Immigration and border security were hot topics in 2024 as the Biden administration continued to address the historic migrant crisis at the southern border, immigration crime made headlines across the country, and both issues were top priorities for voters heading into the election. November.
In 2025, those issues are likely to remain key issues. Here are five things to keep in mind in 2025:
BORDER STATE OFFERS TRUMP MASSIVE LOT OF LAND TO HELP IN MASS DEPORTATION OPERATION
U.S. Border Patrol vehicles pick up groups of vulnerable migrants, including unaccompanied minors who had crossed from Mexico, in May 2023 in El Paso, Texas. (John Moore/Getty Images)
Does Trump deliver?
President-elect Trump has promised to launch a historic mass deportation program next year. He has expressed his willingness to declare a national emergency and use military assets to achieve it. His team has already begun looking at how to expand detention near major metropolitan areas.
Trump’s border czar, Thomas Homan, has promised that national security and threats to public safety will be the priority, but no illegal immigrant is off the table. The Trump administration significantly increased deportations until 2019, before COVID-19 reached the United States, so it is expected to move in that direction again.
Trump may need to mobilize Congress for additional resources, a task made easier by Republican control of the House and Senate, and will have to overcome potential lawsuits filed against any policies he introduces.
At the congressional level, a push is expected for a sweeping bill like HR2, the Republican border bill passed in 2023 that would significantly limit asylum while providing additional resources at the border.
Will the Democrats resist?
Officials in several Democratic states have already anticipated resistance to the Trump administration’s deportation push. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston recently said he was willing to go to jail for his opposition to Trump’s deportation plan.
Meanwhile, the governors of Massachusetts, Illinois and Arizona have said they will not cooperate with deportations.
Trump officials say they don’t need their help, just to stand aside while federal authorities do their job. But it will be something to watch to see if Democratic officials simply don’t help the administration or if that turns into active resistance.
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with House Republicans at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Washington, DC, on November 13, 2024. (ALLISON Robbert/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Mexican cooperation?
Mexico plays a crucial role in securing the US-Mexico border, and lower levels of encounters at the US border often coincide with crackdowns on Mexico’s southern border.
This became evident in 2024, when the number of people at the border decreased after Biden administration officials met with Mexican officials in December 2023. The two countries had previously reached an agreement in which the United States would allow the entry of immigrants through parole programs, while Mexico would consequently allow the entry of immigrants. accept a certain number of foreign returns from the US
But with President-elect Trump promising to end those programs, it remains unclear to what extent Mexico will continue to cooperate.
Trump has promised to impose a significant 25% tariff on products from Mexico if he does not stop the flow of illegal immigrants across the border. It’s a similar tactic by which Trump got Mexico to agree to the 2019 expansion of the stay in Mexico policy.
But will it work? Will Mexico keep northbound traffic down or reduce its control? That will be a question answered in 2025.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS
What will Congress do?
Congress has struggled to find consensus on border security and immigration, something that has frustrated multiple administrations. President Biden and former President Barack Obama were frustrated in their efforts to get Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform, while President-elect Trump struggled to get lawmakers to provide funding for the wall on the southern border.
Republicans now control the House and Senate, but by narrow margins. So it’s unclear whether Trump will ever see a sweeping bill similar to the House Republicans’ border bill that passed the chamber in 2023 reach his desk.
Trump can do a lot through executive action, but his mass deportation plan will require additional funding from Congress. The extent to which Congress acts on those requests could determine how successful that effort will be, along with additional security at the southern border to prevent migrants from entering the United States in the first place.
Legal immigration?
While illegal immigration is in the spotlight after the historic crisis at the southern border, it will likely be a key issue in the next administration, with some wanting additional restrictions not only on the use of humanitarian permits but also on visas such as the H -1B. visa technical worker program and the H-2A agricultural worker program.
Additionally, the administration may try to reimplement its 2019 public charge rule, which limited legal immigrants from receiving green cards if they have used some forms of welfare and are considered likely to rely on it in the future. The administration is expected to reduce the number of people entering through parole, which was significantly expanded under the Biden administration, and is also expected to reduce the annual refugee cap.
President-elect Trump and other members of his future administration – including billionaire Elon Musk – have at times said they want more immigration, but only legal immigration.
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“I want a lot of people to come to our country, but I want them to do it legally,” Trump said in October.
But some in Trump’s base want lower levels of immigration overall, including legal immigration. Which side of the argument wins will become clearer as the year 2025 progresses.
