Immigration advocacy groups believe President-elect Donald Trump will take "swift, sweeping actions" on day one of his second term to target millions of migrants, a memo shared exclusively with Newsweek showed.
While proposals for mass deportations and reversals of President Joe Biden's policies have been known for some time, the briefing from The Immigration Hub outlined how the returning White House resident may carry out his plan, with a potential 100 executive orders ready to be enacted.
"It is worrisome, and that's why we need immigration reform, something more permanent and durable," Kerri Talbot, co-executive director of The Immigration Hub, told Newsweek. "We can't just keep changing back-and-forth every four years and the world doesn't know how to interact with the United States when we're so inconsistent."
Why It Matters
The memo outlines the potential impact on some 20 million immigrants who could face deportation under Trump's plans, potentially impacting 5.1 million U.S. citizen children living in mixed-status families. The Immigration Hub fears many legal protections put in place by the Biden administration will be quickly revoked.
What To Know
Immigration played even more of a key role in the presidential election in 2024 than in previous years, following record-high illegal crossing numbers at the southwest border and reports of illegal immigrants committing violent crimes making headlines across the past year.
Following Trump's win in November, immigration advocacy groups began preparing for January 20, having already experienced similar hardline policies between 2017 and 2021, when the Republican was last in office, despite polling showing voters wanted deportations of criminals and more legal pathways for immigrants.
"They voted for Trump because they don't want chaos and they want their grocery prices lower, which is totally understandable on both counts, but I think unfortunately not everyone understood the chaos that we could see, that we see coming both on the immigration front and also with the economy," Talbot said. "If he's promising both to increase deportations and also raise tariffs, that's going to create economic issues."
How Will Trump Target Migrants?
The Immigration Hub's memo outlines fears that the new administration will take quick action to "reverse the Biden-Harris administration's progress to rebuild a fair and orderly immigration system", which has included extending protections to thousands of migrants who were otherwise at risk of deportation.
"By targeting millions of hardworking and long-settled immigrants, Donald Trump threatens to undermine the local communities where they live and destabilize the economies they contribute to across the country," the memo reads.
The memo outlines three key areas the Hub expects the new administration to cover from day one:
- Laying the foundation for mass deportation at scale
- Gutting legal immigration pathways and humanitarian protections
- Targeting existing U.S. citizens and residents
Increasing Immigration Enforcement
Under the first point, it's expected Trump will issue expansive enforcement directives, giving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) extra powers to detain and deport migrants. That would not just mean new arrivals, but those who have been in the country for many years, if not decades.
A national emergency designation could be used to funnel money and military assets into enforcing his deportation plan while also increasing detention capacity. This will likely be needed should two pieces of legislation pushed by the GOP be signed into law.
Biden-Era Protections Wiped Out
Under the second category, protections granted by the Biden administration, such as Temporary Protected Status and humanitarian parole, would likely be revoked, affecting some 1.5 million people who currently have work authorization and legal status. Protections for citizens from 15 countries are up for review in 2025.
It is also likely that refugee and asylum admissions would be slashed, the memo said, along with bans on migrants arriving from certain nations, regardless of whether they had a visa or not.
U.S. Citizens Will Be Affected
Finally, the Immigration Hub expects 1.8 million children with birthright citizenship to be put at risk if Trump follows through on his threat to end the Constitution-backed program. Immigrant families are likely to see restrictions on access to benefits, as they did in 2019, the memo said.
The organization is not alone in its predictions for the coming weeks, with the National Immigration Forum also stating Tuesday that it expects a busy first 100 days in office for Trump when it comes to border security.
David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, set out 22 similar actions he expects during this time as well, including restarting border wall construction and cutting funding to sanctuary cities.
Trump and the GOP argue that their sweeping victory in November, giving them control of Congress as well as the White House, means there is a mandate to enact wide-reaching immigration change. While lawmakers are pushing through legislation aimed at detaining more migrants, the need for comprehensive reform to a system under serious strain still appears to be ignored.
What People Are Saying
Karoline Leavitt, Trump-Vance Transition Spokeswoman, repeated previous messaging when approached by Newsweek: "President Trump will enlist every federal power and coordinate with state authorities to institute the largest deportation operation of illegal criminals, drug dealers, and human traffickers in American history while simultaneously lowering costs for families. The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail, like deporting migrant criminals and restoring our economic greatness. He will deliver."
Jennie Murray, President and CEO of the National Immigration Forum, in a December press release: "Even voting blocs that support tougher enforcement want the Trump administration to preserve American values and set enforcement priorities. We urge the new administration to work with Congress on immigration solutions that boost our security, honor human dignity and preserve family unity."
President-elect Trump, speaking to Newsmax January 14: "It's going to be immediate. We had the safest border in history during my presidency... the best immigration numbers we've ever had. We're going to have them again, maybe even better, but we have to get a lot of people out."
What's Next
The memo outlines the need for Congress to pass millions in additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security, to enable mass deportations, with meetings reportedly taking place on the Hill this week to begin discussions.
The President-elect is likely to begin work starting Monday, following his inauguration. Advocacy groups have told Newsweek they are preparing to challenge his orders in the courts, while also seeking to get support from lawmakers in Congress, also.
English (US) ·