Difference between revisions of "Donald Trump achievements: Immigration and border security"

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(Executive actions, 2018)
(Executive actions, 2018)
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*Gonzales, Richard (April 6, 2018). [https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/06/600435660/trump-administration-seeks-new-border-crackdown Trump Administration Seeks New Border Crackdown]. ''NPR''. Retrieved April 7, 2018.</ref> Attorney General Jeff Sessions continued advancing conservative immigration policies, such as taking steps to block asylum claims by economic migrants.<ref>Binder, John (April 23, 2018). [http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/04/23/ag-sessions-building-legal-wall-against-economic-migrants/ AG Sessions Builds Legal Wall Against Caravan’s Economic Migrants]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved April 23, 2018.<br>See also:
 
*Gonzales, Richard (April 6, 2018). [https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/06/600435660/trump-administration-seeks-new-border-crackdown Trump Administration Seeks New Border Crackdown]. ''NPR''. Retrieved April 7, 2018.</ref> Attorney General Jeff Sessions continued advancing conservative immigration policies, such as taking steps to block asylum claims by economic migrants.<ref>Binder, John (April 23, 2018). [http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/04/23/ag-sessions-building-legal-wall-against-economic-migrants/ AG Sessions Builds Legal Wall Against Caravan’s Economic Migrants]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved April 23, 2018.<br>See also:
 
*Munro, Neil (May 25, 2018). [http://www.breitbart.com/2018-elections/2018/05/25/vox-ag-sessions-ensures-trump-immigration-goals-become-reality/ Vox: AG Sessions Ensures Trump’s Immigration Goals Become ‘Reality’]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
 
*Munro, Neil (May 25, 2018). [http://www.breitbart.com/2018-elections/2018/05/25/vox-ag-sessions-ensures-trump-immigration-goals-become-reality/ Vox: AG Sessions Ensures Trump’s Immigration Goals Become ‘Reality’]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
*Wilcox, Dale (July 20, 2018). [http://thehill.com/opinion/immigration/397751-the-sessions-doj-is-working-to-end-the-great-asylum-hustle The Sessions DOJ is working to end the great asylum hustle]. ''The Hill''. Retrieved July 25, 2018.</ref> Commerce Secretary [[Wilbur Ross]] helped President Trump advance his immigration agenda.<ref>Binder, John (March 30, 2018). [http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/03/30/wilbur-ross-keeps-winning-for-trumps-economic-nationalist-agenda/ Wilbur Ross Keeps Winning for Trump’s Economic Nationalist Agenda]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved March 30, 2018.</ref> The Trump Administration took several steps to expand the number of illegals targeted for deportation.<ref name="WiderNet2018">Meckler, Laura (May 17, 2018). [https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-era-immigration-arrests-net-higher-percentage-of-people-with-no-criminal-convictions-1526597830 Wider Net Cast in Illegal-Immigration Cases]. ''The Wall Street Journal''. Retrieved May 19, 2018.</ref> When faced with an increase in the number of illegal border crossings by unaccompanied minors and family units, President Trump not only took stronger action than Obama, but his administration also treated the children more humanely.<ref>Multiple references:
+
*Wilcox, Dale (July 20, 2018). [http://thehill.com/opinion/immigration/397751-the-sessions-doj-is-working-to-end-the-great-asylum-hustle The Sessions DOJ is working to end the great asylum hustle]. ''The Hill''. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
 +
The DOJ also hired dozens of additional immigration judges:
 +
*Pavlich, Katie (August 16, 2018). [https://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2018/08/16/doj-hires-another-three-dozen-immigration-judges-n2510431 DOJ Hires Another Batch of Immigration Judges]. ''Townhall''. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
 +
*Clark, Charles S. (August 17, 2018). [https://www.govexec.com/management/2018/08/justice-department-touts-new-immigration-judges-quicker-hiring/150637/ Justice Department Touts New Immigration Judges, Quicker Hiring]. ''Government Executive''. Retrieved August 18, 2018.</ref> Commerce Secretary [[Wilbur Ross]] helped President Trump advance his immigration agenda.<ref>Binder, John (March 30, 2018). [http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/03/30/wilbur-ross-keeps-winning-for-trumps-economic-nationalist-agenda/ Wilbur Ross Keeps Winning for Trump’s Economic Nationalist Agenda]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved March 30, 2018.</ref> The Trump Administration took several steps to expand the number of illegals targeted for deportation.<ref name="WiderNet2018">Meckler, Laura (May 17, 2018). [https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-era-immigration-arrests-net-higher-percentage-of-people-with-no-criminal-convictions-1526597830 Wider Net Cast in Illegal-Immigration Cases]. ''The Wall Street Journal''. Retrieved May 19, 2018.</ref> When faced with an increase in the number of illegal border crossings by unaccompanied minors and family units, President Trump not only took stronger action than Obama, but his administration also treated the children more humanely.<ref>Multiple references:
 
*Price, Bob (June 20, 2018). [http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2018/06/20/trump-vs-obama-two-approaches-to-migrant-families-and-minors/ Trump vs. Obama: Two Approaches to Migrant Families and Minors]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
 
*Price, Bob (June 20, 2018). [http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2018/06/20/trump-vs-obama-two-approaches-to-migrant-families-and-minors/ Trump vs. Obama: Two Approaches to Migrant Families and Minors]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
 
*Cohn, Alicia (June 23, 2018). [http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/393763-trump-we-do-a-much-better-job-with-children-at-the-border-than-obama Trump: 'We do a much better job' with children at the border than Obama]. ''The Hill''. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
 
*Cohn, Alicia (June 23, 2018). [http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/393763-trump-we-do-a-much-better-job-with-children-at-the-border-than-obama Trump: 'We do a much better job' with children at the border than Obama]. ''The Hill''. Retrieved June 23, 2018.

Revision as of 15:17, August 18, 2018

Official presidential photo of President Donald Trump
Main article: Donald Trump achievements

This article is a non-exhaustive list of achievements by U.S. President Donald Trump, his administration, and Congress related to immigration, illegal immigration, and border security.

2017

Legislation signed, 2017

  • H.R. 244, which was signed into law by President Trump on May 5, 2017, and funded the government through September 30, 2017, did not include funding for several of President Trump's priorities, such as defunding sanctuary cities and building new sections of the border wall. However, it did include an additional $1.5 billion in border security funding, including money to repair 40 miles of existing border barrier sections and to increase funding for ICE and CBP, among other conservative achievements.[1]

Executive actions, 2017

There was a large change in the Trump Administration, particularly in the Department of Justice,[2][3] regarding immigration policy, compared to the Obama Administration.[4] The United States Department of Homeland Security under John F. Kelly, who served during the first six months of Trump's presidency, made numerous accomplishments in advancing President Trump's conservative immigration policies.[5][6][7] It was reported early in Trump's presidency that immigration hardliners had become influential in the Trump Administration.[8] Illegal immigration enforcement statistics showed the Trump Administration's commitment to keeping its campaign promises,[9][10] and the administration took steps to reduce immigration levels and crack down on illegal immigration.[11] The Trump Administration also took steps to begin the process of building a wall on the border with Mexico, although Congress did not pass any funding so the administration could build any new sections of wall in 2017.[12]

According to a September 2017 reported by the DHS's Office of Immigration Statistics, illegally entering the U.S. from Mexico was harder than it had ever been in decades, at least, and smuggling costs doubled from the late 2000s.[13] The Trump Administration drastically changed the Obama Administration's refugee policies, reducing refugee admission levels and ending the previous administration's focus on Muslim refugees.[14] It also increased scrutiny of visa applications.[15][16] The Trump Administration made several actions to help stop illegal child border crossers.[17] The administration's national security strategy took a strong stance on immigration, border security, and national sovereignty, calling for the construction of a border wall and tougher vetting, among other policies.[18]

As a sign of President Trump immigration successes, the mainstream media and the establishment opposed Trump's immigration policies,[19] and the media, particularly outlets connected to left-wing donor George Soros, showed panic in its reporting due to the Trump Administration's enforcement of immigration law.[20] President Trump was winning the battle over immigration policy, as seen by the media's treatment of the topic.[21]

The Trump Administration took numerous actions related to legal immigration and visas:

