Trump’s Day One orders prove Project 2025 has manifested
For those voters of color who scoffed at warnings that Donald Trump would implement the extreme policies outlined in Project 2025, I say: Thank you. Sarcastically, of course. Because here we are. On Day One, as the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism pointed out, Trump wasted no time, issuing a flurry of executive orders that brought the Project 2025 blueprint to life, especially on immigration.
Immigration and Border Security: The Reality Hits
The Day One immigration-focused executive orders represent the most sweeping fulfillment of Project 2025’s border security vision. The plan, as laid out on page 135, calls for Homeland Security to return to the “right mission, the right size, and the right budget.” Sounds harmless enough – until you realize that the focus is on mandatory detention and expedited deportations.
Trump’s orders reflect Project 2025’s push to remove any “discretionary language” from Title 8, ensuring immigrants “shall” be detained instead of “may.” In other words, say goodbye to due process and humanitarian discretion.
And if that wasn’t enough, the suspension of the U.S. Refugee Assistance Program takes the cruelty a step further. The executive order bluntly states: “It is the policy of the United States to ensure that public safety and national security are paramount considerations… and to admit only those refugees who can fully and appropriately assimilate into the United States.”
Translation? Refugees from certain regions – mainly Black and Brown ones – aren’t welcome unless they fit a narrow, exclusionary definition of “assimilation.” This is precisely what Project 2025 advocated on page 145, where it demanded sweeping reforms to refugee intake, temporary work visas, and asylum rules.
The “Cartel” Label: A Dangerous Precedent
Another clear Project 2025 plan was executive orders designating drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. Now, no one is arguing that cartels aren’t dangerous, but the language used here is straight from Project 2025’s playbook – on page 183, to be exact – where it paints Mexico as a “national security disaster” overrun by criminal organizations. The order claims:
“The Cartels’ activities threaten the safety of the American people, the security of the United States, and the stability of the international order in the Western Hemisphere.”
This rhetoric dangerously frames Mexico as a failed state and lays the groundwork for even harsher border measures. But it doesn’t stop at drug trafficking – Trump’s team has borrowed the term “cartel” to target a range of institutions, from academia to agriculture. According to Project 2025, so-called “cartels” include everything from university accreditation bodies to international tax agreements – essentially labeling anything they disagree with as a threat to U.S. sovereignty.
What This Means For Immigrants And Communities Of Color
The implications of these policies are stark. Immigrant communities, especially Black and Brown ones, will bear the brunt of the crackdown, that has already begun. Refugee admissions will plummet, asylum seekers will face insurmountable hurdles, and immigrants already in the U.S. will live under the constant threat of mandatory detention and deportation.
Yet, somehow, too many voters dismissed these warnings. They believed the rhetoric about economic prosperity and national security without recognizing that such policies always come at a cost – especially for communities of color. The writing was on the wall, but now it’s official policy.
The Bottom Line
Day One of Trump’s return has shown us exactly what to expect – Project 2025 in full effect. And for those who doubted it could happen, I hope the reality is sinking in now. As my grandmother used to say in her infinite wisdom: “Too late, too late shall be the cry.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Felicia J. Persaud is the publisher of NewsAmericasNow.com, a daily news outlet focused on positive news about Black immigrant communities from the Caribbean and Latin America.
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