Trump Intends To Bring Back Title 42 And Expand The Border Wall With Flurry Of Day-One Executive Orders

President-elect Donald Trump is preparing an ambitious plan to issue 100 executive orders during his first days in office, many of them focused on immigration. The details were shared during a meeting with Senate Republicans on Wednesday night, sources told Axios.

Among the measures previewed, Trump intends to reinstate Title 42, a pandemic-era policy that allowed for the rapid expulsion of migrants at the border under the guise of public health concerns. The policy, implemented in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, facilitated millions of expulsions before being ended by President Joe Biden in 2023. Critics argue it sidestepped asylum rights, while supporters view it as a crucial border control tool.

Stephen Miller, a longtime Trump adviser on immigration and the upcoming deputy chief of staff for policy, outlined additional plans to use executive authority to reshape border policies. These include leveraging Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to involve local and state law enforcement in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) duties.

Trump's administration also plans to resume border wall construction, expand the use of temporary soft-sided facilities to house migrants, and implement stricter asylum measures. The aim, Miller said, is to deter unauthorized immigration and establish stricter controls at the U.S.-Mexico border.

It remains unclear if all proposals will take the form of formal executive orders or other actions enacted through federal agencies. Regardless, the moves signal Trump's intent to prioritize immigration enforcement as a cornerstone of his agenda.

The meeting with Senate Republicans also served as a preview of Trump's broader approach to executive power in the face of a divided Congress. While lawmakers debate their own legislative priorities, Trump appears ready to bypass prolonged negotiations through unilateral actions.

Restoring Title 42 is also on the table. Trump's incoming press secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested last month that the controversial Title 42 may be reinstated via executive action on his first day in office.

Leavitt made the comments during an appearance on Fox News, where she outlined several immigration measures under consideration, doubling down on the administration's intention to carry out "the largest mass deportation of illegal criminals in American history."

Reinstating Title 42 could face legal challenges and political pushback, particularly from immigrant rights advocates who argue the policy undermines asylum protections. The revival of other Trump-era immigration policies is also likely to stoke controversy and fuel debates over U.S. immigration reform.