That’s just a small sample of the extreme measures former President Donald Trump’s administration introduced—at least 493 policies deemed highly controversial. All of these steps ignited national controversies and garnered fierce backlash. As seen in these policies that enforced mass deportation and limited access to immigration pathways. They wanted to change the very fabric of the nation’s demographic makeup.
While president from 2017 to 2021, Trump advanced a radical agenda aimed at significantly reducing immigration to the U.S. He didn’t stop there. Mass deportations were at the center of his immigration enforcement efforts. The agenda was designed to close off dozens of immigration avenues. These pathways, which do not exist today, previously allowed people to come to the U.S. and eventually gain legal status. These changes had a far-reaching effect on numerous communities, especially communities of immigrants from countries that had rapidly changing political climates.
One of the signature policies of Trump’s presidency was his executive order to eliminate birthright citizenship. In doing so, this policy took aim at a powerful, decades-long pillar of American immigration law. This last proposal sought to remove birthright citizenship for kids born here to non-citizen parents. Legal experts and civil rights advocates reacted with swift condemnation in opposition to this action. Critics were quick to counter that such a change would erode the foundations of equality and human rights.
Trump’s administration made deep cuts to social spending initiatives, severely undermining their benefit. These moves resulted in millions of families losing access to essential services, including healthcare, food benefits and welfare assistance. These cuts hit low-income families and marginalized communities the hardest, deepening existing inequality.
As critics pointed out, the Trump administration’s massive surge in cybersurveillance technology served to control and surveil immigrant communities. This investment belied a much larger strategy focused on enforcing immigration laws at the federal and state levels with greater force. The administration explored methods to block pathways to citizenship for individuals who qualified under existing laws, creating uncertainty for many immigrants seeking stability in the U.S.
Over the course of his presidency, Trump issued numerous inflammatory statements and tweets about immigrants. He famously referred to certain countries as “shithole countries” while questioning why the U.S. could not attract immigrants from nations like Norway or Sweden.
“We only take people from shithole countries. Why can’t we have some people from Norway, Sweden, just a few? … From Denmark. Do you mind sending us a few people? Send us some nice people. But we always take people from Somalia, places that are a disaster, right? Filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime.” – Donald Trump
These comments were troubling enough on their own, fuelling racism and xenophobia in his micromanagement of policies and rhetoric. With Trump, he just picked a target. As recently as last month, for instance, he publicly demeaned Congresswoman Ilhan Omar by calling her hijab a “little turban.”
“She should get the hell out. Throw her the hell out.” – Donald Trump
His administration ended Temporary Protected Status for nationals of numerous countries in crisis, including Haiti and Venezuela. This made thousands of people—as long as they were granted this relief—vulnerable to deportation even when facing life-threatening conditions in their home countries.
In a surprising and controversial action, Trump’s administration instituted a policy of “reverse migration.” This political strategy was designed to force immigrants back to their countries of origin. On top of this, the administration raised fees for various immigration processes, imposing financial barriers that made it impossible for many to obtain legal status.
The effects of these policies did not stop at immigrants, impacting U.S. citizens, too. Reports began to come in of ICE officers engaging in racial profiling as they carried out their enforcement actions. Tens of thousands of U.S. citizens have been wrongfully detained or deported due to the color of their skin. This includes those representing Native American tribes and other underrepresented communities.
“I love the smell of deportations in the morning.” – Donald Trump
These profound amendments were met with fierce legal resistance and ignited a firestorm of protests in cities across the country. Advocacy groups and legal organizations mobilized against what they perceived as systemic racism and violations of human rights within Trump’s immigration policies.