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).

Build a border wall

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.

End birthright citizenship

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.

Suspend refugee resettlement

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.

Revoke the student visas of radical anti-American and antisemitic foreigners at colleges and universities.

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.

Give college graduates, including those from junior colleges, a green card to be able to stay legally in the U.S.

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.

Create a compensation fund from the seized assets of criminal gangs to support victims of “migrant crime”

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.

An Evaluation

1 Seal the border and stop the migrant invasion– For the most part this promise has been fulfilled.  The use of the military as support for ICE has worked.  Daily arrests have decreased from 5,100 per day under the previous administration to about 230 per day. If a migrant invasion was a problem, President Trump has solved it.  The question is, “Were migrants seeking a better life in America a problem?”  Based on national crime and work data, most migrants were not a problem, did not contribute disproportionately to crime, did not displace American workers, and were not provided with Medicaid benefits at the expense of the American taxpayer.  A majority of Americans support inclusive immigration policies, such as pathways to citizenship, and recognizing the economic and social contributions of immigrants.  (USC Equity Research Institute, April 29, 2025) But the false perception promoted by Donald Trump, allowed the MAGA movement to make this an issue when it wasn’t!  There was no national emergency.  Undocumented immigrant arrivals had already started falling in 2023, when the Biden administration introduced the CBP One app which allowed migrants to schedule appointments at ports of entry to apply for asylum.  President Trump changed the purpose of the app to allow undocumented immigrants to receive $1,000 if they would voluntarily sign up to leave America.

2 Carry out the largest deportation operation in American history—This effort is currently underway.  ICE has removed 61,630 alleged illegals since January 2025.  The biggest issues here are currently under scrutiny by the courts.  Is the use of executive power, the Insurrection Act of 1807, and the Alien Enemies Alien Act constitutional?  The deportation of people without due process (the 5^th Amendment) is also a major issue.  It seems that President Trump has overstepped his executive power by claiming powers that were not granted under the Constitution or through the use of the before mentioned acts.

3 End inflation and make America affordable again– President Trump had promised to bring prices down during the first days in office.  It has now been over 100 days and instead, price hikes for food have accelerated. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that food costs have increased by 2.4% since January.   The big increase in egg prices may soon end with the cost of wholesale eggs now dropping.  When that drop will be passed on to the consumer is unknown.  To be fair, some products like pasta, rice, potatoes and lettuce have declined in cost.  And despite the President’s claim of $1.98 gas, prices have remained static. The nationwide average is $3.18.  The lowest price is in Mississippi at $2.66.  His implementation of tariffs worldwide have forced many businesses to pass the costs associated with the tariffs on to their customers.  Inflation has declined from 3% in January to 2.4% but is predicted to increase over the next few months. 

4 Make America the dominant energy producer in the world, by far!  The problem with this promise is that it is misleading.  America has been and continues to be the number two energy producer behind China.  Given the disparity of populations between the two nations, this is not surprising.   With the world’s tenth largest oil reserves and environmentally friendly means of production of alternative energy, America is already a leader.  It appears that President Trump’s gambit here was to allow for greater production for the oil and coal producers when it is not needed.

5 Stop Outsourcing and Turn the United States into a Manufacturing Superpower– While many Americans wish for the days when industrial manufacturing was dominate, those days have passed.  The Rust Belt in the Midwest has been in recovery mode for decades.  Some cities have made significant strides while others continue to struggle. Efforts to revitalize the Midwest and other manufacturing hubs have included investments in infrastructure, education, and new industries. Cities like Buffalo, NY, and Madison, WI, have seen improvements in unemployment rates, poverty reduction, and real estate growth. However, the recovery is uneven, with some former manufacturing hubs still facing economic challenges. 

The loss of coal mining, due to the transfer of steel production overseas and environmental concerns, will likely not return.   President Donald Trump’s administration has made changes to support the coal industry, including allowing mining on federal land and allowing older coal-fired power plants to continue producing electricity. However, the industry still faces challenges due to environmental concerns and declining demand. Instead, the dominate industries in America are intellectual and technological, including  real estate, and healthcare.  We need to recognize our strengths in technology and intellectual development and allow other nations to provide manufacturing at lower costs to us.

6 Large tax cuts for workers, and no tax on tips!  Who wouldn’t like this idea!  The middle class and working poor need tax relief.  However, the “Nice Big Bill” being proposed cuts all tax categories.  Upper middle class, upper class, billionaires, and corporations do not need a tax cut.  There is plenty of money to live a decent lifestyle, invest in new ventures and build corporate profits.  Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have it right.  We need to increase tax on the upper income levels and lower taxes on the middle- and lower-income families.  America will prosper.  Our national debt can be reduced. Our $36.2 trillion debt could be paid off in a few decades. But for that to happen, the government would have to balance the budget and raise taxes on millionaires to the President Johnson era rate of 70%.  The money generated would go directly to paying down the debt.

