Overview:

In just 100 days, the Trump administration has issued 175 immigration actions—far more than President Biden did during his own early presidency, and six times as many as Trump's first term. The new wave of policies includes controversial executive orders, expanded interior ICE enforcement, and court challenges with wide-ranging implications for both undocumented and legally present immigrants.


By Fisayo Okare
President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office have been marked by sweeping executive actions on immigration policy impacting both undocumented immigrants and those who are lawfully present in the United States. The Trump administration has taken 175 major immigration actions so far, according to the Migration Policy Institute . That’s more than the 94 in the first 100 days of the Biden administration and six times as many as the actions taken during Trump’s first tenure in office.

Below, we highlight some of the changes in the last 100 days, including pending court cases, ICE enforcement inside the country compared to at the border, the growing number of foreign student visa revocations — and how much this moment will define the future.

Court Cases and Lawsuits

In response to the administration’s immigration actions, multiple plaintiffs have brought 50 lawsuits, including class action, individual lawsuits, and lawsuits challenging the administration’s policies. “Three (of) which have already made their way to the Supreme Court. That itself is unusual,” said Muzaffar Chishti, a senior fellow and director of the Migration Policy Institute office at NYU School of Law, at a webinar for immigration professionals, reporters, and advocates on Thursday, which Documented attended.

Chishti highlighted the controversial executive action to end birthright citizenship for children born in the United States who don’t have at least one parent who is a citizen or a lawful permanent resident, noting, “The fact that you grant oral argument even just on emergency applications is almost unprecedented,” Chishti said. That executive order is facing a challenge in the Supreme Court after federal district courts in the states of Maryland, Massachusetts, and Washington filed preliminary injunctions against the executive action.

The Trump administration is arguing that a state attorney general cannot file lawsuits on behalf of the citizens of their state. The Supreme Court will hear arguments in that case on May 15 .

Two other cases that have gotten increased public attention in regard to the Supreme Court are those of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and someone identified only as the pseudonym “Cristian” , both of whom were wrongfully deported to El Salvador.

The Supreme Court unanimously affirmed that the government may facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia, but the Trump administration has not complied so far. The district court judge in Maryland has now scheduled a discovery process about whether the government is making any effort to comply with the Supreme Court’s order to bring Abrego Garcia back to the U.S.

Cristian was part of a class action lawsuit from 2019 in which the U.S. federal government agreed to not deport a class of people who had been granted protection when they came to the U.S. as minors. He was deported to El Salvador on the same day as Abrego Garcia, in violation of that settlement agreement.

Meanwhile, students have reportedly had their visas revoked or status altered in federal databases, blocking their ability to travel, work, or obtain new visas. The legality of these actions is under intense scrutiny , with over 40 lawsuits filed and some federal judges around the country issuing federal orders for some students’ records to be temporarily restored. More than 1,800 students have lost their F-1 or J-1 student status as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration and alleged antisemitism — far higher than Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s initial estimate of 300 students.

ICE’s arrest of students who speak out against the war in Gaza also continues to gain momentum. For instance, the arrest of 30-year-old Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil has drawn sharp criticism from civil rights groups and lawmakers, who view it as a violation of First Amendment rights. Only fourteen House members have called for his release , calling it an attempt to criminalize protest.

ICE Interior Enforcement Has Aggressively Expanded

With border arrivals down — around 7,000 in March, a historic low — the Trump administration has increased its expedited removals in the interior of the country. “Expedited removal had typically only been used at the border, and now it’s been expanded into the interior, and so that’s a way to try to quickly remove people who’ve been in the country for two years or less, who don’t have a lawful status,” said Kathleen Bush-Joseph, a lawyer and policy analyst with the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at MPI. Bush-Joseph said with expedited removals happening within the interior of the U.S., ICE practices and problems that are common at the border have become apparent within the country, too.

“We’ve brought those border policies, practices and problems into the interior of the country,” said Bush-Joseph. “To explain what I mean by this, at the border, we have fast deportations, we have a lack of access to legal representation […]. Now what we have is we’re seeing some of those same policies actually move into the interior.”

ICE is reporting that arrests have doubled compared to the final year of the Biden administration, although a report from TRAC shows that ICE’s own data is likely unreliable. ICE detention capacity has also increased as it collaborates with the Bureau of Prisons and for-profit detention operators . More than 400 287(g) agreements are now in place, with another 100 pending, effectively deputizing local police as immigration agents.

The administration also continues to target people with liminal statuses — TPS, parole, and others — that once shielded immigrants from deportation. Separately, refugee resettlement has been indefinitely paused since the early weeks of the Trump administration. In March, the Trump administration also signed an executive order declaring English the official language of the U.S ., revoking a Clinton-era order ensuring language access in federal programs.

The Department of Homeland Security also cut funding for citizenship grants , and cuts at the Department of Education have reduced staff supporting English learners . Public benefit access for mixed-status families is also under threat. As Congress debates next year’s budget , proposed cuts to public benefits are on the table — including programs like Head Start — that support both legal non-citizens and many immigrant families.

A Defining Moment for U.S. Immigration and Future Implications

In general, higher ICE enforcement is happening in areas where the agency is collaborating with local law enforcement, while enforcement is declining in states that are strict about not collaborating with ICE for federal immigration enforcement, such as California.

MPI also noted that the general public’s stance on immigration appears to be softening, as it is clear that the Trump administration isn’t only focused on going after convicted criminals who are immigrants.

“When you see images of students being picked up on the streets whose only violation is an allegation that they made some incendiary remarks, that’s where the country is beginning to doubt the real aim of this administration’s policies,” Chishti said. “When judges orders are seen as not being respected by the administration, that’s where the country is beginning to soften its support for this administration’s immigration actions, which I think will have a long-term impact on what they’re going to do in the future and, increasingly, how the courts are looking at the immigration actions of this administration.”

The termination of refugee resettlement funding and efforts to revoke lawful statuses signal a shift in enforcement that focuses on targeting lawful immigrants and legal pathways.

The administration’s attempt at ending birthright citizenship has also raised concerns about constitutional interpretations of the 14th Amendment. The administration has decided to go after immigrants who have historically been spared from such immigration enforcement: green card holders and students with valid visas in the U.S. This will likely impact sectors like education and tech, which are reliant on immigrant labor. Agriculture and health care services sectors have also raised concerns about labor shortages.

And while the Trump administration continues to use oexecutive actions to make changes to immigration enforcement, the administration still needs congressional support to make lasting changes, as only Congress can rewrite immigration laws and approve funding in the federal budget needed for immigration enforcement.

For a deeper dive into Trump’s actions on immigration so far in his first 100 days in office, check out this report from MPI and watch the webinar here .

Correction: An earlier version of this piece said the MPI webinar took place on Tuesday. It’s been corrected to Thursday.