What to look for in a second Trump Administration

Over the last four years, we've witnessed the worst border crisis in history, massive abuse of the nation's immigration parole system, and complete abandonment of interior enforcement. With this week's election of Donald Trump, we should see a complete reversal of the last four years.

Under the first Trump Administration, illegal border crossings were under control, and interior enforcement was strengthened. Trump's campaign centers around border security, so we should see immediate action in the administration's early days.

Trump will likely reinstate the Remain-in-Mexico policy, which requires any illegal alien who attempts to enter the country -- whether by crossing the border illegally or at a port of entry and applies for asylum -- to remain in Mexico until his or her court hearing. That policy had an immediate impact when first implemented in 2019 and should stop the rampant asylum fraud we've seen over the past four years.

Trump also promised mass deportations, and there's been a significant shift in public opinion over the last four years on the policy. We hope the Trump Administration will send a clear message that no one in the country illegally is safe from removal. If an illegal alien comes into contact with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), they should expect to face removal proceedings. 

Republicans will likely retain control of the House and they've taken control of the Senate, providing the Trump Administration with an opportunity to make permanent changes to the nation's immigration system.

The House passed H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, last year, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) refused to bring it to the floor for a vote in the Senate. H.R. 2 would end asylum abuse, strictly limit the administration's use of parole, and reform the treatment of Unaccompanied Alien Children. Assuming Republicans retain control of the House, they'll likely repass H.R. 2, and there should be a floor vote in the GOP-led Senate.

Additionally, the Trump Administration could reform legal immigration by reviving the RAISE Act, which would end chain migration and the visa lottery and create a merit-based immigration system.

Of course, there's still work to do in the 118th Congress. Members of Congress will return from a two-month recess next week to address several priorities, including funding the federal government beyond the end of the year and passing the National Defense Authorization Act. Both efforts could be used to influence immigration policy during the first nine months of Pres. Trump's presidency. We'll continue to monitor Congress and provide updates as necessary.

For the most up-to-date news from the Immigration Accountability Project, be sure to follow us on X/Twitter at https://x.com/i_a_project.

Immigration News

Federal judge throws out Biden admin program to legalize illegal immigrant spouses of US citizens
Breaking news from last night: In a significant win for the rule of law, our friends at America First Legal, along with a coalition of 16 states, were successful in blocking the Biden Administration's unlawful parole-in-place amnesty for hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens. This significant achievement will go a long way in blocking a route the outgoing administration may have exploited to grant mass amnesty prior to President Trump taking office. You can access the full decision here for a deep dive.

Trump says there's 'no price tag' for his mass deportation plan
In this NBC News exclusive, President-elect Trump is making it clear that he intends to carry out his pledge to remove large numbers of illegal aliens from the country. "It's not a question of a price tag. It's not -- really, we have no choice. When people have been killed and murdered, when drug lords have destroyed countries, and now they're going to go back to those countries because they're not staying here. There is no price tag."

Push to expand noncitizen voting crumbles as voters pass bans in 8 states
While most media attention has been focused on the Federal election results, there were promising developments in the noncitizen voting space. Stephen Dinan at the Washington Times writes about how state and local jurisdictions have rejected noncitizen voting or otherwise voted to strengthen their bans.

Mexico's migrant caravan breaking up after Trump victory sows uncertainty
Two weeks ago, we covered troubling reports of a surge of illegal aliens arriving in southern Mexico who were heading to the U.S. border after the election. Early this week, there were reports of a caravan of roughly 3,000 planning to arrive shortly after the election. Yesterday, Reuters reported that the caravan has substantially broken up due to the election results.

ICE Houston removes 25 illegally present child sex offenders from US in past month
The ICE Houston office announced this week that they managed to remove 25 illegal alien child sex offenders just in the past month.

Next Week

Congress returns next week to begin its lame-duck session.