By: Deborah Amewoyi
“Many have abused the generosity of the American people, and their presence in the United States has cost taxpayers billions of dollars at the Federal, State, and local levels” Executive Order – White House. Donald Trump after he was inaugurated for his second term as the 47th president of the United States of America on January 20, 2025, issued an Executive Order some of which included the call for the deportation of all illegal immigrants in the United States, the recognition of only two genders in the states, explicitly male and female genders and the abolition of birthright citizenship to the children of parents who are in the U.S. illegally or on temporary visas.
What then is the Executive Order?
An executive order is a signed, written, and published directive from the President of the United States that manages federal government operations. These orders are general instructions to the executive branch of agencies to either take or stop an action. The president has the sole power to issue directives and instructions. An interesting fact about executive orders in the United States is that they are not legislation; hence, they do not require approval from Congress (American Bar Association).
Background on the Deportation of Illegal Immigrants in the U.S.
President Trump’s executive order on the deportation and removal of illegal immigrants in the United States has sparked numerous discussions and debates in the states and globally, some arguing about its viability as well as the essence of such enforcement.
Research has however proven that each U.S. president dating back from President Bill Clinton’s administration between the years 1993 – 2001 to the current Donald Trump’s administration in 2025 have issued a deportation order during their tenure as president.
Deportation is sidelined with two terms; removal and return where removal is when immigrants are given a court order to leave the country whilst return is when immigrants are asked to leave or go back using Mexico or Canada borders.
Statistics
As many immigrants have been deported from the United States of America, statistics according to the New York Times have revealed that the 42nd President of the States, Bill Clinton recorded the highest number of immigrants deported. A total of 12 million immigrants fled the borders of the United States either through return or removal.
America’s 43rd president, George Washington Bush’s administration saw a total of 10 million immigrants deported between the years 2001 and 2009. Then came Barack Obama’s administration where 5 million immigrants were deported in America. During that period according to research conducted by the New York Times, former president Obama’s administration saw the highest number of compulsory removals in the U.S. He was president from 2009 to 2017.
America’s president, Donald Trump’s first term of administration and governance followed suit from 2017 to 2021. Statistics from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recorded a total of under 3.13 million persons were deported in Trump’s first term despite his social positioning and pledge to become the biggest champion for deportation in the United States. America’s 46th president, Joe Biden saw a hike, recording about 4.44 million individuals in 2021 and 2022 due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic which called for the nationwide removal of individuals due to “public health risks.”
Trump’s Recent Deportation Order.
On January 22, 2025, exactly two days after President Donald Trump assumed office as the 47th president of the United States, he signed an executive order suspending the physical entry of aliens engaged in illegal entry into the states through the southern border. In the initial paragraph of this writing, Donald Trump believes illegal immigrants are a burden to the American people because they benefit from the taxes paid through the sweat and toil of hard-working Americans. Citing Article IV Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution (protect each of [the States] against invasion, gives the basis for Trump’s bold directive “to immediately repel, repatriate, and remove illegal aliens involved in the invasion.
This directive overrides the asylum right where refugees or immigrants are allowed to seek protection in the United States with the notion that returning to one’s country of origin may pose a potential threat of harm or danger to the person’s life.
On January 20, 2025, when Trump was inaugurated as president, the CBP One mobile application which facilitated the application of non–citizens seeking entry into the states through the southern border without appropriate documentation allowed for applications to schedule appointments to seek asylum roughly within 180 days was shut down completely with an alert which read, “Existing appointments scheduled through CBP One are no longer valid.” The Customs and Border Protection Agency later indicated that the application would be unavailable thereby canceling all other existing appointments. Interestingly aliens or illegal immigrants seeking asylum were catered for by the U.S. government in terms of shelter, food stamps, health insurance, etc. from the taxes of the American citizens. The abrupt shutdown of the CBP One application is not the only move initiated by Trump to prevent the unlawful entry of immigrants. Trump’s quest to make America an alien-free country through his massive deportation plan is by introducing a newly proposed Mississippi Illegal Alien Certified Bounty Hunter Program where this bill will offer a $1,000 amount of money to any bounty hunter who facilitates the successful deportation of illegal Immigrants – a Desoto County news report had indicated. He has ordered the U.S Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) alongside other security agencies(DHS, FBI, Sheriffs, etc) to speed up the repatriation and removal of illegal immigrants in the country.
Border Control
“As Chief Executive and as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, I have no more solemn responsibility than protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the United States along our national borders. The protection of a nation’s territorial integrity and national boundaries is paramount for its security.” – the executive order read indicating Trump’s rededication to building the Southern border between the U.S. and Mexico. Biden’s administration upon failed attempts to redirect funds allocated to the building of the border wall decided to build an additional 20 miles border wall to the existing 450 miles wall that was built during Trump’s first administration raising questioning brows about how feasible the 20 miles wall will help in reducing undocumented immigration along the southern border. The Department of Homeland Security established during an interaction with Fox News Digital that the U.S. southern border saw a sharp drop in illegal immigrant encounters during Trump’s first days as compared to the high numbers recorded during the final few days of Biden’s administration in 2024.
Oppositions to Trump’s Deportation Order.
When immigrants leave their countries of origin for foreign countries like the U.S.A., the majority of them do menial jobs to earn a living. Trump’s deportation order targets these sections of people as well to the extent that some of them are considered criminals and drug cartels. A catholic priest called on the president to have mercy on these individuals. In a viral video the priest’s words echoed a plea behalf on behalf of the immigrants in the state. “the people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings who labor in poultry farms and meatpacking plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors” The priest’s words pleaded for mercy. However in a sharp contrast, Trump registered his dislike for the service, “I didn’t think it was a good service” he said to the media.
Again, the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey announced that he would not collaborate with the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to carry out deportation of undocumented residents. He mentioned the separation ordinance in Minneapolis which prohibits city police and workers from inquiring about individuals’ immigration status will be used to protect its residents. This law aims to build trust with immigrant communities, ensuring they feel safe accessing public services without fear of deportation. “ our police officers will not be cooperating with federal law enforcement around federal immigration law, we enforce state and local laws here in Minneapolis and we will do so to the best of our ability but as for cooperation with ICE the answer is NO. the mayor stressed.
Despite these, the Department of Homeland Security and ICE are still on the lookout for illegal immigrants in the states
A BBC news publication cited that as of Wednesday, January 29, this year, “more than 3,500 undocumented migrants have been arrested since Trump returned to the White House, including just over 1,000 on Tuesday, 969 on Monday and 1,179 on Sunday, according to daily statistics published by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)”.
In a wrap, President Donald Trump’s deportation order seeks to protect its citizens physically, financially, and socially by preventing invasion through the country’s territorial borders, securing the tax payer’s money used to cater to aliens, and safeguarding women, children, and other venerable sections of the American citizens by removing illegal cartels and criminals in the country.
Despite these great concerns for the needs of citizens in the United States, the deportation order also leaves some immigrants who seek protection from inhumane actions rendered towards them in their country of origin stranded but would should be a thought to ponder on another time.
