A federal judge recently struck down the Biden administration's "Keeping Families Together" program: a program which aimed to provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens. This program, which was expected to benefit around 550,000 immigrants, has been deemed illegal by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker, who argued that the administration overstepped its authority.

Recent data shows a sharp decline in migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border, attributed to policy changes on both sides of the border. The Border Patrol recorded 58,038 encounters with migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in August, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of the latest available government statistics. That was a 77% decline from 249,741 encounters in December 2023, the most ever recorded in a single month. The Biden administration's executive orders have made it more difficult for migrants to seek asylum, while Mexico has increased its enforcement efforts to prevent migrants from reaching the U.S. border. Despite these measures, the issue of immigration remains contentious, with deep divisions over how to address the root causes of migration and the best ways to manage the border.

The "Keeping Families Together" initiative was designed to allow undocumented spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens to apply for a green card without leaving the country. This policy aimed to promote family unity and provide work permits and deportation protections to those who had lived in the U.S. for at least ten years without committing serious crimes. However, the program faced legal challenges from several Republican-led states, which argued that it would impose financial burdens on them and encourage more illegal immigration.

With Donald Trump’s continued lack of support towards immigrants and his big win in the 2024 election, immigrant policy is likely going to face drastic policy shifts. His proposed plan would help to remove an estimated 12 million people in the United States illegally, many of whom who were able to enter under the policies of the Biden administration. According to the American Immigration Council, deporting just 1 million undocumented immigrants a year would cost more than $88 billion a year, for a total of $967.9 billion over more than 10 years. His administration also aims to leverage expedited removal processes, which allow for rapid deportations without the usual legal hearings. By invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 and the Insurrection Act, Trump will move thousands of troops currently stationed overseas to the southern border of the U.S. He has also said he will deploy the U.S. Navy to impose a blockade of fentanyl and fentanyl precursor chemicals from entering the country. 

Trump’s immigration plans may cause harm to the state of the economy. Due to the loss of workers across various U.S. industries, mass deportation would reduce the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) by 4.2 to 6.8 percent. It would also result in significant reduction in tax revenues for the U.S. government. In 2022 alone, undocumented immigrant households paid $46.8 billion in federal taxes and $29.3 billion in state and local taxes. However, whether the Trump Administration will truly enact these changes will be up to them.

Read More Here:

• American Immigration Council

• Brian Bennett and Nik Popli, Time Magazine

• John Gramlich, Pew Research Center

• Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News