Messaging on Trump Executive Orders / Executive Actions
This resource comes from our friends at Public Citizen. We’re mirroring it here for easier discoverability.
Overarching Message: For Trump and his allies, cruelty is and will always be the point. They’re not interested in rebuilding an economy that works for families. Their policies and intentions are clear – they mean to separate families, deport workers who have long been part of our country’s workforce, stop any and all immigration to the U.S., and make a new generation of Americans into second class citizens to reshape America in their image.
While Trump and his billionaire allies line their pockets, American families are drowning in impossible choices: rent or groceries, medicine or utilities. And now for some families, it’s about making a terrifying calculus every day – is going to work worth the risk of detention? Is a hospital visit worth being separated from their children? The real threat to our country isn't who Trump tells us to fear – it's a system that forces hardworking families to choose between survival and safety. These attacks on our immigration system and families go far beyond their intentions, risking order, safety and stability for workers and families across the nation. Our government shouldn’t be in the business of separating and deporting families – they should be working to raise Americans’ incomes, lower costs, and fix our immigration system so it lives up to our values and meets the demands of our economy.
General Resources:
Immigration Hub Summary of EOs
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DATE |
EXEC ORDER/ ACTION |
QUICK TAKE - WHAT IT DOES |
TOPLINES |
LINKS TO RESOURCES |
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1/20/25 |
(“Protecting the Meaning of American Citizenship”) |
This provision in the E.O. intends to revoke birthright citizenship, a right guaranteed by the Constitution. The order requires Department heads to implement the order through agency action. |
The 14th Amendment is enshrined in our Constitution precisely to ensure that no politician can ever decide who among those born in our country is worthy of citizenship. President Trump does not get to decide who is “American enough” to deserve U.S. citizenship. This measure will create a generation of second class citizens. Second class citizenship by executive order is not just unconstitutional, but ignores 150 years of precedent. It will also mean more big government intrusion into people’s lives, bureaucratic hurdles and investigating of newborns and hospitals. |
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1/20/25 |
(“Clarifying the Military’s Role…”) |
This Executive Order states that DOD will send personnel to the border, require the Department of Defense to erect barriers, and greenlight the use of drones and other surveillance measures. This action goes beyond the use of the National Guard to allow the military itself and DOD to engage in border and interior enforcement. |
The U.S. military defends the nation—not political agendas. Using troops to round up migrants undermines the Constitution and weakens our democracy. The military doesn’t belong in domestic law enforcement and should not be in the business of intimidating communities at home. |
How Trump Could Deploy the Military for Mass Deportation | Brennan Center for Justice |
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1/20/25 |
(“Designating Cartels as Foreign Terrorists…”) |
The EO references the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a wartime authority that states that the president may detain or deport the “natives and citizens of an enemy nation.” The administration may use this dated statute as justification to target immigrants without a hearing and based only on their country of birth or citizenship. |
If the Alien Enemies Act – the same law that justified the incarceration of innocent Japanese American families during World War II and was used to deport Italian and German families– is used, it would be weaponized for mass deportation. It would be echoing history and deliberately reaching into one of America's darkest chapters to justify a new campaign of family separation. Different era, same cruel playbook:label entire communities as "enemies" or “criminals” to strip them of their humanity, then use the law as a weapon of mass deportation. This isn’t making policy for the good of the nation – this is repeating history's worst mistakes by design. |
The Alien Enemies Act, Explained | Brennan Center for Justice |
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1/20/25 |
Cracking down on sanctuary policies (“Protecting the American People Against Invasions”) |
This provision directs DOJ and DHS to undertake any actions to force state and local authorities who have their own community policing policies to cooperate with DHS or they will not be eligible to receive federal funding. |
Another attack on working families: Trump’s policy of punishing sanctuary cities by withholding federal grants harms the whole community. No sanctuary policy has ever prevented law enforcement from doing their job. Law enforcement leaders have warned that forcing state and local agencies to enforce immigration laws erodes community trust, instills fear of the police, and leads to fewer reported crimes and reduced cooperation with law enforcement. It is the responsibility of the federal government to enforce federal immigration laws. Bottom line - local law enforcement shouldn’t be doing the job of the federal government. |
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1/20/25 |
(“Protecting the American People Against Invasions”) |
This EO casts a large net to undermine families by:
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The point is to create cruelty and chaos.It wasn’t enough to separate families on the border in his first time in office; now, Trump is targeting families within our communities. Trump’s orders do not target national security threats but instead cast a wide dragnet.Harkening back to the treatment of Arabs and Muslims post 9/11, the EO states that failure to “register” makes any individual a criminal and civil enforcement priority. This means any undocumented person is a target. This m ass deportation policy would target the builders of our homes, the growers of our food, the teachers in our schools, the caregivers who look after our parents and children. This isn't about public safety or going after “criminals” – it's placing a bounty on the very families who make our economy work. This order intends to deny essential, life-saving services for immigrant families - including access to emergency medical care and children's education. When we deny people access to emergency medical care or keep children out of schools, we create public health risks and increase costs for everyone. The American people didn’t elect Trump to separate families or make their lives harder; they elected him to lower costs and raise Americans’ incomes. Instead, he’s delivering cruel and wasteful policies that will divide the country and make it harder for working families. |
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1/20/25 |
(“Protecting the American People Against Invasions”) |
This provision states that the DHS Secretary shall take all appropriate action and allocate all legally available resources to immediately construct, operate, control, or establish contracts to construct, operate, or control facilities to detain migrants at or near the land border with Mexico. |