7 Defend our constitution, bill of rights, and our fundamental freedoms, including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to keep and bear arms– Again, who can complain about this?  We should all want to maintain the rights that our founding fathers fought so hard to achieve 250 years ago.  President Trump took and oath to uphold the Constitution when he was sworn in as President.   Yet, in an interview with Kristen Welker on Meet the Press, when Welker asked him if he would uphold the Constitution he said, “I’m not sure.”  You don’t have to look hard to find social media and news outlets that are questioning whether our fundamental freedoms are being limited!

8 Prevent World War three, restore peace in Europe and in the middle east, and build a great iron dome missile defense shield over our entire country — all made in America– While the first part of this goal should be supported by all, the last section makes little sense.  Preventing wars is a world goal.  So far, President Trump’s bold prediction that he would end the Ukrainian conflict on his first days in office, has not even resulted in a real ceasefire.  The Israeli/Hamas conflict continues.  However, to be fair, in the last few days the Trump administration has announced tentative cease fire agreements between India and Pakistan, as well as a possible 30-day cease fire between Ukraine and Russia.  Yet, threats to take over Greenland and perhaps Canada by force are counterintuitive to world peace.  The threats against Iran regarding nuclear weapons does little to reduce tension in the middle east.  A missile dome over the United States sounds like a great idea if war were to happen.  However, think about the total cost of developing Trump’s “Golden Dome.”  The cost of developing and maintaining Israel’s Iron Dome is $1 billion, and that system is much smaller with less complicated missiles than America would require.

9 End the weaponization of government against the American people—I think this goal was a joke.  While President Trump declared that the government was victimizing him, I see no proof!  Now that he is once again President, I believe that he has weaponized his government against those who have opposed him or might criticize what he has done.  Consider the following actions.  Some notable figures reportedly pursued by the Justice Department includeLetitia James, the New York Attorney General who won a civil fraud case against Trump, is now facing a criminal fraud probe led by the FBI. Also, former Rep. Liz Cheney, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and John Bolton, among others, have been targeted through various government actions because of perceived anti-Trump opinions.

10 Stop the migrant crime epidemic, demolish the foreign drug cartels, crush gang violence, and lock up violent offenders—This all sounds great!  However, there is not a migrant crime epidemic! Research consistently shows that immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, tend to commit crimes at lower rates than native-born citizens. Studies have found that as the immigrant share of the U.S. population has increased, crime rates have declined. Additionally, historical data suggests that first-generation immigrants have been less likely to be incarcerated than U.S.-born individuals for over a century. Demolishing foreign drug cartels is a problem for the countries where they originate.  American needs to focus on the market demand side of the equation.  Reduce or eliminate the demand and the cartels will need to find other markets.  Gang violence is a problem that impacts other gangs.  The spill over to the general population is tragic, but not significant.  The statistics support the reality that convicted violent offenders are locked up

11 Rebuild our cities, including Washington DC, making them safe, clean, and beautiful again—This is another misleading statement.  Our cities are not hotbeds of crime and decay.  All cities have problems with the homeless, under-employed and under-educated.  These are social problems that can best be solved by providing better opportunities for jobs and education.  Our largest cities do have increased crime problems, but most, like New York, have found strategies to reduce crime.   According to the National Crime statistics, American crime is down across most categories.  The national murder rate has dropped significantly—about 16% from its 2020 peak. Violent crime and property crime are approaching historic lows, though some regions have seen increases in specific types of crime

12 Strengthen and modernize our military, making it, without question, the strongest and most powerful in the world- Another misleading statement.  America has by far the most modernized and powerful military in the world, according to the 2025 Global Firepower rankings. The ranking considers over 60 factors, including troop numbers, military equipment, financial stability, geographic location, and available resources. The U.S. leads in technological advancements, with a large fleet of aircraft, tanks, and naval assets.  Following the U.S., Russia and China rank second and third, respectively. 

13 Keep the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency—A worthy goal.  However, President Trump’s recent support for crypto currency has many doubting whether this is a real goal.  The Trump family has become increasingly involved in cryptocurrency. Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. co-founded American Bitcoin, a crypto mining firm merging with Gryphon Digital Mining. The company aims to mine Bitcoin at a lower cost and accumulate reserves of the cryptocurrency.  Additionally, the Trump family has backed World Liberty Financial, a crypto exchange that recently secured a multi-billion-dollar investment from an Abu Dhabi-based firm. Donald Trump himself has launched a meme coin called $TRUMP, which has seen significant fluctuations in value since its release. These ventures have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest, with some lawmakers calling for investigations into the family’s crypto dealings.

