ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
As we've been reporting, President Trump was sworn into office earlier today, and on his first day back, he's expected to sign 10 executive actions related to immigration, according to incoming White House officials. These are the first steps in a sweeping immigration agenda for Trump's second term. He laid out some of those proposals in his inaugural address at the U.S. Capitol rotunda.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came.
SHAPIRO: Many of the details of Trump's agenda are still unclear, but it's very likely to face logistical and legal challenges. NPR's Joel Rose has been following this, and he's here in the studio. Hey, Joel.
JOEL ROSE, BYLINE: Hey, Ari.
SHAPIRO: What more can you tell us about what these executive actions will be?
ROSE: Trump said in his inaugural address that he will declare a national emergency at the Southern border and that he will send U.S. troops there. He pledged to use the full and immense power of federal and state law enforcement to arrest and deport immigrants with criminal records, which could happen basically any time. Trump also said he would designate drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. All of this is part of an ambitious agenda that could reshape border security and immigration policy in the U.S. for a very long time, and it goes well beyond what Trump tried to do in his first term. But, like in that first term, much of this agenda will likely encounter legal challenges.
SHAPIRO: Which pieces of the agenda do you think are most likely to be challenged?
ROSE: Incoming White House officials say the president will sign an executive action to end birthright citizenship for children who are born to immigrants who are in the U.S. without legal status. Many legal scholars say that is unconstitutional, so I would say that change is very likely to be challenged in court. Trump officials also say the administration will try to cut off illegal entry at the Southern border, even for people who are seeking asylum, many of whom are fleeing violence and war and oppression. That's also likely to be challenged. And we're expecting some other executive actions that might be familiar from Trump's first term. For example, restarting construction of the border wall, suspending refugee resettlement programs and reinstating the policy called Remain in Mexico, which forced migrants to wait south of the border while their asylum claims were heard.
SHAPIRO: These promises on immigration and border security were so central to Trump's campaign. You could argue they were central to his victory. So what has the reaction been from his supporters?
ROSE: NPR spoke to a number of Trump supporters who came to Washington, D.C., for the inauguration today, who told us they were not happy with record levels of illegal immigration during the first part of the Biden administration. For example, Ethan Zhang, who is himself an immigrant from western China. He is a green card holder and works in marketing in New York. Zhang said his neighborhood in Queens deteriorated during the last four years, and he blames immigrants who are here with no legal status.
ETHAN ZHANG: I used to live in Queens. My neighborhood used to be quiet. And when they got here, they play music very loud, and they just don't respect anything, you know?
SHAPIRO: And Joel, what are advocates for immigrants saying today?
ROSE: I talked to Kerri Talbot with the nonprofit Immigration Hub. She says the breadth and cruelty of these executive actions is what stood out for her. Talbot noted that the Biden administration had already restricted asylum at the border last year, and that illegal crossings have already fallen to some of their lowest levels in years.
KERRI TALBOT: No, it's not an emergency right now. You know, the Trump administration is just using that language to scare people and to justify really extreme actions.
SHAPIRO: Reporting there from NPR's Joel Rose. Thank you, Joel.
ROSE: You're welcome, Ari. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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