EO 14165: Securing Our Borders

TLDR

This executive order implements stricter border security through physical barriers, enhanced enforcement, and mandatory detention. Key changes include ending “catch-and-release,” reinstating “Remain in Mexico,” terminating CBP One and specific parole programs, and requiring DNA testing. Implementation challenges include funding, legal hurdles, and operational disruptions.

This executive order is focused on border security and immigration enforcement.

The order establishes a comprehensive border security strategy centered on physical barriers, enhanced enforcement, and strict detention policies. The administration identifies what it terms as an “unprecedented flood of illegal aliens” over the previous four years as the primary justification for these measures.

Physical infrastructure:

• Mandates construction of temporary and permanent physical barriers along the southern border
• Requires deployment of adequate personnel and technology to monitor these barriers

Enforcement protocols:

• Ends the “catch-and-release” practice
• Reinstates the Migrant Protection Protocols (“Remain in Mexico” policy)
• Terminates the CBP One application system for parole processing
• Discontinues specific parole programs for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans

Operational changes:

• Implements mandatory DNA testing and identification requirements for detained individuals
• Prioritizes prosecution of border-related offenses, including human trafficking
• Requires enhanced cooperation between federal and state law enforcement
• Mandates detention of apprehended individuals until removal

The order provides a clear framework for border enforcement and establishes specific operational objectives. It addresses multiple aspects of border security, from physical infrastructure to legal enforcement mechanisms.

Implementation may face several obstacles:

• Requires significant funding and resources for construction and personnel
• May face legal challenges regarding detention policies
• International cooperation requirements could be complex to negotiate
• Immediate termination of existing programs could create operational disruptions

The order includes a 14-day deadline for relevant cabinet secretaries to provide additional recommendations for border security measures. Most provisions take immediate effect, though implementation timelines will vary based on operational requirements and resource availability.

LITIGTION

• Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center et al v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security

ACTIONS

• 2025-03-05: Trump officials to reopen Texas detention center for migrant families | The Washington Post — The Trump administration is reopening the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas for migrant families facing deportation, resuming the practice of detaining children four years after the Biden administration ended it. CoreCivic, the private prison contractor operating the facility, announced an agreement with ICE to reopen the center with capacity for 2,400 people, expecting annual revenue of $180 million including medical services.
• 2025-03-03: State Dept. to use AI to revoke visas of foreign students who appear “pro-Hamas” — The State Department launched an AI-powered “Catch and Revoke” program to cancel visas of foreign nationals appearing to support Hamas or other designated terror groups. This initiative involves AI-assisted reviews of student visa holders’ social media accounts and has resulted in the arrest of pro-Palestinian activists, sparking concerns about immigrants’ free speech rights.
• 2025-03-01: The IRS new acting IRS commissioner, Melanie Krause, took over the agency and quickly indicated she was interested in exploring how to comply with the DHS request for home addresses for 700,000 individuals | The Washington Post — Melanie Krause, who took over as acting IRS commissioner on March 1, 2025, quickly indicated her willingness to explore compliance with the DHS request for information on undocumented immigrants. The article describes how the IRS initially rejected DHS requests for addresses of 700,000 people suspected of being in the country illegally, but Krause’s acquiescence marked a potential shift in the agency’s stance on sharing taxpayer information with immigration authorities.
• 2025-02-27: ICE detains mother and brother of El Monte woman battling cancer — ICE has detained an undocumented mother named Yolanda, 50, and her son Johnathan in El Monte, California, leaving Yolanda’s daughter Xitlali, who is battling bone cancer, without her primary caretakers. Xitlali, a U.S. citizen, relies heavily on her mother for care during chemotherapy while her brother was the family’s financial provider, and according to their attorney, there is little hope they will be able to remain in the country despite protests from friends and relatives.

