Trump inauguration terrifies families braced for deportations amid threat of 200 executive orders
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American families are bracing for mass arrests and deportations within hours with Donald Trump looking to sign 200 executive orders shortly after returning to the White House. The Republican is set to sign a flurry of executive orders today aimed at transforming the US and delivering on some of the pledges he made during his successful campaign for the presidency. Executive orders are powerful tools for presidents and are legally binding, although they can be challenged in the country's courts.
Many of Trump's executive orders are focused on remaking the country's current immigration laws with ending asylum access, sending American troops to the southern border with Mexico and ending birth right citizenship, namely the right to American citizenship by being born in the country, among his priorities. At a rally at the Capital One Arena in Washington DC on Sunday, Trump told supporters: "By the time the sun sets tomorrow, the invasion of our country will have come to a halt.".
Follow along with our live blog here. It is unclear how some of the executive orders would be immediately carried out such as ending birth right citizenship - which is guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution and would be an arduous process to change, requiring a two-thirds majority both Houses of Congress. But immigrant communities are bracing for the promised crackdown and mass deportations of undocumented people living in the US.
In Chicago, Reverend Tanya Lozano Washington of Lincoln United Methodist Church, in the Hispanic neighbourhood of Pilsen, cancelled in-person Spanish services to protect its congregation from any mass deportation efforts. She told NBC News: "We’re doing everything we can to explore every single option to continue to protect our community members that are vulnerable.”.