Trump signing his Jan. 27, 2017 order regarding refugees and travel from high-risk countries.
Countries affected by Trump's Jan. 27, 2017 travel ban.
  • January 27, 2017—Trump signed an executive order indefinitely banning the admission of Syrian refugees, suspending the overall refugee program for 120 days, suspending entry and the issuing of visas from seven failed Middle Eastern countries[22] for at least 90 days, and reducing the number of refugees allowed into the nation during the fiscal year from 110,000 to 50,000.[23] Additionally, Trump made clear that he would help Christian refugees, a reversal from the Obama Administration.[24] Despite criticism from leftists and non-conservatives, 49 percent of the American public supported the decision compared to 41 percent opposed, according to the "mainstream" Reuters,[25] and 57% percent of likely American voters supported the ban according to Rasmussen.[26] Additionally, while the leftist establishment European leaders opposed the ban, a strong majority – 55% average – of Europeans supported the ban, according to a poll in 10 European Union nations.[27][28]
  • March 6, 2017—President Trump signed a second executive order regarding the temporary suspension of refugees and others from certain high-risk countries after the first one was blocked by the courts. The second order made some clarifications and minor improvements over the first, such as exempting green card holders from the ban and excluding Iraq from it as it had developed an acceptable vetting process.[29][30] (after being blocked in federal courts,[31] the Supreme Court on June 26, 2017, partially reinstated the ban and allowed key portions of it to continue pending a hearing on the ban's constitutionality in October[32])
  • In late March/early April 2017, the Trump Administration cracked down on H-1B visas in a series of actions, making it much more difficult for entry-level programmers to enter the U.S., combating corruption in the program, and making sure that Americans were not discriminated against.[33] On April 18, 2017, President Trump signed an executive order restricting the H-1B visa to give hiring preference to American workers and enacting stronger enforcement of laws requiring the use of American-made materials in federal projects.[34] Experts on the H-1B visa supported his order.[35]
  • July 10, 2017—The Trump Administration delayed for eight months, reasoning that immigration officials already had much important work to do, an Obama Administration rule that would have made it easier for foreign nationals to enter the country to start a business.[36]
  • July 2017—The Trump Administration changed the focus of Citizenship and Immigration Services from "integration," as it was under the Obama Administration, to "assimilation." This could be seen in the renaming of a grant program started under the Obama Administration from the "Citizenship and Integration Grant Program" to the "Citizenship and Assimilation Grant Program."[37]
  • August 2017—The DHS ended the Central American Minors (CAM) Parole Program, which gave certain minors from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras the ability to enter the U.S. even if they were previously unable to enter under refugee status.[38] This move took effect on November 9, 2017.[39]
  • It was reported in August 2017 that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services was denying requests from employers to import cheap foreign labor into the U.S. for high-skilled jobs if the employers could not explain why it wanted to pay a lower wage for "high-skill" job.[40] It was reported in September 2017 that USCIS issued 85,000 challenges to H-1B visa applications through August 31, a 45% increase from the previous year and more than any year during the Obama Administration.[41]
  • September 24, 2017—The Trump Administration established a new travel ban that affected 8 countries – Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and certain individuals from Venezuela. According to the U.S. government, these countries fell under the travel ban due to not sharing information about terrorism and the people applying to the U.S.[42] In December 2017, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump Administration to fully enforce the travel ban despite left-wing opposition,[43] and the State Department began fully implementing it a few days later.[44] On April 10, 2018, President Trump signed an order to remove Chad from the list.[45] On June 26, 2018, the Supreme Court issued a final ruling in favor of the travel ban, in a major victory for the administration.[46]
  • September 29, 2017—President Trump signed an order to allow up to only 45,000 refugees into the country in 2018, the lowest cap since the Refugee Act was passed in 1980 and a 59% decrease compared to the cap that President Obama had proposed for 2017.[47]
  • October 23, 2017—The USCIS issued a memo making H-1B visa renewals tougher, with the USCIS vetting foreign workers with the visa as if they were first-time applicants rather than the previous policy which was more lenient.[48]
  • October 24, 2017—President Trump signed an executive order reinstating refugee admissions into the U.S. but with tough vetting rules and with even tougher vetting for refugees from 11 countries.[49] The DHS fully resumed refugee admissions from those 11 countries with the additional vetting on January 2018.[50]
  • December 2, 2017—The Trump Administration pulled out of the Global Compact on Migration, a United Nations agreement on migration, due to it infringing on U.S. sovereignty and its immigration policies.[51] U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley stated that "our decisions on immigration policies must always be made by Americans and Americans alone," and that "the global approach in the New York Declaration is simply not compatible with U.S. sovereignty."[51]
  • December 15, 2017—The Trump Administration added new requirements for countries participating in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program in order to help vet travelers entering the U.S. and to prevent visa overstays in the U.S.[52]
  • According to USCIS data, the number of family visas for immigrants that the agency approved in 2017 declined dramatically, with extended family visa approvals, specifically, falling by 70% compared to the previous year.[53]

The Trump Administration took numerous actions related to vetting:

  • Late May 2017—The State Department introduced new and much stricter rules for vetting all people seeking a visa to enter the U.S., with the introduction of social media vetting being among the changes.[54] The Trump Administration moved to make these measures permanent on August 3, 2017.[55]
  • June 21, 2017—President Trump signed an executive order, rescinding a guideline signed by former President Obama to speed up vetting times for people seeking visas, in order to improve vetting standards.[56]
  • August 2017—The Trump Administration continued strengthening the vetting of immigrants, such as requiring some to prove their ability to return to their home countries if necessary, in order to crack down on visa overstays,[57] and requiring some of those seeking green cards to conduct an in-person interview.[58]

The Trump Administration took numerous actions related to illegal immigration enforcement:

