Access to the Welfare State
- Work with state and local law enforcement agencies to identify illegal immigrants for deportation
- Get full cooperation of neighboring governments to dismantle the cartels, or else fully expose the bribes and corruption that protect these criminal networks
- Deploy all necessary military assets, including the U.S. Navy, to impose a full naval embargo on the cartels, to ensure they cannot use our region’s waters to traffic illicit drugs to the U.S.
- Order the Department of Defense to make appropriate use of special forces, cyber warfare, and other covert and overt actions to inflict maximum damage on cartel leadership, infrastructure, and operations
- Designate the major drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations
- Cut off the cartels’ access to the global financial system
- Ask Congress to ensure drug smugglers and traffickers can receive the Death Penalty
Obviously, it’s a very detailed plan that he’s immediately ready to act on. Unlike his first time as president when he had to fight legal challenges to his proposals that significantly slowed the implementation of his plan, he’s already won most of the legal battles necessary to immediately make these changes. Given the record illegal immigration crisis which has played out under the Biden administration, Trump’s updated plan is clearly far more robust than just a redux of his first term policies – though those were and are critical components of Trump’s big picture border and illegal immigrant plan.