By Lauren Nutall
Howard University News Service
WASHINGTON – Since assuming office, President Donald Trump has passed sweeping legislation targeting immigration policies implemented during the Biden-Harris administration, prompting criticism from immigration rights groups.
Throughout his campaign, Trump pledged to undo many Biden-era policies, including expelling undocumented migrants from the United States and increasing border security.
During his first five days in office, he upheld several of these promises.
His decision to end birthright citizenship, which grants citizenship to any child born within the U.S. regardless of their parents’ status and is protected by the 14th Amendment, sparked the most controversy.
Before U.S. District Judge John Coughenour temporarily blocked the measure, Trump’s move received pushback. Some immigration rights groups have filed lawsuits against the president, alleging that the proposed order is “unconstitutional.”
Nicholas Katz, senior manager of legal services at the immigration rights group CASA, is part of a team that is challenging Trump’s executive order.
Alongside the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, CASA is representing five pregnant women in a lawsuit against the president.
“[Birthright citizenship] is not just a statutory foundation,” Katz said. “It’s not some policy. It’s certainly not something that you can change by executive action with the stroke of a pen from a president. … This is an idea that is foundational to who we are as a people, to who we are as a country here in the United States.”
Katz believes Trump’s recent anti-immigration policy decisions foreshadow the remainder of his term.
“ I think we’ll see more of the same,” he said. “In fairness, I think this is consistent with what he messaged on the campaign trail.”
“His message is one of disunity and divisiveness and racism, and of white supremacy,” Katz said. “CASA rejects that. We reject that — all of his attacks on Black and Brown communities.”
Katz believes that Trump is trying to “turn the page back” to a time when people’s fundamental rights as humans were not respected.
A complete overhaul of the immigration system was a recurring campaign promise from Trump during his first bid for candidacy in 2016.
On Jan. 20, Trump signed an executive order to secure the southern border, stating the United States “endured a large-scale invasion” during Biden’s presidency.
The action calls for the blanket prosecution, detainment and removal of undocumented migrants by the federal and state government.
It also designates responsibility to the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security to install physical barriers at the U.S.-Mexico border and to deploy personnel.
The executive order disabled a mobile application that allowed noncitizens to use U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) services before arriving at a border entry port. Established under Biden in October 2020, the CBP One app streamlined the process of entering the country legally and shortened wait times for incoming applicants.
As more advocacy groups brace for the aftermath of these decisions, they are encouraging citizens and non-citizens to take precautions, especially with widespread fear of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“You still have rights in this country,” Katz said. “President Trump cannot unilaterally take away those protections that you enjoy. So, go to our website; learn about your rights. If you’re afraid of ICE enforcement, if you’re afraid that your family’s gonna be separated, know how you can defend yourselves against that.”
Lauren Nutall is a reporter for HUNewsService.com, specializing in homeland security and public safety.
