Trump’s New World: Immigration

Will his controversial policies ranging from birthright citizenship to sanctuary cities yield positive results?

Trump argues that children born to noncitizens should not automatically acquire U.S. citizenship, claiming that this practice incentivized illegal immigration.

Immigration has always been one of the most controversial issues in American politics, and President Donald Trump’s policies on the topic have always been one of his administration's most defining aspects. His approach to immigration is centered around reducing illegal immigration, fortifying borders, and limiting the influx of asylum seekers, but his stance has sparked many debates around the country.

One of the key changes under Trump’s administration is the mass deportation of illegal immigrants. Building on the foundation set by previous presidents, Trump only intensified efforts to deport unlawful migrants. In the past, former President Barack Obama deported 2.9 million immigrants in his first term, while former President Biden deported 1.5 million. However, Trump is doing this at a much more rapid pace: reports show that they deported over 1,000 on a single day. 

A key element of this strategy is the expansion of powers granted to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), that allows the agency to conduct raids and arrests in any part of U.S. soil, even in “sensitive” locations like schools and hospitals. ICE was also encouraged to collaborate with state and local authorities, further amplifying the reach of immigration enforcement.

Photo Credit: The Washington Post

Another aspect of Trump’s immigration policies is his push to fortify the U.S.-Mexico border, with his administration sending an additional 1,500 military troops to the already 2,500 troops at the border. These troops were sent to fly helicopters on the border to spot migrants and to continue construction on the wall. According to Defense Secretary Robert Salesses, “this is just the beginning.”

In addition to these measures, Trump’s administration employed the "Remain in Mexico" policy, requiring asylum seekers that are not necessarily from Mexico to stay in the country while waiting for their asylum hearings in the U.S. Trump believes that these are the necessary steps to curb the flow of migrants, as over 30,000 from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela were entering in a single month. 

One very controversial decision made by the Trump’s administration was the decision to close the CBP-One App, an app that allowed migrants to schedule appointments with border patrol agents, giving them a way to legally enter the country. Because of this, over 270,000 people lost their appointments, and 30,000 are now stranded in Mexico.

Trump’s administration is trying creative ways to change some of the current laws, and one example is a reinterpretation of birthright citizenship in the U.S. Constitution. The 14th Amendment states, “all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” The administration is arguing that the children of illegal immigrants are not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, so they should not be able to obtain U.S. citizenship.

Photo credit: ABC News

Trump argues that children born to noncitizens should not automatically acquire U.S. citizenship, claiming that this practice incentivized illegal immigration. If a migrant were to cross the border and have a child, the child would be a citizen of the U.S. He or she could be taken care of by Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program that provides healthcare for babies with citizenship in low-income families. Once this child becomes 18, they could sponsor citizenship for their parents. Birthright citizenship had been widely accepted for over a century, and data from the Annie E. Casey foundation found that there are around 250,000 babies born from migrants without authorization, explaining the fear that thousands are facing. This interpretation is currently being debated about in court.

There is also much talk on the topic of sanctuary cities, which are cities that don't cooperate much with federal immigration enforcement. San Francisco, one of the most vocal sanctuary cities, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration after being accused of obstructing ICE’s efforts to detain undocumented immigrants. David Chiu, the city attorney of San Francisco, said, “No one is interfering with the federal government’s ability to do their job, but the Trump administration is certainly interfering with our ability to do our job. This is the federal government coercing local officials to bend to their will or face defunding or prosecution, and that is illegal or authoritarian.” In other words, he was stating that ICE was a federal responsibility, not a local one.

Trump's administration argued that sanctuary city policies put citizens at risk by allowing undocumented individuals, including criminals, to remain in local communities. They especially did not like how local governments that were asked to hold migrants for a few days before they would get deported just released them without any coordination. This led to another conflict over the balance of power between federal and local governments, as cities and states fought to protect their policies and funding.

While Trump’s immigration policies aimed to reduce illegal immigration, some contend that the administration’s focus on deportations and border security treated refugees and asylum seekers very harshly. For most, Trump’s approach to immigration is a step away from traditional American values of inclusivity and compassion. On the other hand, supporters of Trump’s immigration rules argue that his policies are necessary to safeguard national security and uphold the rule of law.

Works Cited

Johnson, Gene. Catalini, Mike. “What to know about the court cases over President Trump’s birthright citizenship order.” WHYY, https://whyy.org/articles/birthright-citizenship-order-trump-court-cases/.

Sullivan, Eileen. “San Francisco is Latest City to Sue Trump Over Immigration Policies.” The New York Times, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xtbL47Yb8X3rdoGRz8h4zgQCb2W1q4fY/view.

“The 19th Explains: Birthright citizenship and Trump’s order to end it.” The 19th, https://19thnews.org/2025/01/what-is-birthright-citizenship/.

Yousif, Nadine. “Six big immigration changes under Trump - and their impact so far.” BBC, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyn2p8x2eyo.