Incoming President Donald Trump is set to declare a “national emergency” at the US-Mexico border as part of a flurry of executive orders aimed at promptly rolling back policies of the Biden administration.
Trump, who will be inaugurated on Monday, is anticipated to sign up to 100 executive orders on his first day, addressing various matters including immigration, energy, the economy, and gender-related issues.
In line with his agenda, Trump will also order the resumption of construction on the border wall and designate certain criminal organizations as foreign terrorist groups.
During his campaign, Trump promised to dismantle what he referred to as Joe Biden’s “open-border” policies.
In a series of briefings with reporters on Monday morning, officials from the incoming Trump administration detailed a range of executive orders the president-elect intends to apply upon taking office. This includes executive orders aimed at what an official described as “common-sense immigration policy.”
One of the proposed changes is to end birthright citizenship, meaning that children born in the US to undocumented migrants would no longer automatically receive US citizenship.
However, birthright citizenship is guaranteed by the US Constitution and would require a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers of Congress for any change. The official did not elaborate on how Trump intends to achieve this.
Under the national emergency declaration for the border, Trump will also instruct the Department of Defense to “seal the border” and use additional resources, including counter-drone technology and personnel.
The Trump administration also plans to reinstate the contentious “Remain in Mexico” policy, which mandates that migrants wait in Mexico while their asylum claims are processed.
Incoming officials also indicated that Trump would initiate a comprehensive approach to combat inflation and issue executive orders aimed at increasing US energy production and reducing consumer energy costs.
Despite these economic efforts, officials confirmed that no new tariffs would be imposed on Inauguration Day, even though they had been a central part of Trump’s economic plans. He had previously announced intentions to impose tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and Taiwan from his first day in office.
Also, officials disclosed that Trump intends to close the government’s office on “DEI” (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) and officially reaffirm the recognition of two sexes—male and female—as formal policy.
Karoline Leavitt, the incoming White House Communications Director, tweeted that Trump would also push for renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.”
The tallest mountain in the US, Denali, will revert to its old name, Mount McKinley, which it held until President Barack Obama renamed it in 2015.
Trump will formally become president at midday local time (1700 GMT) in Washington, and is expected to sign executive orders shortly after his inauguration.
Following the ceremony, Trump will deliver his inaugural speech, followed by a lunch event and several inaugural balls in the evening.
Approximately 20,000 people are expected to attend the event, which has been moved indoors to the Capitol building due to concerns about the freezing temperatures in Washington, DC.
This group is part of the 220,000 ticketed guests who had initially planned to witness the event from the National Mall.
A stage has been set up at the center of the area, which some speculated might be used for signing executive orders in front of Trump supporters.