President Trump visiting CBP officers in Yuma, Arizona, on August 22, 2017.
  • January 25, 2017—Trump signed two executive orders. The first one included ordering the "immediate construction of a physical wall on the southern border," the hiring of 5,000 additional border control agents, and ending "catch-and-release" policies for illegal immigrants. The second order called for hiring an additional 10,000 federal immigration officers, re-establishing the Secure Communities Program and other local partnerships, making the deportation of criminal illegal immigrants a priority, directing the State Department to use leverage to ensure countries-of-origin take back illegal immigrants, and stripping federal grant money from sanctuary cities and states.[59] In February 2017, DHS Secretary Kelly signed two memos that made several immigration enforcement policy changes and rescinded most Obama-era memos.[60]
  • On March 31, 2017, after talking tough against "sanctuary cities" and illegal immigration, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a plan to speed up the deportation of imprisoned illegals.[61] On April 11, 2017, Sessions issued a memorandum to U.S. attorneys, instructing them to enforce much stricter guidelines against immigration crimes,[62] and he announced the Justice Department would hire 125 immigration judges in the next two years.[63] As a result of Session's decision, the DOJ resumed the criminal prosecution of first-time illegal border crossers, something which the Obama Administration stopped.[64] In the Tucson border sector, 565 first-time illegal immigrants were prosecuted for entering in June 2017 alone.[65]
  • April 26, 2017—The Department of Homeland Security established the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office (VOICE), created to help support victims of illegal immigrant crime, and it established the DHS-Victim Information and Notification Exchange, which was created to help those victims track the custody status of those criminal illegal immigrants.[66]
  • It was reported that the Trump Administration, due to the president's previous executive orders, had ended Obama's "home free magnet" policy, where illegal immigrants who did not commit a serious crime (other than crossing the border illegally) did not need to fear deportation because ICE needed to gain permission from the Field Office Director before deporting them; and the Trump Administration expanded the use of expedited removal proceedings, which is the deportation of illegals without a hearing unless they request one.[67] Also, the DHS stopped asking for prosecutorial discretion and deferring deportations for illegals.[68] Thus, illegal immigrants "without violent criminal histories" could be arrested and deported.[69]
  • May 5, 2017—ICE established a policy that would give illegal immigrants stays of removal only if the chairs the House and Senate Judiciary Committees or the relevant subcommittees requested them, as opposed to the earlier policy of issuing stays of removal whenever a private bill to legalize illegals was introduced in Congress.[70][71][72] This would allow ICE to deport illegals without having members of Congress obstruct deportations.[71]
  • Early in Trump's presidency, it was clear the U.S. government was cracking down on criminal illegal immigrants and gangs.[73] For example, between March 26 and May 6, 2017, ICE conducted a crackdown on gangs, including MS-13 and other illegal immigrant gangs, that arrested nearly 1,400 people – the largest such operation conducted up to that point.[74] In an operation in late September 2017, ICE arrested nearly 500 illegals in "sanctuary" cities.[75] In an operation in October and November 2017, ICE arrested 214 MS-13 members in the U.S. and 53 in El Salvador.[76] The Trump Administration also cooperated with Central American countries in order to combat MS-13 recruitment in the region.[77] In 2017, ICE arrests of criminal illegals increased 92%, while arrests of MS-13 members increased by 83%.[78] In 2017, 90% of all arrests made by ICE were for criminal aliens.[79]
  • May 2017—In order to avoid misreporting and distortions by the media, ICE established a Spanish media presence.[80][81]
  • By May 2017, the Trump Administration was able to reduce the number of countries "that habitually refuse to take back immigrants whom the U.S. is trying to deport" from 20 to 12.[82] In September 2017, the Trump Administration enacted visa sanctions on four countries that continued to refuse to accept deportees.[83] One of those countries, Cambodia, allowed ICE to deport illegal Cambodian immigrants by December 2017.[84]
  • President Trump worked to eliminate Obama's legacy of giving privileges to illegal immigrants in detention centers.[85] At the same time, the Trump Administration expanded immigration enforcement efforts, such as through building additional detention centers.[86] (The inspector general reported on June 7, 2017, but based on July 2016 inspections, that the facilities used by the DHS to detain illegal families were overall in good shape and met federal standards[87])
  • It was reported in June 2017 that the Trump Administration began repatriating illegal immigrants given "administrative closure" by the Obama Administration, a form of "quasi-amnesty."[88] Due to this change in policy, as it was reported a month later in July 2017, the number of deportation cases in Los Angeles alone rose 60%.[89] The Trump Administration re-opened numerous deportation cases.[90]
  • June 2017—The Department of Homeland Security ended a program where 21 officials cooperated with anti-deportation and pro-amnesty organizations, and reassigned those officials to the new VOICE office which helps victims of illegal immigrant crimes.[91]
  • June 15, 2017—The DHS canceled the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) program created by the Obama Administration in November 2014 that would have given amnesty to about 4 million illegal immigrants but was blocked by federal courts before its full implementation.[92]
  • June 23, 2017—The DOJ threw its support behind Texas's sanctuary city ban that was challenged in court.[93]
  • June 30, 2017—It was reported that the Trump Administration, under a memo signed by DHS Secretary John Kelly, began cracking down on illegal immigrant parents who paid to have their children smuggled into the United States.[94]
  • Despite encountering opposition in "sanctuary" cities, ICE agents continued enforcing U.S. immigration law in those cities.[95]
  • The number of 287(g) agreements between ICE and various counties in the U.S., which increase cooperation between the counties and ICE, nearly doubled by late-July 2017 compared to the previous year, and the program increased at a much faster rate than it did during the Obama Administration.[96] In one instance in late-July 2017, ICE announced it had signed 18 such agreements with the same number of counties in Texas.[96] Between January and November 2017, 29 local police departments overall joined the program.[97]
  • It was reported in July 2017 that, in a break with the Obama Administration, that the Justice Department was again using the more accurate legal term "illegal alien" to describe such people, rather than the politically correct terms used by the previous administration.[98]
  • September 5, 2017—The Trump Administration announced it would end the Obama Administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.[99]
  • September 7, 2017—The DOJ announced that cities that did not have "sanctuary" status would have priority in receiving money for the COPS grant program.[100]
  • October 4, 2017—The DOJ announced that due to sending additional immigration judges to southern border districts, 2,700 additional cases had been completed compared to if the judges were not deployed, according to data by the Executive Office of Immigration Review.[101]
  • December 6, 2017—Attorney General Sessions issued a memo to the Executive Office for Immigration Review calling on it to use any legal means necessary to quickly and efficiently review immigration cases.[102]
  • December 20, 2017—Attorney General Sessions issued a memo giving immigration judges new guidelines to make the trial process for unaccompanied illegal children fairer and less favorable to them.[103]
  • The Trump Administration oversaw a large increase in illegal immigrant arrests and deportations compared to the Obama Administration, showing its commitment to keeping its campaign promises:[9]
    • Despite the large drop in illegal immigrant apprehensions, and likely because of it,[104] the amount of illegal guns and drugs seized by Customs and Border Protection saw large increases in the beginning of Trump's presidency.[104][105] In addition, the number of immigration arrests increased, with a 38% increase in Trump's first 100 days.[106] The DHS had arrested 66,000 illegal immigrants by late June 2017,[107] and it was reported in early July that arrests had doubled from the Obama Administration.[108] In one widely reported incident on June 15, U.S. Border Patrol agents had to obtain a warrant[109] and raided an Arizona desert camp to arrest four illegal immigrants,[110] and in another instance in July 2017, ICE arrested 650 illegals in four days who had already been required to leave the country.[111]
    • It was reported in early August 2017 that due to reforms and additional hirings of immigration judges, the number of deportation orders increased by nearly 28% compared to the same period of time in 2016, and when including "voluntary departure" orders, the number rose over 30%.[112] The deportation of Europeans increased compared to previous years, indicating the Trump Administration's deportation policy was evenhanded.[113]
    • It was reported in August 2017 that of the 42,000 illegal immigrants in federal prisons, nearly all of them either had deportation orders or were being investigated for possible deportation.[114]
    • It was reported in August 2017 that so far in 2017 the Trump Administration had deported 30% more illegal immigrants enrolled in the DACA program due to crimes and gang violence.[115]
    • It was reported in November 2017 that the Trump Administration was making more of an effort than the Obama Administration to reach quick deportation decisions in immigration courts.[116]
    • In 2017 overall, immigration and deportation arrests increased even though the number of deportations themselves decreased,[117] with arrests reaching a three-year high in 2017.[118] However, ICE also reported that the number of deportations of illegals who were already living in the U.S. increased by 37% in 2017.[119] Despite California's "sanctuary state" law, in the last three months of 2017, San Diego saw the largest number of arrests of illegals who had no criminal activity besides entering the country illegally.[120]

The Trump Administration took several actions related to border security:

  • May 9, 2017—The Department of Homeland Security reported that it had implemented tougher vetting policies at U.S. border crossings.[121]
  • July 17, 2017—The Trump Administration, in a break with the Obama Administration's refusal to do likewise, gave $2.3 million to the state of Texas so its military patrol could continue patrolling the border with Mexico.[122]
  • October 2017—The Trump Administration completed construction of eight prototypes of the proposed border wall to be used for testing to see which design is most appropriate for the border with Mexico.[123]
  • By October 2017, the Trump Administration had expanded the searching of electronic devices of people entering the country by almost four times.[124] In 2017 overall, the number of devices searched by border officials had increased by 50% compared to the previous year.[125]

Appointments, 2017

DHS Secretary Kelly and Attorney General Sessions in El Paso, Texas, on April 20, 2017.
Attorney General Sessions meeting with U.S. Border Patrol Agents, April 11, 2017.
  • Attorney General Jeff Sessions[126][127] and Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly (with the full support of President Trump[128]) adopted a strong position against illegal immigration.[127][129]
  • January 30, 2017—President Trump appointed Thomas Homan, someone with a reputation for enforcing immigration laws, as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.[130] As the head of ICE, Homan took a strong stance on illegal immigration enforcement,[131] even though some conservatives criticized him for his role in the Obama Administration and its lax illegal immigration policies.[132] On January 31, President Trump appointed Ronald Vitiello, who was endorsed by the National Border Patrol Council which also endorsed Trump in the 2016 election, to lead U.S. Border Patrol.[133] On April 25, 2017, Vitiello was appointed as Deputy Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection.[134]
  • In late March 2017, President Trump appointed Scott Lloyd, a strong conservative supportive of the president's immigration policies, to lead the HHS's Office of Refugee Resettlement.[135]
  • April 14, 2017—President Trump appointed two conservatives on immigration issues to senior positions in the Department of Homeland Security.[136]

Other achievements, 2017

While the following achievements were not official United States government policy actions by the Trump Administration, they were closely related to the Trump Administration and its policies:

Drop in illegal immigration, 2017

Illegal immigration declined dramatically in the year after Trump took office,[137][138] and the decline helped illustrate the administration's achievements on illegal immigration policy.[9] Illegal border crossings fell to their lowest level in 45 years in 2017.[10] Also in Fiscal Year 2017, the level of illegal child border crossers fell by 20%.[139]