14 Fight for and protect social security and Medicare with no cuts, including no changes to the retirement age– A wonderful promise.  We will need to see what the House of Representatives cuts from the “Big Beautiful Budget”.  Recent drafts of the proposed budget bill show significant cuts and changes to Medicaid and support for SNAP.

15 Cancel the electric vehicle mandate and cut costly and burdensome regulations—This is a difficult topic.  It concerns environmental issues versus regulation, and the real contribution of fossil fuel to global warming.  The facts make it clear that global warming is real.  The debate over how much is natural and how much human activity contributes to the problem, weighs heavily toward a major impact from human developments.  However, it does not matter when humanity can reduce its contribution, whether significant or not.  There is no reason not to cut our pollution of the environment.  Costs might be a factor, but then improving our overall standard of living by not taxing middle income and working poor households could make up the difference. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office to eliminate the so-called “electric vehicle mandate.” This mandate was an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that required auto manufacturers to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in new vehicles, effectively pushing for more electric vehicle production. Trump’s order also aimed to remove regulatory barriers to motor vehicle access and terminate state emissions waivers that limited the sale of gasoline-powered cars

16 Cut federal funding for any school pushing critical race theory, radical gender ideology, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children– This again is an issue that really is not an issue!  Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in American schools existed long before Donald Trump’s presidency. The foundations of DEI can be traced back to civil rights movements and legislation such as Brown v. Board of Education (1954), which ruled racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.  By the 1990s and 2000s, DEI initiatives expanded beyond race to include gender, disability rights, and LGBTQ+ inclusion in education. Schools and universities implemented diversity training, multicultural curricula, and affirmative action policies to promote equitable access to education.  While DEI became a more widely discussed topic in recent years, its roots in American education go back decades.  Some schools incorporate discussions on these subjects, while others face restrictions on teaching them. According to a Pew Research Center survey, 56% of teachers reported that topics related to racism and racial inequality came up in their classrooms at least sometimes, while 29% said the same about sexual orientation and gender identity. The survey also found that these discussions are more common in urban and suburban schools than in rural areas.  Sixty percent of teachers believe parents should not be able to opt their children out of discussions on racism and racial inequality. Schools are not pushing critical race theory or promoting gender decisions.

17 Keep men out of women’s sports—There are so few men who are transgender.  Only 1.4% of youth aged 13-17 identify as transgender.  Only about 33% report as males. Of the transgender group few compete in sports events.  Transgender youth make up a small fraction of all athletes. For example, NCAA President Charlie Baker testified in December 2024 that fewer than ten transgender college student-athletes were among a total 510,000 athletes. Research also suggests that states allowing transgender participation tend to have more girls participating in sports than states with bans.

18 Deport pro-Hamas radicals and make our college campuses safe and patriotic again– This goal flies in the face of all that America stands for.  Freedom of speech is guaranteed by the First Amendment.  Many may not like those who do not agree with their personal position or that of the government, but our Bill of Rights guarantees those individuals the right to speak out.  Our universities and college campuses have always been a place where this right exists without fear of retaliation.  We recently noted the heartbreak when President Nixon attempted to curb the right to peaceful anti-war demonstration at Kent State.  These types of demonstrations and sometimes violent ones are not the rule, but rather the exception.   

19 Secure our elections, including same day voting, voter identification, paper ballots, and proof of citizenship—Again, another false issue!  Our elections have been secure.  It has only been since President Trump’s claims of a stolen election that the issue has been raised.  The facts have shown that Trump’s claims have no merit.  Under the Trump administration, the government is making it more difficult for many to vote.  Just the opposite of what Is needed! While instances of voter fraud do occur, multiple studies and investigations have found that widespread fraud is rare. Election officials and experts generally agree that the election system has safeguards, such as voter registration requirements, identification checks, and audits of results in place to prevent fraud.

20 Unite our country by bringing it to new and record levels of success—What a joke!  From the very beginning President Trump through his rhetoric has increased divisions in our country.  However, there is hope that through its own policies, the nation may be uniting against his agenda.  Consider the most recent polls which show mixed approval ratings for the president and his policies. In various surveys, his overall approval rating has hovered around 40-45%. Some of his policies, such as tariff increases and government cuts, have faced majority disapproval, with 59% opposing tariffs and 55% disapproving of federal department reductions.