A month into his second term, President Donald Trump has enacted sweeping measures aimed at radically reshaping the federal immigration system and reversing decades of legal protections.

His administration has targeted not only undocumented immigrants, both with and without criminal histories, but also hundreds of thousands of people who are in the country legally, limiting and ending temporary deportation protections for Cubans, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans, and Haitians. Trump is already facing extensive litigation challenging many of the measures.

Here is a look at what Trump has done so far in the weeks after his inauguration.

Attempted to limit birthright citizenship

Trump signed an executive order to limit the longstanding precedent of birthright citizenship, which automatically grants children born on U.S. soil the right to American citizenship, except for babies born to foreign diplomats. Under the 14th Amendment, “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.”

The president’s proposed interpretation limits birthright citizenship to children born to U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents, but would keep babies born to undocumented immigrants or parents on temporary visas from automatically becoming citizens.

“If we do not act now, our country will be forever changed,” Trump warned.

This reinterpretation of the 14th Amendment sent waves of fear through immigrant communities, many of whom relied on the right to secure their families’ futures. Lawyers and advocates also said it was an attempt to radically change the fabric of the United States.

Four federal judges have blocked the executive order after 18 states, including New York and Massachusetts, sued to declare the measure illegal. One judge in Boston ruled that the “Constitution confers birthright citizenship broadly, including to persons within the categories described” in the president’s executive order. The attorneys general from the states that sued said in a statement that the “injunction sends a clear message: He is not a king, and he cannot rewrite the Constitution with the stroke of a pen.”

Declared a national emergency on the U.S.-Mexico border

Trump declared a national emergency at the southwest border, calling the flow of immigrants through Mexico in recent years “a large-scale invasion at an unprecedented level.” With the emergency declaration came a flood of federal resources, as the military was mobilized to assist Border Patrol agents. The executive order also makes asylum seekers wait for their court hearings in Mexico, put an end to an app that immigrants could use to schedule appointments with border authorities and mandated that undocumented people be detained “to the fullest extent of the law.”

Suspended asylum at the border

In the executive order declaring a national emergency in the U.S.-Mexico border, Trump proclaimed that his administration was suspending the right to asylum to clamp down on irregular migration.

“If they want to seek asylum, they can do it from their own countries,” Trump argued. “We won’t tolerate those who try to exploit our systems.”

Asylum laws allow people in the United States and other countries to receive refugee protections. Cases can take years to resolve, and asylum seekers must submit proof that they would face prosecution, harm or death in their home countries because of their identity or political beliefs.

The move sparked outrage across the country. Several groups have already sued, arguing the policy violates long-standing international law and ignores protections put in place by Congress.

Ended Biden’s parole program for Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela

Trump ended the parole program for Cubans, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans and Haitians. The policy allowed for people from the four countries to live and work in the U.S. as long as they had a financial sponsor, bought plane fare and passed health and background checks. The Biden administration first started the program in October 2022 for Venezuela and three months later expanded it to the other countries. Over half-a-million people came to the United States under the process.

Republicans had slammed President Joe Biden for the program, saying that it was an overreach of presidential executive authority. Over a dozen GOP-led states sued the Biden administration for the program, but a judge dismissed the case in March 2024.

Stopped refugee admissions

The Trump administration has suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, in place since 1980. This program, in partnership with the United Nations Refugee Agency and designated humanitarian organizations, plays a key role in identifying, screening and resettling vulnerable populations who are fleeing persecution, violence and disaster.

The suspension of the program has drawn sharp criticism from humanitarian organizations, including the International Rescue Committee , which has described the move as inhumane and unjust. The committee, a global relief and development organization founded at the request of Albert Einstein in 1933, warns that the decision will separate families and deprive political dissidents, religious minorities and the most vulnerable victims of war and disaster of the safety they desperately need.

Ended deportation protections for Venezuelans

The Department of Homeland Security rolled back a Biden-era extension of Venezuela’s Temporary Protected Status for Venezuela. Days later, it ended the designation altogether, meaning that roughly 350,000 beneficiaries will lose their deportation protections in early April. Another 250,00 Venezuelans could be affected in September if DHS does not renew their protections.

