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Since President Donald Trump was inaugurated on January 20, 2025, he has signed many executive orders toward fulfilling his campaign promises on immigration. He vowed to deport millions of undocumented immigrants and has acted accordingly. A BBC article by Nadine Yousif quantifies that over 1,000 people were removed on just the fourth day of the Trump administration. He has expanded the range of all deportations, resulting in the ability to expedite removals anywhere in the United States when undocumented migrants are unable to verify that they have been living in the country for over two years.

President Trump’s extreme policies may be advertised as methods to improve safety within the country, but instead, they are proving to harm the general public as families are increasingly being torn apart. As deportation expands, stronger xenophobic beliefs are instilled into American society, allowing for more hatred and unsafe environments. Additionally, immigrants have a greater sense of fear, resulting in their absence from work and school, and their decreasing participation in healthcare.

Executive orders have been signed to suspend all entries from undocumented migrants into the country. People in need of a safe environment are unable to rely on the U.S., leaving many migrants unable to seek the help they need. President Trump has also disrupted the U.S. refugee settlement program. Many refugees are struggling as they are denied benefits that they had once received, causing financial hardship. Because some refugees cannot even pay their rent or support themselves, they are also unable to contribute to the community. Refugees and asylum seekers contribute to the economy, so these new policies will unduly harm the country.

As time continues to pass, we will be able to better understand the long-term effects of these new immigration policies, but for now, a large portion of the population only seems to be struggling.