President Trump’s executive order to limit birthright citizenship was just one in a blitz of actions in the early days of his second term meant to transform the way the United States treats immigrants.
But the order on citizenship is one of the few changes to immigration policy that Mr. Trump has directed that have not taken effect. Yet.
Mr. Trump’s executive order to end automatic citizenship for undocumented immigrants and foreign residents captured intense public attention amid the flurry of his Day 1 actions. But many of the other policies announced when Mr. Trump returned to the White House immediately upended the U.S. immigration system.
Mr. Trump militarized border security, deploying 1,500 active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border and tapping the Defense Department to assist deportation efforts by using military flights to deport immigrants to other countries.
He canceled a Biden-era program that allowed migrants to make asylum appointments in the United States, leaving in limbo 30,000 would-be immigrants who already had a screening scheduled.
He declared an “invasion at the southern border,” and claimed vast powers to block entry into the United States. Mr. Trump declared a national emergency at the border to allow him to circumvent Congress and unlock federal funding for border wall construction and other enforcement efforts. Mr. Trump also designated Mexican cartels and Venezuelan and Salvadoran street gangs as terrorist organizations, and created new task forces to round up and deport migrants.
Justice Department employees were directed to order U.S. attorneys around the country to investigate and prosecute law enforcement officials who refuse to enforce the Trump administration’s new immigration policies.
Overseas, Mr. Trump suspended refugee admissions, stranding more than 10,000 displaced people who had already been approved for travel.
And those actions began in just the first few days of Mr. Trump’s second term.
In the months since, Mr. Trump has turned the whole federal apparatus to bolster his deportation efforts. He has directed more federal agents toward immigration enforcement as he accelerates his crackdown. He has also pressured countries in Central America to accept deported citizens of other nations.
But on Thursday, that will take a back seat to the Supreme Court’s review of his attempted action on American citizenship.
Zolan Kanno-Youngs is a White House correspondent for The Times, covering President Trump and his administration.
The post How Trump’s Order on Birthright Citizenship Fits in His Immigration Efforts appeared first on New York Times.
