AILA Responds to Initial Plans for Executive Orders on Immigration from Trump Administration

Washington, DC – Kelli Stump, President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), and Ben Johnson, AILA Executive Director, responded to the planned executive orders announced during the inauguration speech of President Trump today, January 20, 2025, with the following comments:

Kelli Stump, AILA President, noted, “President Trump announced plans for what he called ‘bold actions’ to address the border and immigration concerns. Frankly, absent more details, it doesn’t appear that these changes will actually make America safer. Instead, they undermine the effectiveness of the immigration system that is essential to the nation’s prosperity. Border numbers are lower than they were when he left office, yet he is moving forward with declaring a ‘border emergency’ and directing the U.S. military to the southern border. Doing so politicizes our armed services’ vital work and potentially endangers the longstanding prohibition on military force being used inside the U.S. He plans to end refugee resettlement despite individuals, families, and communities stepping up to help welcome the stranger as part of their faith and commitment to America’s promise. All of this feels very much like grandstanding for political gain and won’t actually solve any of the challenges facing us or make us more secure. Actual solutions remain off the table.”

Ben Johnson, AILA Executive Director, added, “Poll after poll show that the American people want real solutions, and the Wall Street Journal showed over the weekend that the public turns away from mass deportations. Rather than taking the opportunity to address problems in a humane way that prioritizes how immigrant contributions make America great and ensures our fundamental values of fairness and justice, President Trump is dragging America down with harmful policies affecting immigrants, communities across the country, the entire economy, and our standing in the world. Remain in Mexico was harmful and literally led to asylum seekers’ deaths; reimplementing it erodes due process and undermines existing asylum laws passed by Congress. He also plans to attempt an end run around the Constitution itself and end birthright citizenship. Sadly, this and more was all described and prioritized on his day one. AILA members and experts will analyze and share insights into the written orders over the coming days.”

AILA’s solutions-oriented framework for the border and immigration system more broadly is available on our website.

A page dedicated to tracking changes announced and implemented by the Trump Administration will be available here.