Voters chose to return President-elect Trump to the White House largely over concerns about immigration and border security, which the former president hopes to address quickly at the start of his new term.
“He could probably close the borders, declare a state of emergency, and stop people from entering the country until further notice,” said former U.S. Citizenship Services Secretary and American Principles Project's Hispanic said Alfonso Aguilar, director of system engagement. Fox News Digital. “I think in some way that's going to be one of his first actions.”
The comments came as President Trump now shifts his focus from campaigning to returning to the White House, with immigration and border security expected to be top concerns for the incoming administration. .
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Former President Donald Trump, then Republican presidential candidate, speaks at a campaign event in Mint Hill, North Carolina, Wednesday, September 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Mr. Trump spent much of the campaign pledging to secure the border and deport illegal immigrants, creating a clear contrast with the Biden administration, which has seen record border crossings in its first three years in the White House. I drew a contrast.
Voters rewarded President Trump's message, with 75% of voters saying border security was important to them in the recent election, and 61% of them supported President Trump, according to Fox News Voter Analysis.
Aguilar said the border closure may be just one of several changes announced, but President Trump wants to capitalize on that credibility on the first day of his new administration.
Another way President Trump could act on his first day is to announce expedited procedures to remove immigrants who are in the country illegally, especially those who have committed crimes.
U.S. Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks at the U.S.-Mexico border south of Sierra Vista, Arizona, on August 22, 2024. President Trump will hold a rally tomorrow in Glendale, Arizona. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
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“If we can identify people who have criminal records and have committed crimes, we will somehow find a way to remove them quickly,” Aguilar said. “I believe there are expedited procedures in place to remove those involved in the crime.”
Other policies expected to change rapidly include the CHNV Parole Program, which allows immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to apply for advance travel authorization to the United States and be released on parole with a court date; Includes the end of Many people are eligible to apply for a work permit once they enter the country.
“They can get it done on day one,” Aguilar said.
Aguilar noted that catch-and-release tactics are also likely to end quickly under the Trump administration.
A group of people claiming to be from India sit behind the border wall as they wait to be picked up by Border Patrol agents after crossing the border fence in the Tucson area of the U.S.-Mexico border on Aug. 29, 2023. August 29, 2023 at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument near Lukeville, Arizona. (AP Photo/Matt York)
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Aguilar also said “employee raids,” an enforcement tactic not seen in recent years, could return and could return in the “first days and weeks.”
But other measures, such as a return to the Migrant Protection Protocols, commonly referred to as “Remain in Mexico,” are likely to take time and require coordination with the Mexican government.
Some improvements may also require legislation, such as obtaining funding to complete the border wall and hire more immigration agents and other border patrol agents.
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“There are some things he can do administratively, but other things may require some legislation,” Aguilar said. “If you want to hire more immigration judges, you're going to need more funding, so I think they might also have some kind of immigration policy in place to get funding from Congress.”
