Trump on Immigration Reform

President Trump's immigration policies were a defining aspect of his presidency. Trump’s bold plans to shape the nation on immigration, coupled with border security and reform of undocumented immigrants, were highly effective and came with a high level of controversy from open-border activists. The Trump model of immigration policy was based on two core elements: border security and overhauling America's outdated immigration systems.

Trump’s Immigration Foreign Policy: Hardline Border Controls and Regional Pressure

On January 27, 2017, President Trump signed Executive Order 13769 titled "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States." As the looming terrorist threat of ISIS was in full swing, Trump took action, issuing the travel ban, which applied to the following nations: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Despite harsh criticism from opposing groups, Trump kept his campaign promise to tackle state-sponsored terrorism fueled by radical ideology and defend the American people. On March 6, 2017, this executive order was superseded by Executive Order 1369.

“America is a welcoming country, and under my leadership, it’s a welcoming country. We lead the world in humanitarian protection and assistance by far; there’s nobody even close. We have the largest and most expansive immigration programs anywhere on the planet.” President Donald J. Trump

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj4L5Pgz9Qc

Trump Champions Build the Wall as Key to Border Security

A central pillar of President Trump's immigration platform was the construction of a border wall along the U.S. Mexico border. The proposed wall aimed to enhance border security and curb illegal immigration. While the construction faced numerous obstacles from Democrat opposition stonewalling the operation, along with back-and-forth court dates delivered via injunctions filed, the wall came to fruition.

Despite all the adversity faced, the Trump administration was triumphant in succeeding as the vast majority of the wall was completed, over 400 miles by January 2021. The efficacy of physical barriers in deterring illegal immigration was a driving factor in achieving the lowest levels of illegal border crossings in over 40 years, achieving an 87 percent reduction.

Proven Results: Trump’s Remain in Mexico Policy Reduced Border Strain

On January 28, 2018, the Trump administration introduced the "Remain in Mexico" policy, which required certain asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases were processed. These measures sought to discourage fraudulent claims and address the backlog of asylum cases. This policy was implemented to combat the catch-and-release practice and restore accountability and responsibility in the American Immigration system. During Donald Trump’s first term, the “Remain in Mexico” policy was credited by supporters with cutting monthly border apprehensions from approximately 144,000 to 40,000 while sending roughly 65,000–70,000 asylum seekers to wait in Mexico and maintaining high court appearance rates above 85%.

Trump advocated and campaigned for the dismantling of the visa lottery entry system that grants green cards to absolutely anyone with no prerequisites. Further measures were taken to promote legal immigration on a points-based merit system, which incentivizes skilled workers to migrate to the United States. Coinciding with the immigration overhaul, the Trump administration issued a regulation about the public charge rule to ensure migrants will not be a burden on the public benefits scheme in the United States.