According to data released early in Trump's presidency, illegal border crossings decreased by 40% in the first month of Trump's presidency – a remarkable achievement, considering that illegal immigration usually increases by 10 to 20% in January and February.[140] In March, illegal immigration had fallen by over 60%.[141] By Trump's 100th day in office, levels were reported to have fallen by 73%.[142][143] The declining trend of border apprehensions (an indicator of the level of illegal immigration) continued through May.[144] It was reported in April that illegal immigration levels had fallen to the lowest point in 17 years.[143][145]

It was reported in May that the number of child illegal immigrants entering the nation monthly had fallen below 1,000, the first time in several years, and that total illegal immigration levels had fallen by 76%.[146] In six months, the illegal immigration of Haitians, specifically, into the U.S. declined by 97%.[147] Although not solely due to President Trump, illegal immigration from Cuba dropped dramatically in the beginning of Trump's presidency.[148] Illegal immigration dropped so much that U.S. Customs and Border Protection was able to close one of their temporary holding facilities.[149] As another illustration, a non-profit shelter organization for illegal immigrants, Southwest Key Programs, was forced to lay off nearly 1,000 of its employees due to the drop.[150] The drop in illegal immigration was probably due to the Trump effect[137][151][152] and tougher illegal immigration and deportation policies by the Homeland Security Department.[153][154]

Illegal immigration levels rose in June 2017, but they were still much lower than the previous year and at a six-year low.[155] Even after a 13% increase in July, numbers were still lower than during the Obama Administration.[156] Illegal immigration continued to increase during the rest of 2017.[157]

Drop in refugee admissions, 2017

The number of refugees that entered the U.S. in 2017 fell dramatically compared to previous years, and 2017 was the first year since at least 1982 that the United States admitted fewer refugees than all other countries combined.[158] Between Inauguration Day 2017 and December 31 of that year, 29,022 refugees entered the country, surpassing the previous low set in 2002.[159] By May 2017, the media was already reporting that the number of refugees entering the U.S. had sharply fallen from its peak during the Obama Administration.[160] According to DHS numbers released in June 2017, the number of refugees admitted in the first three months of Trump's presidency was half of that of the last three months of Obama's presidency (even though refugee admissions increased at the end of Obama's presidency).[161]

Although the number of refugees admitted in May increased, the proportion of Muslim refugees declined from 34 to 28 percent compared to April.[162] In the first six months of Trump's presidency, more Christian refugees entered the country than Muslim ones, a departure from the Obama Administration, where more Muslim refugees entered.[163] In October 2017, the proportion of Muslim refugees declined to 23%,[164] and in November 2017, out of 1,859 refugees let in, only 10% were Muslim.[165]

Due to President Trump's travel ban, which the Supreme Court ordered partially reinstated in June 2017, refugee admissions to the U.S. declined dramatically,[166] even after a federal judge ordered the criteria to enter under the partial ban to be expanded.[167] Additionally, on July 19, 2017, the Supreme Court temporarily allowed the Trump Administration to strictly enforce its refugee admissions under the ban until an appeals court ruled on the matter.[168] Refugee arrivals in July were at the lowest rate in ten years,[169] and the rate of arrivals in August 2017 was at its lowest in fifteen years.[170] In October 2017, the first month of Fiscal Year 2018, the U.S. government admitted 1,242 refugees.[164] In both October and November 2017 – after the refugee ban was lifted – 3,108 refugees entered the country, an 83% drop from the year before.[171] In the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2018 – the last three months of 2017 – refugee admissions fell 79% compared to the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2017.[172]

Overall in 2017, refugee admissions fell by 70% under President Trump compared to the previous year, and Christian refugees comprised 53.2% of those admitted into the U.S., versus 32% Muslims, with the numbers flipping from the previous year.[173][174] By contrast, Trump admitted as many refugees in 2017 as Obama did in his last three months in office.[175]

Other

  • United States Citizenship and Immigration Services reported in April 2017 that the number of H-1B visa applications fell by 16%, the first time it fell in five years.[176] It was reported in August 2017 that the number of H-1B visa applications decreased for the first time in seven years.[177] In addition, American businesses, under pressure from the Trump Administration, focused more on hiring Americans rather than foreign workers.[178]
  • Businesses and farms that relied upon illegal immigrant labor could feel the effects of President Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration, with wages increasing.[179]
  • It was reported in July 2017 that due to President Trump's strong immigration enforcement policies, numerous illegal immigrants chose to self-deport rather than being prosecuted and deported.[180] In addition, many illegal immigrants and other immigrants fearing deportation fled to Canada,[181] a trend that continued after the end of 2017.[182] The number of migrants coming into Canada became so large that the Canadian government sent soldiers to take care of the situation.[183]
  • President Trump gave victims of illegal immigrant crimes a voice in his administration,[184] as could be seen in the DHS's establishment of the VOICE office.[66] In addition, President Trump showed strong support for Border Patrol agents, as he illustrated by his reaction when a Border Patrol agent was killed and his partner injured while on duty in November 2017.[185]
  • The president of the National Border Patrol Council, which made its very first independent presidential endorsement for Trump in the 2016 election,[186] stated in a July 2017 interview that border patrol agents did not have a higher morale in his 20 years of service due to President Trump's policies,[187] and in a separate interview held on the same day he spoke highly of Trump's role in dropping illegal immigration levels in early 2017.[188] Carla Provost, the Border Patrol chief, made similar comments in November 2017.[189]
  • President Trump strongly advocated for conservative immigration reform and reductions,[190] as seen in his August 2017 endorsement of a Senate bill to reduce legal immigration and change the U.S. immigration system to a merit-based system.[191] While only a proposal, it was described as the first serious attempt in many decades to reduce immigration.[192] President Trump also advocated for other pro-American immigration policies, such as ending "chain migration."[193]
  • The DOJ called for a change to the U.S. Census to ask if participants are a citizen.[194]

Failures, 2017

  • February 2017—Despite enacting a crackdown on illegal immigration,[195] the Trump Administration took a softer stance of illegal immigration than many conservatives had hoped and as the Left had expected.[196] Although giving de facto amnesty to less illegal immigrants than Obama did in his last three months in office, the Trump Administration put nearly 55,000 additional illegal immigrants under the Temporary Protected Status program.[197]
  • It was reported in late-May and early-June 2017 that despite government and media statements to the contrary,[195][198] the Trump Administration had not made any real change from the Obama Administration's "catch-and-release" policies when apprehending illegal immigrants.[199] Catch-and-release was reinstated in Texas in November 2017 due to Border Control not having enough beds for the illegals.[200]
  • Due to confirmation delays in the Senate, many leaders of the agencies in charge of border security still had "acting" status well into Trump's presidency, something which prevented agencies from implementing stronger immigration enforcement policies.[201]
  • President Trump was criticized by border patrol agents who had supported him for nominating Kevin McAleenan, an Obama holdover who reportedly played a key role in Obama's lax illegal immigration policy, as the head of Customs and Border Protection.[202] Thomas Homan, the director of ICE, was also criticized for his role in the Obama Administration,[132] such as by helping author Obama's immigration executive orders and policies and by speaking highly of Obama Administration officials.[203] Additionally, it was reported in April 2017 that Obama Administration holdovers in the CBP were engaging in undermining President Trump's agenda of securing the southern border.[204] Obama holdovers in ICE also continued Obama-era policies on immigration enforcement.[205] In addition, the Trump Administration appointed several Bush Administration officials to DHS positions, including Kirstjen Nielsen as DHS Secretary and Elaine Duke as Deputy Secretary.[206]
  • It was reported in early-July 2017 that despite cutting the number of K-1 visas in nearly half and slightly lowered the level of chain migration,[207] the State Department wasted a good opportunity to temporarily stop family chain migration by excluding individuals with a K-1 visa from President Trump's travel ban.[208]
  • As of November 2017, the Trump Administration continued many of the Obama Administration's open borders policies regarding H-1B visas.[209]
  • December 20, 2017—President Trump's first prison commutation was to Sholom Rubashkin, who was found illegally employing 389 illegal immigrants at once.[210]

