Trump's Assault on Legal Immigration: A Cruel and Lawless Approach

The Trump administration has launched a concerted campaign to restrict legal immigration, expanding on the policies of predecessors Barack Obama and Joe Biden. While the latter's administration was criticized for its aggressive approach to undocumented immigration, Trump's emphasis on blocking pathways to legal migration is unprecedented. This assault on legal immigrants has accelerated in his second term, with court rulings deemed irrelevant by the administration. The tactics employed by Trump's administration, such as revoking the legal status of hundreds of thousands of humanitarian parolees, demonstrate a willingness to defy established precedent and disregard human rights.

Key Takeaways:

• The Trump administration has expanded on the policies of Obama and Biden by blocking more pathways to legal migration, despite criticism from immigration activists who dubbed Obama the "deporter-in-chief".
• Trump's assault on legal immigrants has escalated in his second term, with court rulings deemed irrelevant by the administration.
• The administration has revoked the legal status of hundreds of thousands of humanitarian parolees who had applied for entry through the CBP One app.
• The CBP One app allowed people facing humanitarian crises to apply for asylum while still abroad, and enabled them to travel to the US safely if approved.
• Trump's cancellation of the program for future and existing enrollments is a disturbing assault on legal immigration.
• The administration's tactics, including the capricious revocation of legal status, have been criticized as cruel and lawless.
• Immigration activists and researchers have condemned Trump's policies, citing their devastating impact on vulnerable populations.

Statistics:

• Hundreds of thousands of people were able to migrate legally and escape difficult conditions through the CBP One app.
• Nearly a million humanitarian parolees had their legal status revoked by the Trump administration.
• Trump's administration has sought to revoke temporary protected status for hundreds of thousands of immigrants who have come to the US to flee extreme conditions.
• The Trump administration is estimated to have arrested at least 10,000 legal asylum seekers and detained them in maximum-security facilities.

Sources:

• The Guardian (no date)
• Refuge Beyond Reach by David Fitzgerald (2019)
• Vassar College Professor Daniel Mendiola