100 Days of Executive Orders on Immigration and Border Control​

On his first day back in office, Donald Trump issued a wave of executive orders to reinstate and expand harmful policies targeting immigrants. Since then, he has continued to sign orders that directly undermine the rights of immigrants and refugees as he sought to reshape U.S. immigration and refugee policies. In particular, the orders increased border enforcement, turning the U.S.-Mexico border into a combat zone, employing military tactics in defiance of human rights and constitutional protections. Although the current administration has reported a decline in unauthorized border crossings, the Department of Homeland Security formally requested the deployment of an additional 20,000 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Overreach and Over-Militarization of the Border

During his second term, the Trump administration has initiated a calculated and dangerous shift in immigration policy— employing executive authority to further militarize the border, erode civil liberties, and expand the criminalization of undocumented migration –including attempts to deport lawfully present migrants. At the ideological core of this agenda is Executive Order 14159: Protecting the American People Against Invasion which fosters a racialized discourse portraying migrants as a national security threat in order to take extreme and unlawful actions undermining human rights, constitutional protections and international asylum law.

Just last month, the administration authorized the Department of Defense to seize federal lands for the creation of military-controlled “National Defense Areas.” This includes building new border barriers, expanding surveillance, and deploying armored vehicles like “Strykers” near residential areas along the borderlands. This directive, currently being contested in courts, sidesteps constitutional safeguards by using emergency powers to deploy the military in domestic law enforcement roles. The impact is disproportionately borne by border communities, fragile ecosystems, and private landholders—especially in Texas, now viewed as a prototype for national border policy. These measures further drive migrants into life-threatening situations, intensifying the ongoing human rights crisis at the border. 

While territories such as the Tohono O’odham Nation in Arizona are formally excluded from these enforcement measures, Indigenous communities still endure increased surveillance, harassment and border-related disruptions. These actions violate the spirit of the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, effectively militarizing domestic spaces in ways the law was designed to prevent.

These policies reach far beyond the border, institutionalizing mass removal, indefinite detention, and the erosion of asylum, birthright citizenship, and sanctuary protections—justified through appeals to national security. Collectively, they reinforce racialized narratives linking migrants to crime and terrorism, while dismantling constitutional safeguards and breaching international human rights standards.

These executive actions reveal a deliberate effort to transform migration governance into a tool of ethno-nationalist control. What began as racialized border enforcement now constitutes a national framework of exclusion and punishment, affecting people in multidimensional and intersectional ways. Migrants including pregnant women, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, and caregivers—are routinely detained by ICE in degrading conditions for indefinite periods, even after passing credible fear interviews. The Government Accountability Office has documented sharp increases in detention numbers and costs, as due process deteriorates under a system that criminalizes migration.

As the list of actions grows longer, we are sharing an initial summary of these orders for further scrutiny while working to strengthen our movement to resist them. We call on our friends and partners to urge our representatives to delink migration from security imperatives, and support migration and border policies that prioritize human rights:

Executive Orders in Trump’s First 100 Days

Orders issued on Jan. 20, 2025:

• Executive Order 14157: Designating Cartels and Other Organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists. 
  • Raises civil liberties concerns by broadening terrorism definitions, which could enable the use of national security laws against individuals without adequate due process or clear evidence, potentially leading to overreach or wrongful targeting of immigrant communities.
• Executive Order 14159: Protecting the American People Against Invasion
  • Frames migration as an “invasion,” which justifies the use of extraordinary powers that bypass legal safeguards, threaten asylum rights, and increase militarized enforcement that disproportionately affects people in vulnerable situations, including children and families.
• Executive Order 14160: Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship
  • Attempts to limit birthright citizenship, which conflicts with the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. This could deny citizenship to U.S. born children of undocumented migrants, undermining long-standing constitutional rights.
• Executive Order 14163: Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program
  • Severely restricts refugee entry, diminishing protections for individuals fleeing persecution, including those targeted for their race, religion, gender, or political views. The rollback violates international humanitarian law and human rights standards.
• Executive Order 14165: Securing Our Border
  • Intensifies enforcement measures at the southern border without addressing humanitarian protections or structural root causes of migration
• Executive Order 14167: Clarifying the Military’s Role in Protecting the Territorial Integrity of the United States,
  • From a civil rights perspective, Executive Order 14167 raises concerns about the increased militarization of border enforcement and its potential impact on asylum seekers and migrants’ rights. The directive may lead to expanded military involvement in civil matters, which historically risks overreach and reduced accountability. Critics argue this approach could undermine due process protections and disproportionately affect vulnerable communities.

Subsequent orders:

• Executive Orders 14194, 14198, 14227, 14232:
  • Collectively reflect an aggressive enforcement agenda that prioritizes deterrence over human rights, leading to. May lead to reduced due process protections, expanded expedited removal procedures, and erosion of sanctuary policies that protect civil liberties at the local level
• Executive Order 14218: Ending Tax Payer Subsidization of Open Borders (Feb 19, 2025)
  • Targets funding for services such as legal aid, shelter, or health care for undocumented immigrants, which may exacerbate inequality and harm access to basic rights for marginalized communities, especially children and families.
• Executive Order 14248: Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections (Mar 25, 2025)
  • Introduces new voting restrictions, likely including voter ID laws and mail-in ballot limits, which have historically had a disproportionate impact on communities of color, seniors, students, and individuals with disabilities.
• Executive Order 14012: Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens (Apr 28, 2025)
  • Reinforces a narrative that links immigrants to crime, legitimizing racial profiling and undermining trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement, while raising due process concerns in deportation proceedings.
• Executive Order 14013: Strengthening and Unleashing America’s Law Enforcement to Pursue Criminals and Protect Innocent Citizens (Apr 28, 2025)
  • Elevates law enforcement authority without parallel investments in accountability or reform. Increases the risk of police violence and disproportionately impacts communities of color,  civil protest, and migrants with vulnerable immigration status, including permanent residents. 

Action Against EO’s Undermining Immigrant Rights:

This is a critical moment for communities and allies to advocate for just, humane immigration policies. We must demand the immediate repeal of executive orders that criminalize migrants and urge lawmakers to establish a system rooted in human rights, dignity, and acknowledge the realities of global mobility and displacement.

• End criminalizing executive orders—now.
• Say no to militarized borders and migration control.
• Protect humanitarian workers from intimidation and persecution.
• Resist the militarized occupation of Indigenous lands.

#EndAntiImmigrantOrders