The slew of executive orders is intended to stop the ongoing “invasion” of the US, according to the president
Newly-inaugurated US President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders on Monday related to immigration and the reinforcement of the country’s southern borders.
The US president has repeatedly vowed to implement a rapid and tough crackdown on illegal immigration once in office.
“As commander-in-chief, I have no higher responsibility than to defend our country from threats and invasions, and that is exactly what I am going to do,” Trump stated during his inaugural address.
The slew of executive actions incorporates various measures to ramp up security, including declaring a national emergency at the southern border, designating drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, as well as ending automatic birthright citizenship for children born to parents who are neither a citizen nor a lawful permanent resident.
“America’s sovereignty is under attack. Our southern border is overrun by cartels, criminal gangs, known terrorists, human traffickers, smugglers, unvetted military-age males from foreign adversaries, and illicit narcotics that harm Americans,” the order declaring the emergency reads.
The “invasion” of the US has caused “widespread chaos and suffering” during Joe Biden’s tenure, while “foreign criminal gangs and cartels have begun seizing control of parts of cities, attacking our most vulnerable citizens,” Trump claimed.
The national emergency order authorizes the US military to draft a plan for sending troops to reinforce the southern border. The Pentagon responded in a statement that it was “fully committed to carrying out the orders from our commander-in-chief, and is doing so immediately under his leadership.”
The designation of drug cartels, as well as the Salvadoran gang MS-13, and Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as foreign terrorist organizations, enables the federal government to prosecute anyone suspected of supporting the groups. Apart from that, the order provides the foundation for invoking the federalist era 1798 Alien Enemies Act, an idea floated by Trump before, and deporting anyone designated as a terrorist.
The order scrapping birthright citizenship, which is set to take effect in 30 days, faces a storm of criticism and legal actions. A lawsuit was swiftly filed in a federal court in New Hampshire by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other rights groups that believe the move to be unconstitutional and in direct violation of the 14th Amendment. “Denying citizenship to US-born children is not only unconstitutional - it’s also a reckless and ruthless repudiation of American values,” ACLU’s executive director, Anthony Romero, has said.