
The US Border Patrol stops a programme by Joe Biden. After being sworn in, Trump promised that he would immediately begin to solve ‘every single crisis’ in the country. One focus is to be the tightening of migration policy.
The functions of the associated app, which could be used to make appointments for asylum requests, for example, are no longer available, it was reported. All outstanding appointments have been cancelled, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website.
A future government official also announced that a national emergency would be declared on all borders, especially the border with Mexico. Trump had already done this during his first term of office in order to finance the construction of the wall, which was often promised during the election campaign at the time.
With the initial ten planned measures, the Republican wants to implement a key election promise. These include greater involvement of the military to secure the country's borders and the continuation of the construction of the wall. In addition, criminal cartels are to be combated more rigorously and the asylum system regulated more strictly.
Trump also plans to abolish automatic citizenship for children born in the USA to migrants without valid residence status
Even though US presidents can implement political priorities with executive orders without the approval of Congress, some of these measures are likely to encounter legal and constitutional hurdles. However, it is clear that Trump wants to set a clear course in asylum and migration policy with these steps.
During the election campaign, Trump announced that he would carry out the largest deportation operation in the history of the USA. The situation at the border is tense and authorities are overloaded in many places. Trump's predecessor in office, Biden, recently tightened the asylum rules for migrants who enter the country illegally via Mexico. The number of unauthorized border crossings were over a record level.
Many people fleeing poverty, violence and political crises in their home countries choose to cross the southern US border. Many come from South American countries. Every year, hundreds die on the dangerous route north, for example due to a lack of water and heatstroke. Others become victims of criminal gangs.