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Welcome to President Trump’s fortress America.
In just three days, the commander in chief has moved to dramatically beef up security at the border — with plans to send in 10,000 US troops and summarily detain and deport any illegal border crossers.
The sweeping changes underway are meant to help US law enforcement agencies to stop illegal migrants from entering the country, and make it easier to send back the ones who are already here.
Targeted arrests of hundreds of illegal immigrants with criminal records began in sanctuary cities around the country on Tuesday, and the Department of Justice is vowing to crack down on sanctuary jurisdiction that interferes with immigration enforcement.
This rapid shift in enforcement stands in stark contrast to the open border policy of the previous administration, which allowed nearly 8 million migrants to enter the US illegally in just four years.
US officials on Wednesday announced the Pentagon will start deploying up to 1,500 active duty troops to the Mexican border, joining approximately 2,200 US National Guard and Reserve forces already in place.
Trump is now weighing a plan to send up to 10,000 troops to the border as part of his order to the Department of Defense to “seal the borders” and thwart “unlawful mass migration,” the Washington Post reported.
Trump also fired the head of the US Coast Guard — the first woman to hold the job — for an “erosion of trust” in the service.
He then ordered the Coast Guard to begin sending a surge of resources to migrant-prone areas on the high seas, including around Cuba and Haiti.
Coast Guard cutters and aircraft will also step up patrols around Alaska and Hawaii, and US territories like Guam, American Samoa, the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, the agency said.
Additional areas of focus will be the maritime borders between the US and the Bahamas and Mexico.
Trump has further ordered Customs and Border Protection agents to stop releasing illegal immigrants with a court date, and instead hold them in custody until they can be deported.
This effectively puts an end to the so-called “catch-and-release” policy of the Biden administration, under which migrants caught sneaking in would be given a court date and released on the honor system.
The Washington Post, citing Border Patrol briefing documents, also reported that Trump is preparing to order that all asylum seekers will be denied entry to the US. The document cites the risks of “communicable diseases” in the countries that they passed through as the legal justification for turning them away.
Trump has also dramatically loosened the restrictions on how ICE can conduct deportation raids — removing bans on operating in courthouses, churches and other places that illegal migrants had previously been shielded from immigration authorities.
Word of stepped-up enforcement and looming deportation raids by the Trump administration has spread quickly to illegal immigrant strongholds.
Chicago’s bustling shopping district — colloquially known as the “Mexico of the Midwest” — has already seen foot traffic tumble by 50% — leaving empty sidewalks and shuttered businesses along the two-mile stretch of shops and restaurants.
The sudden exodus, residents say, is over fears of the coming crackdown, which could see those here unlawfully being arrested and deported.
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