President Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders since he was sworn into office again on Jan. 20, keeping his campaign promises to enact his conservative agenda.
Several of his executive orders have been immigration-related, including housing deported migrants at Guantánamo Bay and attempting to end birthright citizenship. Other moves to reshape government include ending diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, withdrawing from the Paris Agreement and renaming the Gulf of Mexico to “Gulf of America.”
Here is a list of some of his most significant executive orders to date.
Termination of DEI offices
Trump’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is ordering every head of departments and agencies to terminate all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices and workers.
A memo from OPM told agencies to place all DEI employees on paid leave. Both agencies and departments were told to report all steps taken to comply with the directive and to submit the plan by Jan. 31.
Ending birthright citizenship
Trump said he would end birthright citizenship for children born to people living illegally in the U.S. — a provision that runs afoul of a constitutional guarantee.
The order asserts that the 14th Amendment “has never been interpreted to extend citizenship universally to everyone born within the United States.” A federal judge has temporarily blocked the order, a major hit to one of the president’s Day 1 orders.
Pardons for nearly all Jan. 6 rioters
Trump pardoned nearly all Jan. 6 defendants, making good on a long-standing campaign promise just hours into his second presidency. He also commuted the sentences of Proud Boys and Oath Keepers members charged with plotting to forcibly halt the peaceful transfer of power in 2020 to time served. Former Proud Boys national chair Enrique Tarrio received a pardon.
Reinstate military members dismissed over COVID-19 shot refusal
Service members dismissed from the military for failing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 were reinstated with full back pay and benefits. The move makes good on a Trump campaign promise and is something he previewed during his inaugural address.
Banning transgender people from military service
Trump signed an executive order effectively barring transgender people from serving openly in the military, renewing a policy he first began implementing in 2017 during his first term.
Banning gender-affirming care for minors
Trump signed a sweeping executive order meant to broadly restrict access to gender-affirming care for transgender children and teenagers younger than 19, inching closer to fulfilling a key campaign promise to ban treatments that he and his administration have cast as experimental and dangerous, in conflict with major medical associations and transgender health experts.
Recognizing only 2 sexes
Trump signed a sweeping executive order during his first hours in office recognizing only two sexes, male and female, and directing federal agencies to cease promotion of the concept of gender transition.
Delaying TikTok ban for 75 days
President Trump signed an executive order giving TikTok an additional 75 days before a law banning the popular video-sharing platform took effect. The popular video-sharing app had shut down in the United States days before, leaving American users unable to access the platform for more than 12 hours.
Pause of federal loans and grants
The Trump administration directed federal agencies to pause the disbursement of loans and grants while the government conducts a review to ensure spending aligns with the president’s agenda. The Trump’s administration’s Office of Management and Budget released a new memo two days later rescinding the controversial memo.
Militarizing the border
Trump declared the southern border a national emergency in an executive order, allowing him to activate active-duty troops for the effort.
Housing migrants in Guantánamo Bay facility
President Trump signed a memo to prepare a massive facility at Guantánamo Bay to be used to house deported migrants.
The memo will direct the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security to prepare a 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantánamo Bay, a facility in Cuba that has been used to house military prisoners, including several involved in the 9/11 attacks.
Refugee program suspended
Trump paused the U.S. refugee program, leaving the program under review for three months.
The order calls for the Departments of Homeland Security and State to issue a report within 90 days detailing whether it’s in the nation’s interests to resume the admission of refugees.
Shutting down the CBP One app
Trump administration officials shut down a mobile app for migrants to make appointments at the U.S.-Mexico border.
By shutting down the CBP One app, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials canceled all outstanding appointments made by migrants without visas who sought to enter the United States through legal ports of entry.
Designating certain cartels as foreign terror organizations
Trump designated certain drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, a move specifically aimed at groups such as MS-13 and Tren de Aragua. This allows authorities to more easily arrest and deport convicted members, as well as prosecute those who aid the cartels.
Defunding schools teaching CRT, ‘radical gender ideology’
Trump signed an executive order prohibiting federal funds from going to K-12 public schools teaching critical race theory (CRT) or gender issues.
The order, which could quickly face legal challenges, “prohibits federal funding of the indoctrination of children which includes radical gender ideology and critical race theory in the classroom.”
US Iron Dome
The president’s executive order creates a next-generation missile defense shield, which the White House referred to as the “Iron Dome for America” after Israel’s missile defense system.
Release of JFK assassination files
Trump signed an executive order directing the release of federal government documents related to the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy, former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
Withdrawing from the WHO
Trump issued an executive order withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization (WHO). This is the second time he has tried to pull the country out of the public health organization, having previously done so months before the end of his first term.
Renaming Gulf of Mexico, “Gulf of America”
Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico and Denali as part of a surge of Day 1 executive orders. The major body of water was renamed as the “Gulf of America,” and the Alaskan mountain’s name reverted to Mount McKinley.
Withdrawal from Paris Climate Agreement
Trump announced the withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement shortly after his inauguration, echoing a similar decision in his first term that was later reversed by former President Biden.
