Trump Targets Sanctuary Policies, Promises Action on Illegal Immigration
Along the U.S. southern border, U.S. Marines are helping build a new border wall as part of a significant change to the U.S. immigration system.
At a speech on Wednesday during the Future Investment Initiative Institute Priority Summit, President Donald Trump criticized President Biden’s immigration policies. He said, "Our first and most urgent mission is to remove the criminals that Biden allowed into our country with the dangerous open borders policy. They came from all over the world, including from prisons and mental institutions."
While many people come to the U.S. to find work or escape violence and corruption, Trump’s new Executive Order targets all undocumented migrants. The order directs federal agencies to identify and address any federally funded programs that are currently supporting illegal immigrants.
The order also ensures that federal funds will not be used to support "sanctuary" policies or assist illegal immigration at the state or local level.
One focus of the plan is the 900,000 individuals who entered the country through former President Biden’s parole program, using the CBP One app. These individuals were granted temporary protected status from countries like Ukraine, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
Allen Orr, former President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, warned that this could have serious long-term effects. He said, "When you cut people off from legal access to food and basic needs, they may turn to illegal means, leading to more crime or health problems in communities. This hurts Americans, too." Orr added that public assistance benefits everyone, as it raises the standard of living for everyone in the U.S.
Trump’s administration has also taken strong steps to target criminal organizations. They have designated the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, along with MS-13 and several Mexican cartels like Sinaloa and Jalisco, as foreign terrorist organizations. This designation could lead to financial sanctions against these groups and their affiliates.
Tom Homan, White House Border Czar, supported this move, saying in an interview with Sinclair, "They kill more Americans than all other terrorist organizations combined. They kill journalists, politicians, and judges. They act like terrorists, and they are terrorists."
However, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum responded, warning that the U.S. should not use the Foreign Terrorist Organization label to interfere with Mexico’s sovereignty. She said, "With Mexico, it is collaboration and coordination, never subordination or interventionism, and definitely not invasion."