2018

Legislation signed, 2018

  • January 10, 2017—President Trump signed the Interdict Act into law, which provided $9 million for CBP so it could buy equipment to help it stop the flow of fentanyl and other opioids through the country's borders.[211]
  • March 23, 2018—Despite doing significantly less to advance his conservative immigration agenda than hoped, the omnibus bill that President Trump signed[212] did spend nearly $1.6 billion on border security, including money for building new sections of the border barrier, repairing existing sections, and building secondary fencing.[213]

Executive actions, 2018

Through executive actions, President Trump continued to advance his conservative immigration agenda.[214] He took several of his actions against illegal immigration in April 2018, specifically.[215] Attorney General Jeff Sessions continued advancing conservative immigration policies, such as taking steps to block asylum claims by economic migrants.[216] Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross helped President Trump advance his immigration agenda.[217] The Trump Administration took several steps to expand the number of illegals targeted for deportation.[218] When faced with an increase in the number of illegal border crossings by unaccompanied minors and family units, President Trump not only took stronger action than Obama, but his administration also treated the children more humanely.[219]

The Trump Administration took several actions related to legal immigration. Among this, the Trump Administration took steps resulting in reduced legal immigration and asylum.[220] The USCIS, in particular, made several reforms to allow it to enforce U.S. immigration law.[221] The administration also pursued a stricter visa policy,[16] resulting in the number of H-1B visa applications for Fiscal Year 2018 to fall for the first time in five years.[222]

  • January 17, 2018—The DHS announced it would ban people from Haiti, Belize, and Samoa from applying for H-2A and H-2B visas, which temporarily allow foreign workers for agricultural and non-agricultural seasonal work.[223]
  • January 29, 2018—After a 90-day review initiated by an executive order President Trump signed on October 24, 2018, the DHS fully resumed refugee admissions from 11 "high risk" countries but with strengthened vetting procedures.[50]
  • January 31, 2018—The USCIS announced it would change its asylum application policy and review newer applications first in order to reduce a "crisis-level backlog" more quickly and to protect against "fraud and abuse" in the process. In changing the policy, the USCIS reversed an Obama Administration decision to prioritize older applications.[224]
  • February 6, 2018—President Trump signed a memorandum ordering the creation of a National Vetting Center in order to better screen foreigners entering the U.S.[225]
  • February 2018—The USCIS changed its mission statement to put its priorities in line with President Trump's conservative immigration agenda.[226] Among other changes, it removed the phrase "nation of immigrants" and emphasized lawful immigration and putting American citizens first.[226]
  • February 22, 2018—The USCIS issued a policy memo instituting additional restrictions on H-1B visas to prevent abuse and protect American workers.[227]
  • March 20, 2018—The USCIS announced it would temporarily suspend a program that allows for expedited approvals of H-1B visas, with the expectation that the suspension would last until September 10.[228]
  • March 27, 2018—President Trump announced he would end a Deferred Enforcement Departure program for Liberians, a program protecting them from deportation and which had been in effect since 1999.[229]
  • By May 2018, the Trump Administration had announced it would end the "Temporary Protected Status" program for over 300,000 immigrants, with only 7,000 immigrants from four countries still having no announced end date.[230]
  • May 11, 2018—The USCIS issued a memorandum establishing stricter rules on visa overstays for student and exchange visas in order to crack down on visa overstays.[231][232]
  • May 25, 2018—The DHS began the process of undoing an Obama-era program intended to attract foreign entrepreneurs – the International Entrepreneur Program – as it did not protect American workers and was an example of executive branch overreach.[233]
  • May 2018—For the first time in many years, the USCIS completed more immigration cases in a month than it took in.[234]
  • June 11, 2018—Attorney General Sessions limited the criteria for gaining automatic asylum status by overruling several Board of Immigration Appeals decisions that expanded the criteria for people because of general hardships rather than simply facing direct and serious persecution.[235] On July 11, 2018, the USCIS issued a guidance memo implementing Sessions's decision, and it went even further than Sessions in limiting the criteria for asylum.[236]
  • The USCIS announced it was creating a new office to track down individuals who lied on their applications in order to receive U.S. citizenship so that the USCIS could lawfully denaturalize them.[237]
  • June 28, 2018—The USCIS updated its guidance policy to expand its power to begin deportation proceedings for people using fake documents or who illegally used government benefits.[221][238]
  • July 3, 2018—The DOJ rescinded two guidance documents related to immigration, one of them giving work protections to refugees and another stating that employers should not implement "citizen only" hiring policies.[239]
  • July 2018—The USCIS created an Office of Investigations to ensure that foreign agents do not penetrate the agency and to guard against employee misconduct.[240]
  • July 13, 2018—The USCIS issued a guidance allowing it to deny incomplete visa applications without needing to issue a Request for Evidence, replacing a 2013 Obama Administration policy.[221][241]
  • July 31, 2018—The DOJ and the Labor Department announced a joint agreement to work together to crack down on companies violating U.S. law by favoring the hiring of foreign workers over U.S. citizens.[242]

The Trump Administration took several actions related to illegal immigration enforcement:

  • ICE continued cracking down on illegal immigration and oversaw several notable crackdowns. On January 10, 2018, ICE arrested 21 illegal immigrants after auditing 98 7-Eleven stores in 17 states, in what was then reported as the largest crackdown on an employer in the Trump era.[243] In late January 2018, ICE audited 77 businesses in northern California, the largest localized raid since the beginning of Trump's presidency.[244] In a week in February 2018, ICE arrested 212 illegals and audited 122 businesses in Los Angeles in order to enforce federal laws banning the hiring of illegals.[245] Later in February, ICE arrested 232 people in a four-day raid in California's Bay Area.[246] In late February 2018, U.S. authorities sentenced an illegal immigrant for paying smugglers to bring a relative into the U.S., described as "one of the first cases" of such a case taken by the government.[247] On April 5, 2018, ICE arrested 97 people at a meat processing plant in Tennessee.[248] Later in April 2018, ICE arrested 225 illegals in a six-day operation in New York.[249] In a five-state operation in the Midwest in May 2018, ICE arrested 78 illegals,[250] and in a six-day operation in the Chicago area later that month, ICE arrested 156 criminal aliens.[251] On June 5, 2018, ICE agents arrested 114 suspected illegal immigrants at a lawn and garden business in Ohio,[252] and later that month it arrested 146 suspected illegals at a large meat supplier in the state in what ICE reported was the largest workplace raid in at least ten years.[253] In June 2018, ICE arrested 91 criminal aliens in a five-day operation in New Jersey.[254] In July 2018, ICE arrested 132 illegals, including a high-ranking MS-13 member, in the Washington, D.C., area.[255] In August 2018, ICE raided several businesses in Nebraska and Minnesota and arrested 147 people, both illegal migrants and business managers, the latter for knowingly hiring the illegals and mistreating them.[256]
    • By May 2018, the DHS under President Trump had doubled the number of businesses it had searched for breaking immigration hiring laws, and it had almost quadrupled the number of arrests made.[257] By July 2018, ICE's workplace enforcement had increased even more.[258]
    • By May 2018, the number of illegals arrested who had not broken any other U.S. law had risen compared to the last two years of the Obama Administration.[218][259]
    • The Trump Administration took steps to reverse the Obama Administration's downplaying of illegal migrant fraud, as illustrated when it announced it had charged over 20 illegals with ID fraud.[260]
  • January 17, 2018—ICE and 17 Florida sheriffs announced a deal allowing the sheriffs to detain illegal immigrants for 48 hours beyond their release date to give ICE extra time to gain custody of them.[261]
  • March 5, 2018—Attorney General Sessions reversed a 2014 decision created by the Board of Immigration Appeals that had given asylum-seekers the right to a hearing even if their cases had been determined deficient.[262]
  • March 29, 2018—The Trump Administration announced it had ended an Obama-era policy that had required immigration officials to release many pregnant illegal immigrant women from custody, instead making the decision on a case-by-case basis.[263]
  • It was reported in March 2018 that the Trump Administration had "sharply" reduced the number of administrative closures in deportation cases which allow illegals to stay in the U.S.[264]
  • March 30, 2018—The DOJ issued a memo instituting an annual quota of 700 processed cases on immigration judges, which would go into effect on October 1, 2018.[265]
  • April 4, 2018—President Trump signed an order deploying National Guard soldiers in order to secure the border and assist border patrol agents.[266] The Department of Defense quickly took steps to deploy National Guard troops,[267] and Secretary of Defense James Mattis signed an order on April 6, 2018, to approve funding for up to 4,000 troops.[268] By May 9, 2018, the CBP announced that because of the National Guard troops it had apprehended 1,600 additional illegals and turned back an additional 451.[269]
  • April 6, 2018—Attorney General Sessions issued a memo ordering federal prosecutors working near the U.S.–Mexico border to adopt a "zero tolerance policy" toward illegals, prosecuting every case that the DHS refers to the DOJ rather than selectively prosecuting, as well as prosecuting illegals "to the extent practicable."[270] On May 7, 2018, AG Sessions announced that the DOJ, along with the DHS, would implement the "zero tolerance" policy and prosecute every illegal for entering the country,[271] along with prosecuting illegals bringing their children with human smuggling.[272] Due to the large increase in illegal immigrant detainees, the Trump Administration decided to temporarily move 1,600 of them to federal prisons in June 2018.[273] Illegal border crossings fell 18% in June 2018, something which the DHS attributed to the zero-tolerance policy acting as a deterrent.[274]
  • April 6, 2018—President Trump signed a memorandum ordering the government to end the policy of "catch-and-release" when enforcing immigration law.[275]
  • By April 2018, the number of illegals winning deportation cases had fallen back to levels that existed before the Obama Administration's left-wing immigration policies were implemented.[276]
  • April 18, 2018—The Trump Administration, acting under an executive order that President Trump had earlier signed, imposed sanctions on a Syrian organization for attempting to illegally smuggle hundreds of people through the U.S. southern border.[277]
  • May 2, 2018—The DOJ sent 35 assistant U.S. attorneys and 18 immigration judges to the border to help process asylum claims quickly.[278]
  • May 7, 2018—The Interior Department sent its law enforcement officers to help the DHS in securing the southern border with Mexico.[279]
  • May 11, 2018—The DOJ and the USCIS jointly announced they would expand their cooperation to enforce laws preventing companies from illegally favoring immigrant workers over Americans.[232][280]
  • May 17, 2018—Attorney General Sessions issued a directive ending the Obama-era practice of "administrative closures", which allowed immigration judges to unilaterally drop immigration cases and let illegals indefinitely remain in the country.[218][281]
  • June 20, 2018—While President Trump caved to the Left and the mainstream media by signing an executive order to prevent the separation of illegal migrant families while being detained, the order kept the administration's "zero tolerance" enforcement policy in place,[282] and it directed the Justice Department to challenge a 2015 court settlement that required the federal government to release illegal migrants with children.[283] In a court filing on June 29, 2018, the DOJ announced a new policy where it would seek to detain illegal migrant families indefinitely.[284]
  • June 20, 2018—The Department of Defense accepted a DOJ request to send 21 of its attorneys to the southern border to help with illegal immigration cases.[285]
  • July 10, 2018—The Trump Administration enacted visa sanctions on Myanmar and Laos for refusing to accept their citizens being deported from the U.S.[286]
  • July 2018—The DOJ instructed its U.S. attorneys to use the term "illegal alien" rather than "undocumented" as it is the most accurate term under U.S. immigration law.[287]
  • August 16, 2018—Attorney General Sessions issued an order to speed up the deportation process, requiring immigration judges not to postpone deportation cases unless there is "good cause shown."[288]

