Trump Executive Order and DHS Implementation Memo on Border Enforcement: A Brief Review
This January 2017 Trump executive order and DHS memo expanded expedited removal authority, authorized border wall construction, and redefined who qualifies as an unaccompanied child.
On January 25, 2017, President Trump signed an executive order, "Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements," aimed at tightening enforcement along the U.S.-Mexico border, including by building barriers along the entire 2,000-mile border.
The order, one of several immigration-related executive orders signed within the first weeks of the Trump administration, includes a series of mandates to obtain "complete operational control" of the Southwest border, as well as expand detention capacity and hire 5,000 additional Border Patrol agents. On February 20, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly issued a memorandum providing clarifying guidance on implementation of the executive order. The order and memo open up the possibility for expanded use of expedited removal (in other words removal without appearance before an immigration judge), as well as a redefinition of who constitutes an unaccompanied child.
This brief, presented in an easy-to-reference side-by-side chart, summarizes and analyzes major provisions of the executive order and DHS memorandum, comparing them to prior policy and practice.
About the U.S. Immigration Policy Program
The U.S. Immigration Policy Program provides analysis of U.S. immigration pathways, the impacts of enforcement and other policies, and the characteristics of immigrant populations.
