There is a list of more than 100 promises President Trump made for his second term. His MAGA supporters (approximately 36% of those polled) must be happy. Many of his promises have been kept, but at what cost? The following narrative will be broken into ten separate articles. There is too much to say in just one article.
Immigration
Trump’s promise– Carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history. He had failed to achieve this goal during his 2016 to 2020 presidency due to established guardrails and costs associated with such a massive undertaking. In January 2025, he said he would begin by deporting criminals and use local law enforcement and the National Guard to help. He indicated that they would build mass deportation camps and did not rule out the use of the military. As of January 2026, he has in fact initiated what will be the largest deportation operation in American history. The guardrails have been diminished by Supreme Court decisions, while Congress appropriated $29.85 billion to hire 10,000 additional ICE officers. This is just a portion of the $170 billion appropriated for enhancing immigration deportation efforts. President Trump is keeping his promise to MAGA.
However, what is the impact of this program on Americans? While the administration focuses on numbers, it is a fact that more illegal immigrants were deported in a single year by President Obama than were deported in 2025. But under President Obama, there were no deportation camps, there was no surge in ICE agents, there was no call-up of the national guard, and citizens were not illegally detained or searched. There were no headlines regarding citizen pushbacks or ICE killings of protesters.
The reality of this portion of President Trump’s immigration plan is like many of his proposed operations It is a show that is harming American citizens and illegal immigrants. Being an illegal immigrant is not a felony. In the United States, illegal immigration is a federal offense under 8 U.S.C. § 1325. But the maximum punishment, six months’ prison term for the first offense, is a misdemeanor. And United States citizens who support the immigrant community have the right to free speech and demonstration. (But they do not have a right to obstruct an arrest.)
While being an illegal immigrant is a misdemeanor crime, President Trump has said that ICE would focus on “the worst of the worst,” those with felony convictions. Federal officials and DHS communications assert that a large majority of arrests target people with criminal convictions or pending charges (officially cited as about 70%), while independent analyses of ICE and detention data find that roughly three quarters of people held in ICE detention in late 2025 had no criminal convictions and that only a small share—about 5%—had violent convictions (CATO Institute).
During his first presidency, Trump built approximately 450 miles of border barriers along the southern U.S. border, many of which replaced old, dilapidated barriers. He redoubled his promise to build the wall in 2025. But large portions of the U.S. southern border are on privately owned or federally protected land, where barriers can’t be placed unless the federal government buys the land or seizes it through eminent domain. During this past year, over 80 more miles of border wall (and water barriers) have been completed. And additional wall construction is supported by a Congressional appropriation of $46.5 billion. To date there are now 776 miles of border protection on the 1,954-mile border.
No single dataset proves that the wall alone caused net reductions; the truth rests in a tangle of sector-specific outcomes, enforcement changes, and external factors. The money spent building a border could be used for so many other programs to support American citizens.
During his first presidency, President Trump failed to fulfill his promise to end the people’s right to become U.S citizens if they’re born in the U.S.. This is regardless of their parents’ immigration status. He promised to do this during his second term, issuing executive orders to that effect. However, legal experts note that such a change would require a constitutional amendment. The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether President Trump’s plan to end automatic birthright citizenship for children born on U.S. soil is unconstitutional. The justices recently announced that they will take up the issue, with arguments likely in April of 2026, and a decision is expected by the end of June.
Restore and expand the travel ban
During his first presidency, President Trump signed executive orders to ban citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. for 90 days. He faced numerous legal challenges requiring rewrites of the orders. The travel ban’s third and final version restricted U.S. entry to people from these seven countries, plus Chad, North Korea, and Venezuela. In June 2018, the Supreme Court upheld this travel ban.
During his second term, President Trump issued an executive order ending visa processing for 75 nations. The order took effect on January 21, 2026. There are currently 175 countries in the world. Thus, this order blocks entry to the U.S. for 43% of the world’s countries.
President Trump has suspended refugee resettlement. As defined by U.S. law, refugees, are people outside of the U.S. who fled their home countries because of persecution related to race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. They have received refugee protections from the U.S. before they enter the country. Asylum seekers must also meet the refugee definition, but they must be physically in the U.S. to seek protections.
In addition, Trump made a promise to Cap Refugee Admissions. The cap for 2026 is 7,500, the lowest since the implementation of the program in 1980. The groups selected are more prioritized, with a focus on white South Africans.
Terminate the Customs and Border Protection’s “CBP One” app
Even though his administration launched the tool in 2020, Trump ended a mobile phone application that migrants use to access Customs and Border Protection services. His reason was that the Biden administration had expanded its use, allowing immigrants to make appointments at official ports of entry to begin the asylum-seeking process. It is easy to speculate that he ended the program to curb migrant applications for asylum.
Federal officials were already checking applicants’ backgrounds, including the monitoring of social media. Trump hasn’t said what the additional ideological screening entails, its purpose, or method. Expanded backgrounding has introduced privacy concerns and discouraged visa applications.
Changes in eligibility for permanent resident status, also known as receiving a green card, requires congressional action. Congress had not passed reforms to the immigration system in decades.
In 2025, Congress passed new stricter green card rules. These stricter rules do not make it easier for college graduates to stay legally in the United States as promised by President Trump. The new rules are as follows:
- Green card holders must be physically present in the U.S. for at least six months out of every 12 months to avoid losing their status.
