President Donald Trump on his first day in the office, introduced a series of controversial immigration measures, reigniting a fierce debate on the future of U.S. border security and immigration policy.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, announcing plans to send troops to the region and outlining his intent to end birthright citizenship—a right protected under the U.S. Constitution.
During a press conference, Trump revealed his ambition to revoke the constitutional guarantee of citizenship for anyone born on U.S. soil, a move he acknowledged would face significant legal hurdles. “That’s a big one,” he said, hinting at the intense pushback expected. “I think we have good grounds, but you could be right,” he added, conceding the challenges ahead.
Legal experts have already pointed out that the 14th Amendment clearly grants citizenship to all individuals born in the United States, with limited exceptions such as children of foreign diplomats.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, emphasized, “We’ve had birthright citizenship for centuries, and a president cannot take it away with an executive order.”
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Trump also announced the reinstatement of the controversial “Remain in Mexico” policy, which requires asylum seekers to wait outside the U.S. while their cases are processed.
Earlier in the day, the administration took another hardline stance by ending the Biden-era app used to streamline asylum applications, leaving 30,000 scheduled appointments in limbo.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly confirmed that asylum seekers would no longer be permitted to enter the U.S. under the new administration’s policies. “All illegal aliens seeking entry into the United States should turn back now,” immigration hardliner Stephen Miller tweeted shortly after the announcement.
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Additionally, Trump reaffirmed his commitment to deporting millions of undocumented immigrants, whom he referred to as “criminal aliens.” “All illegal entry will immediately be halted,” Trump stated during his inaugural speech. “We will begin the process of returning millions and millions of people back to the places they came from.”
The policy changes sparked despair among migrants at the southern border, many of whom had spent months or years traveling in pursuit of better opportunities. “Since we are here, please let us in,” pleaded Yaime Perez, a 27-year-old Cuban migrant. “After all the work we’ve put in to get here, let us enter your country so that we can better ourselves.”
The administration also announced plans to pursue the death penalty for non-citizens convicted of certain capital crimes, including murder. “This is about national security, public safety, and protecting victims,” said Kelly. “It ends today.”
Many of these measures mark a return to Trump’s first-term immigration policies, some of which were reversed under President Biden. For instance, Trump is reviving Title 42, a pandemic-era policy that restricted entry on public health grounds.
AFP
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