United States President Donald Trump has hit the ground running by signing a series of executive actions addressing immigration, climate policy, and criminal justice.
Tribune Online reports that Trump was sworn in on Monday as the 47th president of the United States.
Shortly after his inauguration, Trump signed numerous executive orders, presidential memorandums, and directives outlining his administration’s priorities.
Below are some of the key executive orders signed by Trump on his first day.
Immigration and Border Policies
Trump signed an executive order terminating the “catch and release” policy, which permits migrants to reside in US communities while awaiting their hearings.
He has also pledged to “launch the largest deportation program in American history” and eliminate the longstanding policy that prevents federal immigration authorities from carrying out raids in churches and schools.
- National Emergency at the Border
He also declared a national emergency at the southern border, suspending the US refugee resettlement programme and targeting birthright citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
The president ordered the military to “seal the borders” to combat drug trafficking, human smuggling, and crime.
- Resumption of Wall-Building
He has directed agencies to restart construction of the southern border wall.
Reinstated a policy requiring asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases are processed.
- Death Penalty for Immigrant Crimes
Also, he reinstated death penalty for certain crimes, including capital offences committed by undocumented immigrants.
Crime and Terrorism
- Gang and Cartel Designations
He ordered the classification of international gangs, including MS-13, as foreign terrorist organisations.
TikTok
On TikTok, he extended the deadline for its parent company, ByteDance to find a US partner and also ensured the resumption of the app functioning in the country after a 12-hour outage following the Supreme Court ban.
Governance and Federal Workforce
- Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)
He signed the executive order for the creation of a new advisory body led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to reduce government costs.
Trump also halted all new federal hiring except for military positions.
Mandated that all federal workers return to in-office work, reversing work-from-home policies.
Social Policies
He once again vowed that the US would only recognise two sexes, male and female.
Eliminated all diversity, equity, and inclusion programmes within federal agencies.
Energy and Climate Policies
- Withdrawal from the Paris Agreement
Reinstated the US withdrawal from the international climate accord.
- National Energy Emergency
He declared an energy emergency, promoting fossil fuel production and halting green energy projects.
Foreign Policy
Paused foreign aid and ordered reviews of assistance programmes.
Reversed Biden’s removal of Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and announced possible sanctions against Venezuela.
Renaming
He has directed the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America”.
Similarly, he ordered the renaming of Alaska’s Mount Denali back to Mount McKinley.
Capitol Riot Pardons
In a controversial move, he Issued pardons for nearly 1,600 individuals involved in the 2021 Capitol riot.
Commuted sentences of Proud Boys and Oath Keepers convicted of seditious conspiracy.
Economic Measures
Ordered agencies to address the cost of living for Americans, including housing, healthcare, and fuel.
Health and COVID Policies
Revoked vaccine mandates for federal workers and reinstated military personnel discharged due to vaccine requirements.
Regulatory Changes
Trump also ordered the rescinding of no fewer than 80 regulations from Biden’s administration.
Stopped federal agencies from issuing new regulations until further notice.
Censorship and Political Prosecutions
- Restoration of Free Speech
Ordered investigations into alleged government censorship and interference in free speech.
Launched a review of alleged political prosecutions during the Biden administration.
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