Homeland Security said the TPS designation was contrary to national interests. It also said there had been “notable improvements” in Venezuela’s economy, public health care and crime, suggesting that these conditions would allow for the safe return of Venezuelan nationals to their home country. Only weeks earlier, the Biden administration had granted an 18-month extension because of wha tit called “extraordinary and temporary conditions” in Venezuela and said the policy was not contrary to U.S. national interests.

Several challenges are currently under way in federal court concerning the potential impact of the termination of Venezuela’s TPS. The federal program grants people from countries in turmoil deportation protections and work permits. To qualify, they must have already been in the United States before a certain cut off date.

A couple of days before the DHS issued the TPS termination notice for Venezuelans, Trump announced an agreement with the Venezuelan regime, led by Nicolás Maduro, to take back Venezuelan deportees from the U.S. The agreement marked a significant shift in U.S.-Venezuela relations, allowing Venezuelan airline Conviasa to land in the United States.

Rolled back TPS deportation protections for Haitians

The administration moved to roll back and eventually revoke TPS for Haitians, as it did for Venezuelans. The move has left over half-a-million Haitians — whose country is reeling from gang violence, the aftermath of natural disasters, and political instability — uncertain over their future in the United States.

Trump’s argued that conditions that had warranted TPS in the first place had been overstated or had improved enough to justify ending the program. While the Department of Homeland Security has not indicated whether it intends to end the designation altogether, advocacy groups have said it’s likely and that they intend to sue over the rollback.

Used tariffs as leverage to deport immigrants

Trump began using tariffs as a diplomatic weapon to pressure Latin American countries, including Colombia, into accepting deported migrants. Tensions reached a peak when Trump imposed a 50% tariff on Colombian exports in response to President Gustavo Petro’s refusal to cooperate with U.S. demands. The conflict escalated for six hours, until Petro agreed to allow deported Colombians to be returned on the South American country’s own planes.

Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras have also been targeted, as Trump’s team threatened to impose steep tariffs on imports if the countries refused to take back migrants deported from the U.S.

“If you want to continue trading with the United States, you need to cooperate,” Trump warned during a meeting with Mexican officials. “We will not tolerate any more resistance. We will use every tool at our disposal.”

Shook up immigration agency’s leadership

The Trump administration removed Caleb Vitello, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, due to concerns over the low number of deportations during the first weeks of his administration. Trump said during his campaign that he wanted to deport the millions of undocumented immigrants in the country.

Government officials, experts and advocates have long said it’s unlikely that Trump will be able to make good on his mass deportation efforts given that ICE, tasked with conducting deportation flights, has been underfunded and understaffed for years.

During fiscal years 2020-24, the Department of Homeland Security conducted an average of 352,000 deportations a year. A large portion of deportations carried out by both ICE and Customs and Border Protection were migrants who had recently crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. In total, the Biden administration carried out 1.5 million deportations, a number roughly on par with those seen during Trump’s first term. However, this figure is significantly lower than the 2.9 million deportations during President Barack Obama’s first term.

Used Guantanamo to hold undocumented immigrants

Trump directed the military to retrofit the U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo, Cuba, to hold up to 30,000 undocumented immigrants. Trump has already sent people there, primarily Venezuelans, accusing many of part of the dangerous Tren de Aragua gang. Despite these claims, no concrete evidence has been made public to substantiate the alleged connections to the gang. The gang, which was recently designated a terrorist organization, is being targeted for deportation back to their home countries.

The decision has sparked outrage among immigration advocates, community leaders and human-rights experts who say that the move sets up the U.S. government to violate the civil rights of detainees. Several organizations sued to provide detainees with legal access to lawyers.

Targeted unaccompanied minors for deportation

The administration suspended for almost a week a program that provides legal representation to more than 26,000 children — many of whom are as young as a few months old — who have arrived though the U.S.-Mexico border without parents or legal guardians. The program, which ensures the children receive a fair hearing in immigration courts, was abruptly suspended, a measure criticized by several organizations that offered assistance to migrant children. The administration restored the legal representation on Friday.

According to the news agency Reuters, an ICE memo has outlined an unprecedented push to target migrant children who crossed the border illegally as unaccompanied minors. The memo details a four-phase implementation plan, with the initial phase starting on Jan. 27.

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