The Trump Administration continued strengthening and expanding border security on the southern border:

  • Among other border security improvements,[289] the Trump Administration constructed 20 miles of new and improved fencing in New Mexico.[290] The DHS also constructed 2.25 miles of improved fencing and border infrastructure at Calexico, California,[291] as well as 14 miles in San Diego.[292] The Rio Grande Valley also saw improved border security measures.[293] Despite these measures, some conservatives noted that the fencing used in these construction projects was similar to the fencing used during the Obama Administration.[294]

The Trump Administration took several miscellaneous immigration-related actions:

  • February 1, 2018—It was reported that the DOJ had effectively shut down its Office for Access to Justice, which was created in 2010 under Eric Holder and which funded several left-wing open borders organizations.[295]
  • March 26, 2018—The Commerce Department announced it would re-add a question to the U.S. Census asking U.S. residents if they are U.S. citizens.[296]
  • April 2018—The DOJ announced that at the end of the month it would end temporarily end a program that provides legal services to immigrants and illegal immigrants in immigration courts.[297]

Appointments, 2018

  • March 2018—President Trump appointed Andrew Veprek, a White House aide described as having strong pro-American immigration views, as a deputy assistant secretary at the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.[298]
  • July 2018—President Trump appointed John Zadrozny, a White House aid opposed to mass migration, to serve on the State Department's Policy Planning Staff where he would influence matters related to the department's migration policies.[299]

Other achievements, 2018

While the following achievements were not official United States government policy actions by the Trump Administration, they were closely related to the Trump Administration and its policies:

  • Refugee admission levels to the U.S. in 2018 remained low. In the first two weeks of 2018, 201 refugees entered the country, the lowest number in over a decade.[300] By early February 2018, the number of refugees entering the U.S. thus far in FY 2018 fell to a 15-year low.[301] The proportion of Muslim refugees also remained low,[174] and by May 2018, Christian refugees outnumbered Muslim refugees 3–1.[302] Refugee organizations in the U.S. saw significantly less revenue and downsized their operations.[303] By March 2018, the number of refugee admissions was on track to achieving a record low number for Fiscal Year 2018,[304] a trend that continued in the following months.[305] By late June 2018, 68% of all refugees admitted to the U.S. were Christian, a 16-year high.[306]
  • It was reported in April 2018 that compared to Fiscal Year 2016, the number of visas granted to foreign visitors fell by 13%, with significant decreases in both Muslin and non-Muslim countries.[307] The number of student visas given to students from other countries also fell sharply, especially from China and India.[308] The number of H-1B visa applications also fell in 2018, for the second year in a row, though levels were still relatively high.[309] Because of the Trump Administration's visa policies, American businesses made a stronger effort to American college graduates rather than foreigners.[16]
  • The surge in illegal immigration to Canada that was attributed to President Trump and his policies continued into 2018,[182][310] and the country's Immigration and Refugee Board was "overwhelmed" by the number of migrants entering the country.[311] On July 18, 2018, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau even appointed a minister in charge of border security to combat the problem.[312]
  • President Trump used numerous opportunities to advocate for pro-American immigration policies. For example, in his 2018 State of the Union Address, Trump took a strong stance on immigration.[313] He criticized the open borders policies of previous presidential administrations,[314] stated that "Americans are dreamers, too",[315] and called for a merit-based immigration system.[316] He also called for action against MS-13[317] and honored the parents of the gang's victims.[318] Later, on April 5, 2018, President Trump deliberately went off-script at a tax-reform event to give a strong speech opposing illegal immigration.[319] In April 2018, President Trump explicitly refused to apologize for his statements on immigration that he made during his 2016 campaign.[320] He made strong immigration statements at a May 2018 National Rifle Association speech,[321] and that same month he refused to back down when the Left and the media condemned him for calling MS-13 members "animals."[322] On June 18, 2018, President Trump made other strong immigration statements, criticizing Europe's open border policies,[323] and he stated that under his presidency the U.S. "will not be a migrant camp and it will not be a refugee holding facility."[324] He made other strong statements criticizing the media[325] and Democrats[326] in the following days. He also called for the ability to immediately send illegal immigrants back to their home countries.[327] He also defended ICE when it came under attack from the Left.[328] In July 2018, he again criticized Europe's migration policies, saying they were changing the continent for the worse and taking away its culture.[329] Despite these strong statements, President Trump sometimes made weak statements on immigration, such as appearing to endorse letting in more foreign guest workers.[330]
  • President Trump continued advocating for the American victims of illegal alien crime, pointing them out during a campaign rally in June 2018[331] and holding an event for them a few days later.[332]
  • President Trump had shifted the GOP toward espousing pro-American immigration policies[333]

