Trump Administration continues to use its full force to enforce immigration laws

This week, the Trump Administration continued to demonstrate the steps it's willing to prevent illegal aliens and fentanyl from crossing into the United States. 

After successfully using tariff threats against Columbia last week for its unwillingness to take back its nationals who had deportation orders, Pres. Trump announced tariffs against Canada and Mexico unless they stepped up efforts to prevent illegal border crossing into the United States. In response, Mexico agreed to send 10,000 troops to the border to help prevent illegal crossings and to help crack down on fentanyl entering the United States. Meanwhile, Canada agreed to implement its own border security plan. The tariffs against both countries have been paused for 30 days, giving the Trump Administration time to evaluate the progress.

Also this week, the administration began using the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to house illegal aliens. Pres. Trump announced that his administration would use the base during last week's signing ceremony of the Laken Riley Act. So far, two groups of about a dozen criminal aliens have been sent to Guantanamo Bay, including several members of the Venezuelan criminal gang, Tren de Aragua.

Finally, the administration made it clear that the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for Venezuelan illegal aliens will end in April. The Biden Adminstration granted TPS status to Venezuelan nationals in October of 2023, citing extraordinary and temporary conditions in that country and announced an extension last month. However, the Trump Administration determined that it's no longer in the national interest to extend the program.

Follow all of the executive actions taken by the Trump Administration on our Accountability pages.

IAP Commentary

Laken Riley Act is significant for immigration policy
By IAP Staff
Last week, President Trump signed his first bill as the 47th President of the United States, and IAP was honored to attend the White House signing ceremony. We were surrounded by policymakers, other groups dedicated to the fight for better immigration policy, and, most importantly, some of the Angel Families who have lost loved ones to illegal alien crime.

Immigration News

Tariff Deal: Trump agrees to pause tariffs on Canada and Mexico after they pledge to boost border enforcement
Once he had won his reelection, then-President-elect Trump vowed to use the threat of tariffs to pressure Mexico and Canada to assist in a crackdown on illegal immigration and fentanyl crossing the Northern and Southern borders. Just last Saturday, President Trump announced he would be implementing 25% tariffs on both countries, and within two days, they reached a deal to pause the tariffs for a month. Mexico vowed to send 10,000 members of the Mexican National Guard to the Southern border, and Canada promised to implement its own border plan, including a Canada-U.S. Joint Strike Force. Over the next month, we’ll monitor progress on a permanent deal and how these actions have impacted the border surge.

ICE Deportation Progress
ICE releases some migrant detainees as its detention facilities reach 109% capacity
As the Trump Administration continues its efforts to remove illegal aliens from the country, this is one of the first bumps in the road. ICE requires funding for “beds,” otherwise known as a spot for an illegal alien in detention, which Congress appropriates every year. The Biden Administration asked for fewer beds each year, Congress funded 38,000, and ICE is already detaining roughly 42,000. As a result, CBS reports the Trump Administration has been forced to release 160 illegal aliens because of a lack of capacity. As other agencies tasked with assisting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in carrying out deportations, we anticipate ICE will be able to fill at least some of this need (particularly with the use of Guantanamo). However, it illustrates that Congress must fund the effort. As the budget reconciliation process and appropriations move forward, expect that ICE beds will be a significant topic of discussion.

Trump administration sends first group of migrant detainees to Guantanamo Bay
While ICE is beginning to hit its detention capacity, DHS announced that it has already started sending the worst of its detainees to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. While only 10 “high-threat” detainees have arrived so far, the Trump Administration plans to detain as many as 30,000, nearly doubling their detention capacity.

Sanctuaries
A common theme in our weekly articles has been how states and localities have responded to President Trump’s promise of mass deportations. There was a lot of action in this space this week:
Wisconsin governor rejects GOP draft bill requiring local law enforcement to help ICE agents: 'A non-starter'
Governor Tony Evers of Wisconsin has announced his opposition to a bill being drafted by GOP members of the Wisconsin legislature that would require sheriffs to cooperate with law enforcement.

Gov. Reynolds counters Winneshiek County sheriff who claimed he would not comply with ICE detainers
In Iowa, Sheriff Dan Marx of Winneshiek County said he would not honor ICE detainers. Within a day, the Governor, Kim Reynolds, sent the Sheriff a letter pointing out that his lack of cooperation with ICE violated Iowa law and announced that she was filing a complaint against him, noting that his unlawful policies threatened his funding.

Attorney General Pam Bondi Directs DOJ To Halt Federal Funding For Sanctuary Cities
Attorney General Pam Bondi was confirmed by the Senate this week and immediately directed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to assist in the President’s immigration agenda. Notably, she directed the DOJ to cut off funding to sanctuary jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with ICE. The sheriffs and governors of those jurisdictions should rethink their policies.

Next Week

Both the House and Senate are in session.