Executive orders
On Jan. 20, 2025, President Trump issued the “Protecting the American People Against Immigrants” executive order, which directed the Department of Homeland Security to “ensure that aliens comply with their duty to register with the government under section 262 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and treat failure to comply as a civil and criminal enforcement priority.”
According to BBC.com, a different executive order Trump issued declared that the US would only accept two genders, male and female, and this is not changeable. NbCnews.com states this executive order has gone into effect and there have been changes on passports. There will only be two choices for gender.
Minors will also not be able to have access to gender-affirming medical care. Kff.org stated that this executive order does not immediately change anything but it has caused confusion and there are some states that do oppose this executive order.
Another order Trump signed is for a missile to be built to protect the US. Satellitetoday.com states it is a massive project so they will need congressional support for it to develop and spread its capabilities faster.
Trump also made changes to the US military by removing DEI programs. NPR.org states the executive order will go into effect but there are lawsuits against it and it was said that the executive order breaks the first amendment which protects your fundamental freedom.
The executive order also would exclude transgender people from enlisting in the military. Newsnationnow.com stated that this executive order has already had an impact on transgender people: some transgender people who were serving in the military have been sent home, fired, suspended or have been told not to come. But then Trump’s order was blocked by a judge and now faces multiple lawsuits.
Protests downtown
On February 2, in response to the immigration executive orders and Trump immigration policy, a large anti-mass deportation protest began at Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles. The event was organized in response to increased immigration enforcement activities by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Thousands of people were amassed in a big crowd, many people were holding flags and banners with pro-immigration messages such as “Nobody is illegal” and “Viva Mexico.” This lead to a lot of traffic in the downtown area. Many other people from different parts of California started protesting as well.
APnews stated, “Thousands of people protesting mass deportations planned by President Donald Trump marched in Southern California on Sunday, including in downtown Los Angeles where demonstrators blocked a major freeway for several hours.”
I interviewed a friend who went protesting and she said “Well people were walking and we had followed the crowd so that we could get to city hall there was some places where there was traffic because there was a lot of people and everyone I saw was either holding a sign or a flag, it was fun”
Supporters and critics of Trump’s policies
Some people feel differently about Trump’s executive orders. According to NYtimes.com, it states how black voters feel about his actions. Veronica McCloud is 63 years old and from Charleston, S.C. She feels like Trump is trying to go back to a different era when Black Americans had no civil rights.
Yesenia Muhammad, a 53-year-old in Atlanta, feels differently about Trump; she voted for Trump and supports his executive order on illegal immigrants. Kevin Williams is 47 years old from Detroit and said, “The stuff that Donald Trump is doing is pretty much expected.” He also said it feels like Donald Trump got a second chance and hopes everything turns out okay for everyone.
According to buzzfeed.com, Nancy who is 68 from the Southern US says she doesn’t know how to feel. She thinks that Trump should calm down with some actions but is glad that he quickly reacted on border control. She also does not like how Elon Musk is so close to our government and that Trump should be very observant of our safety. Brandon, who is 45 years old from Seattle, WA, says he is super happy. Brandon voted for Trump in 2016, 2020, and 2024 and Trump is doing what he said he was going to do during the campaign faster than anyone thought was achievable.
I interviewed my mom about her views on Trump’s executive orders. She believes the executive order targeting illegal immigration who are criminals is a good executive order. She thinks that illegal immigrants who don’t pay taxes, commit crimes, and don’t contribute to society deserve to get kicked out. However, she thinks that immigrants that do pay taxes and contribute to the U.S deserve to stay in this country.
