ILAP Community Update: Trump Administration’s Initial Actions on Immigration
Dear all,
President Trump was sworn into office yesterday, January 20th. This does not mean that everything he said he was going to do is now in effect. Please read ILAP's community update below to learn more about how to keep track of rapid changes and for a summary of some of the Trump administration’s actions on immigration.
Remember, much of the Trump administration’s agenda is about spreading fear and panic. The best thing we can do right now is support each other and our communities.
As we said before the election, despite the threats of mass deportation, we have a legal system and due process rights that must be enforced. ILAP and other immigration advocates around the country will fiercely defend those rights for our clients and for immigrant communities, while we continue to push for an immigration system that truly lives up to our ideals of fairness and justice.
We know that Maine’s immigrant communities are strong, resilient, and powerful. So many have overcome the odds through brilliance, resourcefulness, determination, and dreams for a better life.
To Maine's immigrant community members: By choosing to make Maine your home, you have made it a better home for all of us. You are respected. You are valued. You are needed. You embody what is special and great about this country. Nothing can change that.
3 Things to Keep in Mind Every Day:
1. Not every immigration announcement will go into effect exactly as it is announced.
In the weeks, months, and years ahead, we will see many announcements from the Trump administration and Congress. An announcement does not always mean that what is proposed is going to happen. Sometimes an order from the president will be stopped by the court system. Sometimes Congress will not give the president the money needed to carry out a plan. Sometimes a bill proposed in Congress will not become law. For these reasons, it is very important to learn about where you can find reliable information.
2. Beware of rumors and misinformation. Do not spread unverified information.
Because so much is happening so quickly, there are many risks of misinformation spreading. To avoid misinformation, keep calm when you hear or read something and remember that an announcement does not necessarily mean the action will happen. ILAP recommends looking for at least two reliable sources of information to verify an announcement.
It is up to all of us not to spread misinformation! If you are sharing information, make sure it is from a good source. See our list of recommended sources below.
3. Know Your Rights
No matter what your immigration status is, you have rights. An important step you can take is learn them now: ilapmaine.org/know-your-rights.
Reliable Sources of Information:
Below is a list of recommended sources of information on immigration. Follow these organizations on social media and sign up for their mailing lists.
National Immigration Organizations:
Immigrant Legal Resource Center: https://www.ilrc.org
National Immigration Law Center: https://www.nilc.org
National Immigrant Justice Center: https://immigrantjustice.org
Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project: https://www.asylumadvocacy.org
Justice Action Center: https://justiceactioncenter.org
American Immigration Council: https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org
Direct Sources of Information:
White House: https://www.whitehouse.gov
Department of Homeland Security (DHS): https://www.dhs.gov
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS): https://www.uscis.gov
What We Know Now:
Below is a summary of some of the actions the Trump administration has taken on immigration as of January 21, 2025. These are highlights and not a complete overview of every provision in these Executive Orders.
PLEASE NOTE: These updates are subject to rapid change and/or developments. Many of the executive orders make statements without immediate actions and call on parts of the government to see what actions could be taken.
Executive Order or Proclamation:
What It Means:
Under the U.S. Constitution, anyone born on U.S. soil is a U.S. citizen, regardless of the immigration status of their parents. The Trump administration is seeking to deny birthright citizenship if the mother is undocumented or here with temporary permission, and if the father was not a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident at the time of the child’s birth.
The ACLU and a number of states (including Maine!) have filed a lawsuit to challenge this Executive Order.
The Trump administration has called for the Department of Defense to develop plans on how to use the military for immigration enforcement.
The order requires the Secretary of State to look into designating drug cartels and other transnational organizations as terrorist organizations. The government already has broad authority to detain and deport people based on any connections to organizations designated as terrorist organizations. This includes people who were forced to pay extortion money to these organizations. Expanding terrorist organization designations is a tactic to increase detention and deportation.
The order also directs the government to make preparations to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a wartime authority that allows the president to detain or deport natives and citizens of an enemy nation.
This order prevents immigrants engaged in the “invasion” of the United States from entering, until such time the administration determines that the “invasion at the southern border has ceased.”
This is the same authority that was used for the Muslim and Africa bans under the first Trump administration. The order also bans individuals with insufficient medical information and reliable criminal/background history from being able to enter the U.S.
Plans to limit asylum based on a justification that the government cannot properly vet asylum seekers for public health or safety risks.
Calls on the government to set civil immigration enforcement priorities for their agencies that “protect the public safety and national security interests of the American people.”
Calls for the government to look for ways to expand expedited removal, which puts people on a fast track to deportation.
Says that state and local authorities with “sanctuary policies” will not be eligible to receive federal funding, except as deemed necessary for law enforcement purposes. It also calls on the Attorney General to look for ways to bring charges against such states and localities.
The order calls for the use of 287(g), a provision of the law which allows state and local law enforcement to be deputized to carry out federal enforcement. These agreements drain state and local resources and promote racial profiling.
Directs the government to review and audit federal grants and contracts with non-governmental organizations that support or provide services to undocumented immigrants.
Requires the Trump administration to review Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and consider ways to limit it.
Ends the Cuba Haiti Nicaragua Venezuela parole program and categorical parole programs (like for Afghans and Ukrainians). Calls for other ways to end use of parole.
Ends the use of CBP One for asylum appointments at the border.
Reinstates the Remain in Mexico policy which forces asylum seekers to wait in Mexico.
Directs the government to take steps to expand immigration detention including ending the practice of “catch and release” where people are not detained after being apprehended for crossing the border without permission.
Directs the construction of walls and physical barriers.
Orders the government to pursue criminal charges against non-citizens who violate immigration laws, as well as those who "facilitate their unlawful presence.”
Orders DNA testing of detained migrants.
Ends the U.S. refugee admissions program, with review every 90 days.
Declares a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border. The executive order calls for the use of U.S. armed forces to "support the Federal Government's response" at the southern border.
Calls for review and revision of “use of force” policy at the border.
Eliminates the Task Force put in place by the previous administration to reunite the families separated under the first Trump administration.
Calls on members of the government to submit a report within 60 days that identifies “countries throughout the world for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries.”
Learn more from the National Immigration Law Center's Analysis of Trump Day 1 Executive Orders.
Take Action:
United We Dream, Make the Road, CASA, and the Action Lab are collecting 10,000 pledges to challenge Trump’s anti-immigrant attacks by working to create welcoming and loving communities, speaking up in defense of our neighbors, and supporting families with information and mutual aid.