The current detention system is already failing to provide safe and humane conditions – with overcrowded facilities, inadequate food and medical care, and documented cases of abuse.Detention is frequently applied as punishment, even separating parents from their children and putting vulnerable groups like LGBTQ+ individuals at heightened risk. |
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1/20/25 |
(“Protecting the American People Against Invasions”) |
This provision empowers State and local law enforcement agencies across the country to perform the functions of an immigration officer in the interior of the U.S. |
The 287(g) program undermines public safety and exhausts local resources: Deploying local law enforcement to serve as immigration enforcement agents reduces trust in local law enforcement and deters immigrants, such as domestic violence survivors, from coming forward when they are the victims of crime. Many of the program’s biggest critics are state and local law enforcement leaders who have seen first hand in their communities how 287(g) hurts relationships and public safety. This policy enables harmful racial profiling practices that often put targets on the backs of Black and Brown people, including U.S. citizens. |
License to Abuse: How ICE’s 287(g) Program Empowers Racist Sheriffs | American Civil Liberties Union |
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1/20/25 |
Ending parole programs and CHNV (“Securing Our Borders” |
The Executive Order ends the use of both parole for certain groups and CBP One for border management. |
T he CHNV Sponsorship program allowed thousands of Americans to sponsor individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to come to safety in the U.S., support them with housing, employment and other needs with their private resources. The parole program was also used to help Afghans and Ukrainians come to the U.S. for safety. This order seeks to terminate those parole programs. Already, the Trump administration has refused entry to Afghans, many of whom helped the U.S. military during the war in Afghanistan, seeking to board planes to settle in the U.S. By revoking these programs, America is ending legal pathways and protections for people fleeing dangerous conditions or seeking safety. A majority of Americans support legal pathways and orderly processing at the border. Now, the Trump administration is setting the stage for a return to chaos and cruelty across the southern border. |
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1/20/25 |
(“Securing Our Borders”) |
Border Patrol implemented a new program called CBP One to create an appointment system at the border that helped to manage the flow of individuals coming to ports of entry. |
CBP One was a new form of technology that allowed migrants to make appointments and enter legally into the U.S. The app worked. It was designed to create an orderly process. WIth its elimination, Trump is creating chaos by design. |
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1/20/25 |
Suspending refugee resettlement (“Re-alligning the Refugee admissions program”) |
Trump is suspending refugee admissions into the U.S. indefinitely, subject to review every 90 days. |
For no other reason than to be cruel and ineffective, Trump is dismantling a successful, largely faith-based welcoming program that has allowed refugee families to become part of American communities while contributing to local economies. T he first Trump administration tore apart the refugee resettlement infrastructure and after four years of rebuilding, the program was finally able to resettle over 100,000 refugees from war-torn countries. By gutting refugee resettlement, we are cutting off a vital lifeline for American communities and their economies. Cities like Erie, Pennsylvania have relied on refugees to reverse population decline, fill critical job openings, and maintain economic vitality. When we close our doors to refugees, we're not just turning away people in need - we're actively undermining the growth and prosperity of our own towns and cities, leading to lost tax revenue, vacant homes, and reduced federal funding.This self-inflicted wound hurts American communities as much as it hurts refugee families. |
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1/20/25 |
(“Securing Our Borders”) |
This policy forces asylum seekers to wait in dangerous conditions in Mexico for asylum processing. |
The first time around it proved cruel, ineffective and chaotic. It’ll be no different today. Families forced to wait in Mexico are exposed to dangerous conditions where they are likely to face violence, human trafficking, rape, torture and kidnapping. Forcing families seeking asylum to wait in Mexico undermines due process and access to legal counsel. The plan puts asylum seekers in legal limbo and makes it extremely difficult to seek legal counsel. |
Human Rights First Urges Mexican Supreme Court to Find “Remain in Mexico” Illegal |
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1/20/25 |
The EO declares a national emergency at the southern border. The Department of Defense will be required to send personnel to the border, erect barriers, and provide and operate drones and other surveillance measures. Trump is instructing officials to ramp up construction of the border wall. |
When it comes to spending taxpayer money, our Constitution is crystal clear: Congress, not the President, controls the checkbook. This isn't just a technicality - it's one of the fundamental checks and balances that protect our democracy. By attempting to divert military funding to border and interior enforcement without Congressional approval, the president is overstepping his authority and jeopardizing the well-being of military families. Taking away resources not only hurts our service members but also likely violates federal law. Trump is relaunching a massive, multi-billion-dollar government project despite little evidence that border walls reduce crossings.Building the border wall is a waste of money. Ineffective, useless and harmful to our environment. |
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1/20/25 |
Ending asylum and suspending entry into the U.S. ( Executive Order on Guaranteeing the States Protection Against Invasion ) |
The seeks to end asylum and other protections by stating that the asylum provisions do not apply if DHS does not have information about the individual prior to entry. This essentially means that only immigrants placed in the Remain in Mexico program would be permitted to claim asylum. The EO also states that all entry into the U.S. through the southern border is suspended. |
Unhinged and unconstitutional. These provisions violate current law by seeking to end the entire asylum system as it was designed by Congress in 1980. This is classic Trump playbook: ban people seeking safety or asylum. There is no need to wage a war against families simply attempting to legally claim asylum. Stopping all immigration to the U.S. will not only have devastating impacts on families seeking safety and refuge, but also on the American economy. |
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1/20/25 |
Rescinding the e stablishment of the Task Force on the Reunification of Families. |
This EO eliminates the task force that was assigned by the Biden administration to reunite the families separated under Trump 1.0. |
The task force reunited over 800 families who were cruelly separated under the first Trump administration. Eliminating this task force is a clear sign:they don’t apologize or regret separating families – and they’ll do it again. |
“We Need to Take Away Children”: Zero Accountability Six Years After “Zero Tolerance” | HRW |