Failures, 2018

  • March 23, 2018—The omnibus spending bill that President Trump reluctantly signed[212] had several measures that ignored and even hurt his conservative immigration agenda.[334][335] For example, the H-2B visa program was expanded, making it easier for employers to hire foreign workers rather than American citizens.[336] Additionally, the bill funded the hiring of only 65 new ICE agents as opposed to the 1,000 that President Trump requested.[337][338] It also allowed for increasing the practice of "catch-and-release" by eliminating 250 detention center beds despite President Trump's call to massively increase that number.[335][339] The bill also did little to achieve President Trump's promise to build a wall on the Southern border.[340] In addition to providing significantly less money than it asked for,[213] the bill included a clause specifically prohibiting the Trump Administration from using any of its wall prototype designs for the wall,[341] among some other restrictions.[213]
  • It was reported in April 2018 that since the beginning of Trump's presidency in January 2017, the Trump Administration released about 100,000 illegal immigrants that it caught crossing the nation's southern border, which it did because of "catch-and-release" laws that had been previously passed by Congress.[342]
  • June 25, 2018—The Customs and Border Protection agency announced that despite the Administration's zero-tolerance policy officially remaining in effect, because of President Trump's executive order to end the separation of illegal alien minors from their parents, it had to suspend prosecutions for illegal alien parents.[343] In another failure, the DHS was forced to release illegal immigrant parents in order to reunite them with their illegal minor children,[344] even though thousands of empty beds in ICE facilities were available for them.[345] Additionally, the HHS admitted in August 2018 that is was continuing to deliver illegal immigrant minors to their close illegal immigrant relatives already in the U.S.[346]