- Green card holders must update their biometrics every five years.
- New regulations will require more thorough background checks for green card applications.
- The rules will introduce new grounds for deportation, which could affect green card holders’ ability to remain in the U.S.
- The new immigration law aims to modernize enforcement capabilities and increase the speed of removal proceedings for non-citizens.
These changes are designed to strengthen immigration enforcement and ensure that green card holders meet their legal obligations. Trump’s promise to give college graduates (including those from junior colleges) a green card to be able to stay legally in the U.S. has not been fulfilled. In reality, it has become more difficult to obtain a green card!
Terminate work permits for immigrants in the U.S. illegally
During his first term, President Trump tried to end a program that protects certain people (people who crossed the border illegally as children) from deportation and gives them work permits. The Supreme Court ruled against him, but its legality is unsettled; the case is expected to again reach the Supreme Court in 2026.
Make it illegal to distribute welfare benefits to illegal immigrants
Most immigrants living illegally in the country are ineligible for benefits from federal programs. A valid Social Security number is needed to receive most federal benefits and immigrants in the country illegally are not issued Social Security numbers. Trump has separately pledged to make immigrants in the U.S. ineligible for public housing assistance. But noncitizen eligibility for housing has generally be prohibited since 1996 under Title IV, or the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act.
It is easy to promise something that has already been established!
Invoke the Alien Enemies Act to deport gang members
This 1798 law was created when the U.S. feared an impending war with France. It allows the president to arrest, detain and deport people without due process under certain circumstances. But legal experts said Trump faces legal obstacles in this endeavor.
Designate drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations
As president in 2019, Trump said he would designate Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. According to the Wilson Center, this legal designation is used to identify foreign groups that “engage in premeditated, politically motivated acts of terrorism against noncombatant targets.” However, Trump said he would temporarily hold off on the designation at the request of Mexico’s president. Now that Trump is again President, he has followed through on his earlier promise. His attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, along with his invasion of Venezuela to arrest President Maduro, have been premised on his definition of narcoterrorism.
International and counterterrorism experts have questioned his actions which have hurt diplomatic relations with Mexico and other Latin American countries.
Trump announced on Oct. 29, 2024, that he would create a compensation fund from the seized assets of criminal gangs to support victims of “migrant crime” — crime purportedly committed by immigrants who are in the country illegally. “We will be seizing the assets of the criminal gangs and drug cartels, and we will use those assets to create a compensation fund to provide restitution for the victims of migrant crime, and the government will help in the restoration.” It is interesting to note that immigrant crime contributes little to the violent crime statistics.
So far, nothing tangible has been done in this area. Most of the revenue from Venezuelan oil (from an alleged drug cartel kingpin) is currently sitting in banks in Qatar.
Revoke the Temporary Protected Status of Haitians in Springfield, Ohio
Trump and his Vice President, JD Vance, targeted Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, including the accusation that they are eating their neighbors’ pets. Trump revoked their legal status and said, “bring them back to their country [sic].” That involved ending their Temporary Protected Status, which protects them from deportation because they are from a country experiencing war, environmental disasters, or epidemics.
The administration has not only revoked the protected status for Haitians, but also for other foreign nationals, including Cuban and Burmese (Myanmar).
Other Immigration Changes
The H-1B program applies to employers seeking to hire nonimmigrant aliens as workers in specialty occupations or as fashion models of distinguished merit and ability. A specialty occupation is one that requires the application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and the attainment of at least a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent. The intent of the H-1B provisions is to help employers who cannot otherwise obtain needed business skills and abilities from the U.S. workforce by authorizing the temporary employment of qualified individuals who are not otherwise authorized to work in the United States. The H-1B visa now has an added $100,000 fee on certain new petitions, making the cost associated with the visa prohibitive for many potential educated and skilled applicants and their perspective employer.
Refugee Admissions Cap
Work Authorization and Employment Extension Document (EAD) Changes
Fees for work authorization and employment extensions are being adjusted upward. Automatic extensions for employee authorization documents are being rescinded for some employment categories. For example, work authorization for asylum applicants and green card applicants has been reduced from five years to eighteen months.
Gold Card Visa
President Trump announced a $1 million “Gold Card” visa for high-net-worth investors. The program allows a pathway to permanent residence for foreign nationals. Buy your way into the USA!
Summary
Immigration policy has seen many changes under President Trump. Most have occurred through executive order or policy changes in Customs Immigration Services policies. There has been no Congressional approval sought. But Congress has not taken any steps to intervene. Applicants, employers, and immigration advocates are required to navigate these changing policies where the benefits seem to change quickly.
The “foreseen” consequences of this paradigm shift in immigration policy are many. There is a reason that the Statue of Liberty has a plaque that says, ““Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” America was built by immigrants. The success of this nation is the result of people who came here with a dream. Some achieved greatness in various endeavors. Most have lived productive and rewarding lives.
The Congressional Budget Office has stated the country’s total population is projected to stop growing in 2056. But according to the report, in 2030, without immigration, the population would begin to shrink as deaths start to exceed births, making immigrants an increasingly important source of population growth. This has important implications for our workforce and economy.
Thoughts from the Middle by Robert J. Fischer 