Donald Trump’s administration sharply reshaped US migration policy during the first year of his second term. On the eve of the inauguration anniversary, it emerged that from January 21, 2026, the processing of immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries, including Russia, would be suspended indefinitely.
After taking office on January 20, 2025, Trump signed a series of orders and described them as the start of America’s “restoration.” According to the Migration Policy Institute, by January 7, 2026, he had issued 225 executive orders, with 38 of them related to migration, while the total number of migration-related actions exceeded 500.
One of the central steps was the declaration of an emergency on the Mexican border. The authorities scrapped the CBP One app, which had allowed more than 936,000 people to enter the US legally in 2023–2024, and resumed construction of the border wall. At the same time, raids against undocumented migrants inside the country intensified, and ICE received broader powers, including operations in churches, schools, and hospitals.
The Department of Homeland Security said that 622,000 people had been deported since January 2025, although media outlets cited lower estimates. Another 1.9 million, according to the department, left the country through “self-deportation” using the CBP Home app, which offered a flight home and a cash payment.
Legal entry pathways were also hit. Trump effectively shut down the CHNV program for people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, and began a broad review of TPS. As of March 31, 2025, the program covered about 1.3 million people. On January 13, 2026, the administration ruled that 2,400 Somali nationals must leave the US by March 17.
ICE’s hard-line tactics triggered protests. After raids in Los Angeles in June 2025, Trump sent 2,000 National Guard troops to California without the governor’s consent. In January 2026, new demonstrations followed the killing of activist Rene Nicole Good in Minnesota. The Associated Press said it was at least the fifth death linked to the administration’s immigration campaign.
Brookings Institution analysts warn that reduced migration could weaken economic growth and consumption: in 2025–2026, household spending may fall by $60 billion to $110 billion. At the same time, according to Pew Research Center, by October 2025 53% of US adults said the White House was going too far on immigration policy.