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  107. Munro, Neil (June 29, 2017). DHS John Kelly Slams Congress For Undermining Immigration Law, Touts 66,000 Illegals Arrested. Breitbart News. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  108. Binder, John (July 4, 2017). Illegal Immigrant Arrests Doubling under Trump. Breitbart News. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  109. Price, Bob (June 16, 2017). Illegal Alien Support Group Forces Border Patrol to Get Warrants. Breitbart News. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  110. Multiple references:
  111. Multiple references:
  112. Multiple references:
  113. Multiple references:
  114. Multiple references:
  115. Multiple references:
  116. Multiple references:
  117. Multiple references:
  118. Multiple references: See also:
  119. Binder, John (December 29, 2017). DHS: Deportations of Illegal Aliens Living Across U.S. Increase 37 Percent Under Trump. Breitbart News. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  120. Multiple references:
  121. Gibson, Jake (May 9, 2017). 'Additional vetting' already happening, DHS officials say. Fox News. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  122. Multiple references:
  123. Multiple references: See also:
  124. Farivar, Masood (October 28, 2017). At US Border, Dramatic Spike in Searches of Phones, Electronic Devices. Voice of America. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
    See also:
  125. However, in early 2018, the CBP enacted regulations limiting its ability to search electronic devices:
  126. Clark, Alex (July 18, 2017). AG Jeff Sessions: ‘Our Goal Is To End illegal Immigration’. Breitbart News. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
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  129. DHS' Kelly defends more ICE, border hires; says illegal immigrants must be 'dealt with'. Fox News. April 16, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  130. Multiple references:
  131. Multiple references:
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  138. Multiple references:
  139. Giaritelli, Anna (December 5, 2017). Border officials see 20 percent drop in children trying to cross the border under Trump. Washington Examiner. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
    However, see also:
  140. Multiple references:
  141. Multiple references:
  142. Nolan, Lucas (April 29, 2017). Trump: ‘Illegal Immigration Down by Unprecedented 73%’. Breitbart News. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
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  144. Multiple references:
  145. Multiple references:
  146. Dinan, Stephen; Noble, Andrea (May 9, 2017). Trump’s immigration enforcement helps slow illegal border crossings by 76%. The Washington Times. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  147. Dinan, Stephen (April 16, 2017). Haitians get word of Trump crackdown, slow flow to border by 97%. The Washington Times. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  148. Saavedra, Ryan (May 12, 2017). Cuban Migration Plummets to Zero in April. Breitbart News. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
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  150. Price, Bob (May 22, 2017). Migrant Shelter Lays Off 1,000 after Border Crossings Drop. Breitbart News. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
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  155. Multiple references:
  156. Multiple references:
  157. Multiple references: See also:
  158. Multiple references: See also:
  159. Gomez, Alan (January 3, 2018). Refugee admissions to U.S. plummet in 2017. USA Today. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  160. Multiple references: See also:
  161. Multiple references:
  162. Leahy, Michael Patrick (June 2, 2017). Number of Refugees Admitted into U.S. Increased by Nineteen Percent in May, Slightly Fewer Are Muslim. Breitbart News. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  163. Multiple references:
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    See also:
  168. Multiple references: Very few refugees were settled in the period of this ruling's effect:
  169. Macchi, Victoria (August 1, 2017). Refugee Arrivals to US Plummet to Lowest Level in a Decade. Voice of America. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  170. Multiple references:
  171. Llorente, Elizabeth (December 5, 2017). Refugee admissions tumble after Trump lifts ban. Fox News. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
    See also:
  172. Multiple references:
  173. Multiple references:
  174. 174.0 174.1 Macchi, Victoria (January 26, 2018). US Taking Fewer Muslim Refugees. Voice of America. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  175. Binder, John (January 2, 2018). Data: Obama Outpaced Trump’s Annual Refugee Admissions in Three Months. Breitbart News. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  176. Multiple references:
  177. Donnelly, Grace (August 2, 2017). New Data Shows Foreign Interest in American Jobs May Be Declining Under Trump. Fortune. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  178. Multiple references:
  179. Multiple references:
  180. Binder, John (July 11, 2017). Illegal Aliens Self-deporting amid Stricter Enforcement, Says Report. Breitbart News. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  181. Multiple references: It was reported in October 2017 that "unprecedented numbers" – a rate of five times greater than in 2016 – of refugees were entering Canada from the United States: See also:
  182. 182.0 182.1 Paperny, Anna Mehler (March 19, 2018). Collateral damage: How Trump threw Canada's refugee system into turmoil. Reuters. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  183. Multiple references:
  184. Multiple references:
  185. Multiple references:
  186. Multiple references:
  187. Multiple references:
  188. Multiple references:
  189. Suarez Sang, Lucia I. (November 14, 2017). First female Border Patrol chief says agents are empowered to 'enforce the laws' under Trump. Fox News. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  190. Bernal, Rafael (August 4, 2017). Immigration critics find their champion in Trump. The Hill. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  191. Multiple references:
  192. Mason, Ian (August 2, 2017). RAISE Act Is First Serious Attempt to Reduce Immigration In Generations. Breitbart News. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
    See also:
  193. Binder, John (December 17, 2017). Trump Admin Launches Campaign to End Extended-Family Immigration into U.S.. Breitbart News. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  194. Multiple references:
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  198. Pfeiffer, Alex (April 24, 2017). Data Shows How ‘Catch And Release’ Has Ended Under Trump. The Daily Caller. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  199. Multiple references: See also:
  200. Dinan, Stephen (November 15, 2017). Catch-and-release of illegals restarted in Texas, border patrol agents say. The Washington Times. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  201. Kolb, Joseph J. (May 31, 2017). Border agents say ‘acting’ status of agency chiefs has hampered enforcement efforts. Fox News. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  202. Ortiz, Ildefonso (April 5, 2017). Brandon Darby: Border Patrol Agents Feel Betrayed by the Trump Administration. Breitbart News. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  203. Darby, Brandon (July 10, 2017). Trump’s ICE Director Helped Author Obama’s Immigration Priorities and Executive Orders, Praised Them. Breitbart News. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  204. Darby, Brandon; Ortiz, Ildefonso (April 18, 2017). EXCLUSIVE: Officials Defy Trump’s Promises: 40 Miles of Border Ordered Unpatrolled. Breitbart News. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  205. Multiple references: However, President Trump reached out to ICE employees after hearing of their complaints:
  206. Binder, John (December 6, 2017). Bush Bureaucrats Favored by John Kelly Now Running Homeland Security Under Trump. Breitbart News. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
    See also:
  207. Binder, John (July 6, 2017). Trump Shows Cuts to Chain Migration Visas in Early Months. Breitbart News. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  208. Multiple references:
  209. North, David (November 3, 2017). USCIS Plays Word Games to Ease Costs for H-1B Employers. Center for Immigration Studies. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  210. Nelson, Steven (December 21, 2017). Immigration hawks protest Trump giving Sholom Rubashkin first prison commutation. Washington Examiner. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  211. Multiple references:
  212. 212.0 212.1 Multiple references:
  213. 213.0 213.1 213.2 Multiple references:
  214. Multiple references:
  215. Multiple references:
  216. Binder, John (April 23, 2018). AG Sessions Builds Legal Wall Against Caravan’s Economic Migrants. Breitbart News. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
    See also: The DOJ also hired dozens of additional immigration judges:
  217. Binder, John (March 30, 2018). Wilbur Ross Keeps Winning for Trump’s Economic Nationalist Agenda. Breitbart News. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
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  219. Multiple references: See also:
  220. Multiple references: See also:
  221. 221.0 221.1 221.2 Multiple references:
  222. Jan, Tracy (March 21, 2018). The wall does not exist yet, but Trump has already erected new barriers for foreign workers. The Washington Post. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
    See also:
  223. Multiple references:
  224. Multiple references:
  225. Multiple references:
  226. 226.0 226.1 Multiple references: See also:
  227. Multiple references:
  228. Multiple references:
  229. Multiple references:
  230. Bernal, Rafael (May 11, 2018). Trump close to wiping out TPS program for immigrants. The Hill. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  231. Multiple references:
  232. 232.0 232.1 Kirby, Brendan (May 12, 2018). Feds Announce New Efforts to Protect American Workers. LifeZette. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  233. Multiple references:
  234. Dinan, Stephen (June 13, 2018). Backdoor to illegal immigration closing: U.S. clears more asylum cases than it receives in May. The Washington Times. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  235. Multiple references: See also:
  236. Multiple references: See also:
  237. Multiple references: See also:
  238. Multiple references:
  239. Multiple references:
  240. Dinan, Stephen (July 9, 2018). U.S. citizenship agency creates new unit to block foreign agents, police misconduct. The Washington Times. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
    Early reports of the new office, before it was finalized or formally announced:
  241. Multiple references:
  242. Multiple references:
  243. Multiple references:
  244. Multiple references:
  245. Multiple references:
  246. Multiple references: An earlier announcement by ICE: Due to a warning made by the mayor of Oakland, ICE stated it did not arrest as many illegals as it hoped to: See also:
  247. Multiple references:
  248. Multiple references:
  249. Multiple references:
  250. Multiple references:
  251. Multiple references:
  252. Multiple references: See also:
  253. Multiple references: See also:
  254. Multiple references:
  255. Multiple references:
  256. Multiple references:
  257. Multiple references:
  258. Munro, Neil (July 24, 2018). DHS Massively Expands Enforcement Against Illegals’ Employers. Breitbart News. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  259. Multiple references: However, See also:
  260. Multiple references:
  261. Multiple references:
  262. Multiple references:
  263. Multiple references:
  264. Levinson, Reade (March 29, 2018). Exclusive: Under Trump, prosecutors fight reprieves for people facing deportation. Reuters. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  265. Multiple references:
  266. Multiple references: The deployment was announced prior to actual signing: The National Guard's intended roll in the deployment: President Trump's action was not unprecedented, as Presidents Bush II and Obama also deployed the National Guard to the border during their terms: See also:
  267. Multiple references:
  268. Multiple references:
  269. Multiple references:
  270. Multiple references: Despite this order, some media sources reported that the "zero tolerance" policy was reportedly not as effective as hoped: Other media outlets reported that the order greatly expanded the number of prosecuted illegals: See also:
  271. Multiple references: DHS Secretary Nielsen defended the policy shortly afterward in front of Congress: See also:
  272. Multiple references:
  273. Multiple references: See also:
  274. Multiple references: Despite this, illegal migration by migrant families remained at high levels: Unofficial reports of the drop in illegal border crossings: July 2018 numbers:
  275. Multiple references:
  276. Munro, Neil (April 6, 2018). AG Jeff Sessions Returns Deportation Orders to Pre-Obama Levels. Breitbart News. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  277. Multiple references:
  278. Multiple references:
  279. Multiple references: After only a few days, the deployment already had tangible results: See also:
  280. Multiple references:
  281. Multiple references: See also:
  282. Multiple references: The zero-tolerance policy remained in effect despite some reports stating otherwise: Shortly afterward, the DHS released its plan for reuniting the illegal minors with their illegal immigrant parents: See also:
  283. Dinan, Stephen (June 20, 2015). Trump orders Sessions to challenge the 'Flores' family-immigration policy in court. The Washington Times. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
    See also:
  284. Multiple references: See also:
  285. Multiple references: See also:
  286. Multiple references:
  287. Multiple references: See also:
  288. Multiple references: See also:
  289. Multiple references: See also:
  290. Multiple references: See also:
  291. Multiple references: See also:
  292. Multiple references:
  293. Merchant, Nomaan; Mone, John L. (April 14, 2018). On the lower Rio Grande, a glimpse at the border Trump wants. Associated Press. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  294. Binder, John (April 10, 2018). Trump’s New Border ‘Wall’ Resembles Fence Obama Constructed That Illegal Aliens Recently Hopped Over. Breitbart News. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  295. Multiple references:
  296. Multiple references:
  297. Multiple references:
  298. Multiple references: See also:
  299. Gramer, Robbie (July 26, 2018). Refugee Skeptic to Assume Key Role on Migration Issues at State Department. Foreign Policy. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  300. Leahy, Michael Patrick (January 17, 2018). Refugee Admissions Fall to New Low During First Two Weeks of January. Breitbart News. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  301. Leahy, Michael Patrick (February 6, 2018). Four Months into FY 2018, Refugee Admissions Plunge to Lowest Level in 15 Years. Breitbart News. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  302. Multiple references:
  303. Multiple references:
  304. Multiple references: See also:
  305. Multiple references:
  306. Macchi, Victoria (June 29, 2018). US Accepts Record-High Percentage of Christian Refugees. Voice of America. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  307. Multiple references:
  308. Multiple references:
  309. Multiple references: See also:
  310. Multiple references: The surge was so great that the Canadian government took steps to end it: See also:
  311. Multiple references: See also:
  312. Multiple references:
  313. Multiple references:
  314. Binder, John (January 30, 2018). Trump Assails Open Borders in SOTU Address. Breitbart News. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  315. Pollak, Joel B. (January 30, 2018). Trump on Immigration in State of the Union: ‘Americans Are Dreamers, Too’. Breitbart News. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  316. Binder, John (January 30, 2018). Trump in SOTU Address: ‘It Is Time’ for Merit-Based Legal Immigration. Breitbart News. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  317. Binder, John (January 30, 2018). Trump in SOTU Address: Congress Must Close ‘Deadly Loopholes’ That Allowed MS-13 Gang to Proliferate. Breitbart News. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  318. Multiple references: Some of President Trump's guests showcased the policies he supported:
  319. Multiple references:
  320. Multiple references: See also:
  321. Multiple references:
  322. Multiple references: See also:
  323. Multiple references: See also:
  324. Multiple references:
  325. Multiple references:
  326. Multiple references:
  327. Multiple references:
  328. Multiple references:
  329. Multiple references: See also:
  330. Multiple references:
  331. Multiple references:
  332. Multiple references: See also:
  333. Multiple references:
  334. Sherfinski, David; Dinan, Stephen (March 21, 2018). Trump’s immigration initiatives ignored in $1.3 trillion spending bill. The Washington Times. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
    See also:
  335. 335.0 335.1 Dinan, Stephen (March 21, 2018). Spending bill forces DHS to cut detention beds for illegal immigrants. The Washington Times. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  336. Munro, Neil (March 21, 2018). GOP Leaders Expand H-2B Visa-Worker Program. Breitbart News. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
    See also:
  337. Binder, John (March 23, 2018). Spending Bill Does Not Fund 1,000 New Deportation Agents Trump Requested. Breitbart News. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  338. Katz, Eric (March 26, 2018). Congress Rejects Trump’s Bid for More Immigration Enforcement and Border Patrol Agents. Government Executive. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  339. Binder, John (March 23, 2018). Omnibus Spending Bill Allows More Illegal Aliens to Be Released into U.S. Through ‘Catch and Release’. Breitbart News. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  340. Binder, John (April 16, 2018). Despite Trump’s Claims, Much Cannot Be Done with $1.6B for Border Fencing. Breitbart News. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  341. Multiple references:
  342. Multiple references:
  343. Multiple references:
  344. Multiple references: See also:
  345. Dinan, Stephen (July 15, 2018). 40% vacancy: Feds release illegal immigrant families instead of filling detention centers. The Washington Times. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  346. Munro, Neil (August 16, 2018). Border Agencies Must Deliver Youth Migrants to Illegal-Alien Relatives in U.S., Says HHS Official. Breitbart News. Retrieved August 16, 2018.