(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump will put pen to paper Monday, signing a slew of executive orders relating to ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the federal government, strictly defining two sexes and enforcing heightened border security.
The president is expected to make good on several campaign promises on his first day in office, but many of his executive orders will likely come up against legal opposition in the coming days.
An executive order is a signed statement about how the president wants the federal government to be managed. They can come in the form of instructions to federal agencies or requests for reports.
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“Today I will sign a series of executive orders. With these actions, we will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense,” Trump said during his inauguration speech Monday.
Trump is expected to sign these executive orders Monday afternoon:
Border
Diversity and inclusion
Border-related executive orders
Trump will declare a national emergency at the southern border
This order would help the secretary of defense quickly and seamlessly deploy members of armed forces to the border and free up more federal resources.
Trump will end catch and release of migrants
Border czar Tim Homan said the Trump administration would be ending the federal “catch and release” program, which allows immigrants who entered the country illegally to remain in the country as long as they are in the process for asylum.
“Stay in your homeland,” Homan told NewsNation last month. “Be safe. Crossing into this country illegally is very dangerous.”
Trump will reinstate the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy
During his first term, Trump implemented the “Remain in Mexico” policy, also called “Migration Protection Protocols,” which required asylum-seekers to stay in Mexico until their claims were processed. Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration ended the policy in 2022.
Under the order, this policy would be reinstated.
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Trump will resume border wall construction
Trump began construction of the southern border wall during his first administration in an effort to prevent illegal crossings. Under the order, work would resume.
Trump will designate cartels as global terrorists
After being elected, Trump revived a campaign vow to designate Mexico’s drug cartels as terrorist groups.
“I will immediately designate the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations,” Trump said.
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While in office in 2019, Trump dropped the plan at the request of Mexico’s then-President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who said he wanted U.S. cooperation in fighting drug gangs.
Trump will suspend refugee resettlement for 4 months
Trump, who put tight limits on refugees in his first term, has vowed to “suspend refugee resettlement” for four months as part of a broader effort to “immediately end the migrant invasion of America.”
Trump will end birthright citizenship
The president said he would end birthright citizenship, the right of children born in the U.S. to claim citizenship regardless of their parents’ immigration status. The 14th Amendment guarantees American citizenship to anyone born in the U.S.
Only constitutional amendments, not executive orders or legislation, can change the Constitution. Trump said he intends to issue an executive order to end the practice, though executive orders cannot overturn constitutional amendments.
Trump will direct the military to prioritize borders
White House officials said the order would “clarify the military’s role in protecting the territorial integrity of the United States” by sending military personnel to the border, pushing the Department of Defense to erect barriers and green-lighting the use of drones and other surveillance measures.
Trump will order enhanced border vetting and screening
Under this order, the president is expected to tighten up the vetting and screening of migrants entering the country.
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Diversity and inclusion
Trump will define gender as two sexes
Trump officials said the order will direct federal agencies to enforce laws in order to protect men and women as distinct sexes and use sex, not gender, in federal policies and documents.
The Trump administration will maintain there are two sexes, “male” and “female,” and that “they are grounded in incontrovertible reality,” one official said. The official added the federal government will use the sex of a person at birth to determine how they are classified.
Under the order, government-issued identity documents, including passports and visas, will reflect a holder’s sex. The order is expected to state that the federal government will no longer promote gender ideology, according to officials.
Trump will end federal DEI programs
A Trump official said an executive order will end “radical wasteful DEI programs and preferences” in the federal government in order to “create equal treatment.”
DEI refers to diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
This order will end funding for DEI funding in the government and will direct the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management to end “illegal mandates, preferences.”
“This is going to be a priority,” one official said.
This story is developing. Refresh for updates.
