Trump will send troops to build barriers on the southern border, official says

President-elect Trump will immediately empower federal personnel to detain and deport migrants in and crossing into the United States, amid 200 executive actions planned for his first day in office, an incoming White House official said just ahead of inauguration. 

[In a Monday memo, the White House said, "The Armed Forces, including the National Guard, will engage in border security, which is national security, and will be deployed to the border to assist existing law enforcement personnel."]

After his swearing-in on Monday, Trump will declare a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border and tap the military to deploy there to build additional barriers, the official told reporters. He will also roll back many of President Biden’s actions in an attempt to essentially close off the border from any migrants seeking to make asylum claims. 

Among the 10 day-one, border-related executive actions will be an order that “equips the agents and officers of [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and [Customs and Border Protection] with the authorities needed to deport illegal aliens from the U.S.,” the incoming official said. The person added that Trump’s actions will seek to relieve the nation’s “overwhelmed border resources.” 

“The president and his team today will immediately prioritize tackling the national security and public safety threats that have resulted from our open border,” the incoming White House official said.

[Editor's note: The U.S. has not had an "open border" since the 1920s.]

The Trump administration will forge new partnerships throughout the federal government and with state partners to boost immigration enforcement, including by standing up new Homeland Security Task Forces. It will also end the practice of allowing asylum seekers to be released into the country pending further review, the official said, though that priority could require a surge of resources to the Homeland Security Department to build out detention capacity. It will seek to limit that strain by forcing migrants to wait for their immigration proceedings in Mexico, a policy Trump instituted in his first term.

Trump will sign an order to create an “immediate removal process” of any migrant who illegally crosses the border and will “end asylum,” perhaps a reference to the authority known as Title 42 that he invoked at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. President Biden kept that policy, which allows DHS officials to quickly turn away most migrants without adjudicating potential asylum claims, in place for more than two years but ended it in 2023. 

Biden subsequently implemented a policy that prohibited asylum claims from most migrants and illegal crossings have since plummeted to the lowest points of his administration. 

Incoming Trump administration officials have spoken frequently of their plans to empower DHS staff by ending any removal restrictions and allowing law enforcement personnel to spend more time in the field and less time handling administrative responsibilities. DHS Secretary-designate Kristi Noem and “border czar” Tom Homan will oversee those efforts. 

“If confirmed as secretary, I'll ensure that our exceptional, extraordinary Border Patrol agents have all the tools and resources and support that they need to carry out their mission,” Noem said at her confirmation hearing last week. 

The incoming White House official said the Trump administration will seek to further protect DHS and other law enforcement personnel by carrying out executions in public spaces for any undocumented immigrant convicted of murdering officers and agents. 

Trump will also on Monday suspend refugee resettlement for at least four months and Noem suggested he will end use of the CBP One app that has allowed immigrants to sign up for scheduled screenings with DHS staff. 

The official did not detail plans to boost DHS staffing, though Trump has vowed to do so. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said last week that Republicans would ensure the department has the resources it requires. 

“Republicans believe that keeping criminal, illegal aliens off our streets is a good investment, and we are currently working on a bill that will provide ICE with additional agents and additional detention capacity,” Thune said.

Trump has also vowed to bring on 10,000 new Border Patrol agents—a 50% increase to its workforce—by using raises and bonuses to overcome longstanding attrition issues. Similar efforts were largely unsuccessful in Trump’s first term. 

Nextgov/FCW staffer David DiMolfetta contributed to this report.