REFERENCES

• 2025-03-23: Immigrant women describe ‘hell on earth’ in ICE detention — Immigrant women detained at the Krome North Processing Center in Miami describe horrific conditions including being chained for hours without access to bathrooms, held in overcrowded cells, and denied basic necessities like food, water, and sanitary products. The allegations come as ICE detention facilities are operating above capacity, with the Trump administration working to expand immigrant detention while lowering standards, despite government investigators repeatedly finding serious problems in these facilities.
• 2025-03-21: Welsh tourist in US chained ‘like Hannibal Lecter’ — A tourist from Wales was detained in the US for 19 days and deported in chains, with her parents describing her as “traumatised” after being transported in leg chains, waist chains, and handcuffs. Becky Burke, who was helping host families with housework in exchange for accommodation during her backpacking trip, was denied entry to Canada and subsequently detained by US authorities who may have suspected she violated the terms of her tourist visa.
• 2025-03-20: UK issues new ‘travel warning’ to anyone going to the US | World | News | Express.co.uk — The UK and Germany have issued updated travel advisories for citizens traveling to the United States, warning of stricter enforcement of immigration rules and potential detention for those who violate entry regulations.
• 2025-03-20: I’m the Canadian who was detained by Ice for two weeks. It felt like I had been kidnapped | US immigration | The Guardian — Canadian Jasmine Mooney was detained by ICE for two weeks after a border officer revoked her work visa, experiencing harsh conditions in detention facilities where she was held without explanation despite having legal representation and media attention. Her story highlights the systemic issues within immigration detention, where she witnessed numerous women with similar experiences trapped in a profit-driven system that offers little transparency or dignity to those detained.
• 2025-03-17: We’ve officially entered the next phase of Trump’s dictatorship era. — The article discusses how the Trump administration has escalated its challenge to constitutional limits by defying federal court orders regarding deportations and claiming unlimited executive power. It details specific instances where immigration authorities ignored judicial directives, including the deportation of a kidney transplant specialist and Venezuelan migrants, while also highlighting Trump’s attempt to void Biden’s pardons of January 6 committee members.
• 2025-03-16: How Trump’s White House defied a judge’s order halting deportations — The Trump administration ignored a federal judge’s order to turn back two deportation flights of alleged Venezuelan gang members on Saturday, March 15, 2025, claiming the planes were over international waters when the ruling came and therefore it didn’t apply. This unprecedented defiance of a court order has been described as the start of a “true constitutional crisis” by critics, while the White House welcomes the legal fight and believes it will win at the Supreme Court. The administration’s decision to proceed with the deportations was orchestrated by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Noem, who acted on advice from administration lawyers that the judge’s ruling was not applicable over international waters. El Salvador President Nayib Bukele mockingly celebrated the arrival of the deportees with a social media post saying “Oopsie… too late” with a laughing emoji, which was retweeted by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
• 2025-03-16: Black Saturday: The Day the United States Ceased to Be a Constitutional Democracy | The Intellectualist — Black Saturday, March 15, 2025, marked the moment when the United States ceased to function as a constitutional democracy as a sitting president openly defied a federal court order without consequences. This unprecedented defiance exposed the judiciary as powerless against an executive branch that decided it could ignore legal rulings, demonstrating how democratic systems collapse through the normalization of such defiance. The groundwork for this moment was laid through previous failures to hold the president accountable, including failed impeachments, stalled criminal cases, and the Supreme Court’s expansion of presidential immunity to the point where the office became functionally above the law. According to the article, this event represents not just a crisis in democracy but its actual collapse, as the constitutional system of checks and balances has fundamentally failed with no meaningful mechanism left to constrain executive power.
• 2025-03-16: He voted for Trump. Then ICE detained his wife. — The article describes how Trump’s mass deportation efforts have expanded to include immigrants with pending legal status applications, including those married to US citizens. Bradley Bartell, a Trump voter, is shocked after his Peruvian wife Camila Muñoz was detained by ICE at an airport despite their ongoing green card application process, along with several other non-criminal immigrants in similar situations.
• 2025-03-15: B.C. woman returns home after 12 days in U.S. detention centres — Canadian entrepreneur Jasmine Mooney returned to Vancouver after being detained for 12 days in U.S. immigration detention centers following her attempt to apply for a visa at the U.S.-Mexico border. Despite being released, Mooney stated she was never informed about the reasons for her detention, crediting her release to the efforts of friends, family, and media attention.
• 2025-03-14: Draft List for New Travel Ban Proposes Trump Target 43 Countries — The Trump administration is considering a new travel ban targeting citizens from up to 43 countries. The draft proposal categorizes countries into three tiers: a “red” list of 11 countries facing a complete travel ban, an “orange” list of 10 countries with significant visa restrictions, and a “yellow” list of 22 countries given 60 days to address security concerns.
• 2025-03-12: State Department puts “X” passport applicants in limbo — The US State Department has suspended processing of passport applications with “X” gender markers, requiring applicants to provide evidence of their biological sex assigned at birth. This policy change effectively denies some US citizens the ability to obtain passports and travel internationally without legal basis.
• 2025-03-11: Mahmoud Khalil: ICE arrest of Palestinian activist has chilling implications | Vox — The article discusses the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian immigrant with a green card who was involved in protests at Columbia University. The Trump administration is accused of violating First Amendment rights by detaining him without criminal charges, claiming he “led activities aligned to Hamas,” which raises concerns about political targeting and could have broader implications for free speech in America.
• 2025-03-10: US unveils new app for ‘self-deportations’ of undocumented migrants — The Trump administration is repurposing the CBP One app (now called CBP Home) to allow undocumented migrants to “self-deport” by submitting an “intent to depart” through the application, which officials say may give them an opportunity to return legally in the future. This initiative is part of the administration’s broader immigration strategy that includes creating a national registry for undocumented migrants, pausing parole programs, and launching a $200 million ad campaign urging migrants to “stay out and leave now.”
• 2025-03-10: Trump confirms arrest and detention of Palestinian activist: ‘the first arrest of many to come’ — In a post on Truth Social, president Donald Trump confirmed the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent Palestinian activist and permanent US resident with a green card. “This is the first arrest of many to come,” Trump said. The president said Ice took Khalil into custody after his executive order and claimed, without evidence, that similar activists on college campuses are paid agitators, not students.
• 2025-03-05: Trump’s USCIS wants to review all prospective citizens’ social media accounts | The Verge — The Trump administration has proposed a new policy requiring applicants for US citizenship, green cards, asylum, or refugee status to disclose their social media handles as part of enhanced vetting procedures. This policy, which would affect over 3.5 million people according to USCIS estimates, is being implemented to comply with Trump’s executive order on national security screening of immigrants.
• 2025-02-15: ICE struggles to boost arrest numbers despite infusion of resources — Despite increased resources and efforts, ICE is struggling to meet the Trump administration’s goals for immigration arrests, leading to internal dissatisfaction and criticism. Simultaneously, Indian American communities are experiencing heightened fear due to ICE raids, prompting local leaders to advocate for balanced and compassionate immigration policies.