Donald Trump wasted no time making his presence felt on his first day back in the Oval Office, swiftly tackling what he and his supporters see as the disastrous border policies of the Biden administration. With a stack of executive orders, he sent a clear signal: border security isn’t a political talking point—it’s a non-negotiable priority. For Trump, this was more than just an administrative cleanup; it was a bold rejection of the chaos that defined the past four years. For his critics, it was an unwelcome reminder of Trump’s unflinching style of governance.
One of his most significant moves was declaring a border emergency and ordering the immediate resumption of wall construction. The project, halted abruptly by Biden on day one of his presidency, left millions of dollars’ worth of materials to rust in the desert. Trump’s orders to put those resources back to work weren’t just symbolic—they were a direct rebuke of the previous administration’s approach to border security. Alongside this, Trump deployed U.S. troops under Northern Command to reinforce the border, tasking them with combating illegal crossings, drug trafficking, and human smuggling. It was a dramatic show of force, underscoring the administration’s commitment to territorial integrity.
Trump also took a wrecking ball to the CBP One app, which had become the digital cornerstone of Biden’s “catch-and-release” policy. Under Biden, the app facilitated the parole of tens of thousands of illegal migrants each month, a policy critics argued turned the border into a revolving door. Trump not only shut the app down but also canceled all pending appointments, putting an abrupt end to what many saw as a system designed to incentivize illegal immigration. For communities overwhelmed by the influx, it was a long-overdue step toward restoring order.
The reinstatement of the Remain in Mexico policy was another key piece of Trump’s border overhaul. By requiring asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases were adjudicated, the policy had proven effective in reducing illegal crossings during Trump’s first term. Without the promise of a years-long stay in the U.S. while their claims languished in immigration courts, economic migrants were less inclined to make the journey. Biden’s decision to scrap the policy led to a surge in asylum claims and a backlog that stretched the system to its limits. Trump’s move to bring it back signaled a return to common-sense deterrence.
Perhaps the most aggressive measure was Trump’s designation of Mexican drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. This classification unlocks a host of legal tools, from freezing assets to imposing sanctions, and even paves the way for more direct action against cartel operations. While it remains to be seen whether this will include military intervention, the message was clear: the cartels are no longer untouchable. For years, these groups have exploited weak enforcement and political paralysis to expand their influence. Trump’s administration made it clear that those days are over.
For conservatives, Trump’s swift and decisive actions were a vindication of their long-standing arguments: the border crisis wasn’t inevitable—it was the result of deliberate policy choices. The Biden administration’s dismantling of Trump-era measures, combined with a permissive approach to enforcement, created a crisis that was both predictable and avoidable. Trump’s return to office marks a hard pivot back to enforcement and deterrence, sending a message to both his base and the world: America’s borders are open for business no longer. Whether critics like it or not, the era of lax border policies is over, and Trump is once again driving the national agenda.
