John,

President Trump’s second administration has implemented sweeping changes to the U.S. immigration system during its first 100 days, fundamentally reshaping border security, enforcement priorities, humanitarian pathways, and legal immigration processes.

Check out our newly released explainer to read about the key immigration-related actions and developments of the new administration.

The administration has, among other things, prioritized operational control at the border, increased detention and removal operations, and introduced new restrictions on asylum, refugee resettlement, and legal immigration. Border encounters have continued to decrease dramatically, but administrative actions have also created heightened uncertainty not only for immigrants, refugees, and mixed-status families across the country but also for American businesses, schools, churches, and communities in general.

While restrictions on immigration have been the dominant theme for the first 100 days, the administration has also floated a handful of pro-immigration proposals, including a "Gold Card" for wealthy immigrants and a pathway to legal status for certain farmworkers. These more positive proposals remain limited in scope and have not been implemented.

Read our new resource to get a more in-depth analysis of how these interconnected measures are reshaping the nation’s immigration system.

The past 100 days represent a profound transformation of U.S. immigration policy through an unprecedented series of executive actions, with far-reaching consequences not only for immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and their families. While the administration has achieved historically low border encounters, it continues to face significant operational, legal, and fiscal constraints in pursuing its broader enforcement agenda.

As always, our team will continue to monitor these and any new actions and developments. We’ll post any new resources on our website, so please make sure to keep an eye on it. In the meantime, don’t forget to check out our new explainer and share it with people in your networks.

Laurence Benenson
Vice President of Policy & Advocacy
National Immigration Forum

P.S. The Forum recently launched a "Security and … " campaign to emphasize that we can talk about security and immigration without compromising other American values. Register here for upcoming webinars.