The second Trump administration has moved quickly to overhaul America’s immigration system, issuing a whirlwind of executive orders and agency actions impacting almost every aspect of border security, enforcement, humanitarian relief, and legal immigration. From day one, the White House declared a national emergency on the southern border, paving the way for an ambitious agenda based on militarization, hard-line enforcement, and dismantling existing immigration programs.
By far the most conspicuous shift has been the use of military assets along the border. Active-duty personnel and National Guard have been sent to support Customs and Border Protection, with hundreds of millions of dollars allocated for operations. New National Defense Areas, federal lands that fall under military command where migrants are being held for trespass, have also been established by the administration. Augmented by swift wall building and improved surveillance systems, officials explain that these steps are designed to gain what they refer to as “complete operational control.”
Enforcement objectives have also dramatically changed. The administration has set the record-breaking goal of removing a million immigrants annually—well beyond any previous record. To reach that level, daily arrest quotas have been allocated to ICE officers, and expedited removal authority has been expanded nationwide, so mass deportations can be made from almost any point in the country.
Locals are being recruited by expanded 287(g) partnerships, including the reinstatement of the much-criticized Task Force Model, which allows deputized officers to use immigration statutes in the context of routine policing. Enforcement has reached as far as previously protected places such as schools, hospitals, and places of worship, and raises questions regarding trust and accountability.
On the humanitarian front, a number of programs have been cut back. Refugee admissions are suspended indefinitely, leaving tens of thousands overseas in limbo. Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan migrant parole programs have been eliminated or closed, and Temporary Protected Status has been terminated for different nationalities, though some of these closures were temporarily stayed by courts. Initiatives like the Central American Minors program and Safe Mobility Offices have been shut down, blocking legal channels for vulnerable families. Self-deportation and voluntary departure have also been prioritized by the administration.
A new CBP Home application enables individuals to coordinate their own departures on their own terms, while daily penalties of up to $998 are charged for those who do not. In an attempt to better target removals, the IRS now discloses taxpayer data to ICE, and the Social Security Administration has started revoking numbers associated with identified migrants, which disenfranchises them from working and banking. These policies have created a climate of fear among immigrant communities and have many taking refuge in the underbelly of public life and necessities.
Detention space is increasing at a record rate. The expansion of family detention facilities and multibillion-dollar contracts with private prison corporations is adding room across the country. Military bases like Fort Bliss and Guantanamo Bay are being repurposed as huge holding facilities, with tens of thousands of capacity. Overcrowding, restricted access to medical treatment, and challenges in legal representation have been common, disproportionately hard on children and families.
Legal battles are mounting as quickly. The administration has applied the Alien Enemies Act, an 18th-century war law, to authorize stepped-up deportations of targeted populations like Venezuelan gang members. Courts have challenged whether such authority may be applied in peacetime immigration enforcement, and the Supreme Court has temporarily halted some of the removals, insisting on more robust due process protections. Still, the administration continues to uphold its strategy in appeals.
Even the immigration justice system has been changed. Judges have been replaced or forced into premature retirement, and the Board of Immigration Appeals has been decimated. New regulations require judges to reject asylum claims without complete hearings, rushing deportations while shutting off due process. Federally funded counsel for unaccompanied children has been reduced at the same time, with children struggling to defend themselves in the system.
Requirements for screening have also been tightened. Screening on social media is now mandatory for all immigration petitioners, and the administration is actively developing a full-scale travel ban that has the potential to reach dozens of nations. Green card distribution to asylees and refugees has been halted, though efforts to dismantle birthright citizenship are mired in court fights. The government has also made English the national language of the nation, withholding federal funds for translation but reserving constitutional protections.
The human toll is steep. Hundreds of thousands of refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers have uncertain futures now that work permits, rights, and access to basic services have disappeared. Employers, schools, churches, and communities are adapting to a culture of sudden change, legal ambiguity, and heightened enforcement. As the administration goes on, the country’s immigration system is being remade in real time—betwixt political fervor, constitutional constraints, and the millions of lives now put on hold.
