Trump plans to usher in a new era of American politics, starting at the US-Mexico border. While border security was a priority in his first term, he will approach the issue differently in 2025.
Now that the border wall has been completed, Trump’s plan focuses less on preventing the flow of undocumented immigrants into the US and more on interior enforcement and the removal of those already in the country. Aids to the President-elect are already working to expand detention facilities to make good on his campaign promises.
No stranger to the executive order, Trump’s team is preparing executive actions for his first day back in office. Those currently underway include a return to the “remain in Mexico” program. This law required potential immigrants to stay in Mexico during their proceedings in the US. The order will revoke migrant protection policies established by Biden’s humanitarian parole programs. It will also undo ICE enforcement priorities.
To detain and deport migrants on the large scale he promised, Trump will have to sign another executive order his team is prepping. This one will mandate undocumented immigrants to be held in detention. It will also end the release of migrants from holding centers, which often happens due to limited federal resources.
Trump also plans to bring back family detention. This practice was controversial in his first term and drew so much backlash that Biden ended it when he took office in 2021.
With a Republican majority in Congress, challenges to these executive orders are not Trump’s primary concern; instead, it is finding the funds to implement them. To fund his lofty deportation goals, his team is considering a national emergency declaration. This would make Pentagon resources available to them. In his first term, Trump carried out a national emergency declaration and faced lawsuits.
Trump is considering using private prisons to house migrants. CoreCivic, one of the largest private prison operators in the US, recently held an earnings call where CEO Damon Hininger acknowledged a growing need for more beds.
“We think that the outcome of this election is probably going to be notable for ICE for a couple of different reasons,” he said. “One is that we think there’s going to be an increased need for detention capacity.”
Trump wasn’t bluffing when he said he would prepare for the large-scale deportations.
