What Donald Trump has done since taking power
On the second day of his new US presidency, Donald Trump cracked down further on immigration – using an executive order that “suspends the physical entry of aliens engaged in an invasion of the United States through the southern border”.
His press secretary confirmed that 1,500 additional troops would be sent to toughen the border with Mexico. Thousands more could reportedly be sent in time.
Trump also gave his first interview of his second term, telling Fox News he could reform or disband the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) over its response to last year’s Hurricane Helene.
Speaking to Sean Hannity, he also defended his use of presidential pardons for hundreds of his supporters who were convicted over a riot at the US Capitol in 2021.
Trump was inaugurated as president again earlier this week, and swiftly set about enacting some of his key campaign promises – largely using executive orders.
These carry the weight of law but can be overturned by subsequent presidents or the courts. Several of those planned by Trump face legal challenges.
Matters immigration
‘Repel, repatriate and remove’
After his initial flurry of executive orders, Trump issued another demanding that the government “suspends the physical entry of aliens engaged in an invasion of the United States through the southern border”. It calls for officials to “immediately repel, repatriate and remove” those individuals.
‘National emergency’
Trump has proclaimed that “America’s sovereignty is under attack”, declaring this to be a national emergency that allows him to free up more funding to reinforce the border with Mexico.
The same directive tells officials to relaunch efforts to build a border wall with Mexico that was started under his first presidency. This is not an executive order and it is unclear how such an effort might be funded.
Closing the border
The president has told the military to “seal the borders” – citing the flow of illicit drugs, human smuggling and crime relating to crossings.
Birthright citizenship
Trump has ordered that officials deny the right to citizenship to the children of migrants either in the US illegally or on temporary visas.
But the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution has long been interpreted to enshrine that right, and Trump’s order was immediately challenged in federal court.
‘Remain in Mexico’ and no more ‘catch and release’
Trump has re-implemented his “Remain in Mexico” policy from his first term. This returned about 70,000 non-Mexican asylum seekers across the border to await hearings, before being cancelled by President Joe Biden.
The same order demands the end of “catch and release”, a policy that allows migrants to live in US communities while they await their hearings. Trump has previously promised “the largest deportation program in American history”, but this could face legal and logistical challenges.
Death penalty for some immigrant criminals
Trump has ordered that the federal death penalty be reinstated. Executions have not happened in recent years. It would apply to any “capital crime committed by an alien illegally present in this country” and anyone convicted of murdering a law enforcement officer.
World Health Organization
Trump signed an executive order to begin the process of withdrawing the US from the UN’s health body, the World Health Organization (WHO).
This marks the second time Trump has ordered the US to be pulled out of the WHO, after Biden re-entered it. He was critical of how the Geneva-based institution handled Covid-19.
TikTok
Trump has signed a directive postponing by 75 days the implementation of a law that would ban Chinese-owned app TikTok in the US. The platform had briefly been shut the day before the inauguration, to comply with the law – which demands that a new American owner be found.
