Trump expected to sign dozens of immigration-related executive actions: NPR

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to initiate a series of executive actions related to immigration after his inauguration ceremony, which begins as soon as Monday.

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

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

“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 people without legal status will begin as soon as Tuesday, focusing on people considered a security threat.

“While we hope for the best, we take Trump at his word. We stand ready to fight back against any cruel or violent attack on immigrant communities in the United States or those who flee to this country in search of safety and refuge,” said Kerri Talbot , co-executive director of Immigration Hub, an advocacy organization.

The US had seen an increase in border crossings during the Biden administration, at times reaching record levels. But Customs and Border Protection’s latest figures have shown a sharp drop in unauthorized apprehensions over the past six months.

Trump campaigned on promises of border security, and he and his allies argue that his election victory 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.

Still, the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll shows 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 policy is also a key priority to push through Congress.

Here are some of his promises:

These efforts may take time

Although Trump has been repeating these promises for over a year, it could take weeks or months to implement them. Several actions are likely to be subject to legal challenges or require Congress to mobilize new funding, which Trump currently does not have.

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

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

Indeed, even rapid scaling of operations may be difficult for the new administration. An NPR investigation last year found that US 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 funding to carry out 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 part of a larger budget-related measure later this year.