Trump administration acts quickly to roll back immigrant rights

Since Donald Trump was inaugurated on January 20, 2025, his administration has moved quickly to make good on his threats to roll back immigration progress. Acting through a series of Executive Orders (“EOs”), personnel changes, and internal policy directives, the Trump Administration has taken these actions among many others:

  • Applying expedited removal procedures to persons found anywhere in the United States who have been present for less than two years and who have not been admitted or paroled in the the United States.
  • Removing the ability to schedule appointments to apply for asylum at southern border points of entry, and cancelling all existing appointments.
  • Reinstating the return to Mexico policy for migrants pending the completion of removal proceedings.
  • Issuing an order purporting to abolish birthright citizenship for children born in the United States, unless one of the parents is a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States.
  • Suspending altogether the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
  • Declaring that it is the policy of the United States that there are only two “immutable” genders, male and female, determined at birth. This policy could have enormous consequences for LGBTQIA2S+ persons throughout the immigration and citizenship systems.
  • Stepped up arrests of undocumented and allegedly undocumented persons, utilizing many government agencies, focused on Chicago, and spreading throughout the United States.

Within hours of the publication of the EO purporting to eliminate birthright citizenship, Judge John Coughenour from the US District Court for the Western District of Washington issued a Temporary Restraining Order blocking the EO from taking effect. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan, Judge Coughenour referred to the EO as blatantly unconstitutional. This is the first of many legal actions seeking to prevent or limit the damage done by new Administration. The American Immigration Lawyers Association will stand along many other legal and public interest organizations leading this fight.