(Fox News) – President Trump signed executive orders Wednesday authorizing the construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall and targeting sanctuary cities, following through on campaign promises that energized his base – and outraged his critics – during the 2016 campaign.

The orders cover a range of immigration enforcement measures. The marquee item is a directive to pursue a southern border wall.

While it’s not yet clear exactly how such a wall might be funded or how much it would cost, Trump reiterated his vow that Mexico “absolutely” will pay for the project eventually, something the Mexican government has denied.

“Ultimately it will come out of what’s happening with Mexico,” Trump told ABC News, adding construction could begin in a matter of months.

Mexico’s contribution aside, Press Secretary Sean Spicer said existing Homeland Security funding could be used for now to get started, and congressional appropriations eventually would be needed.

The same executive order also included provisions to provide DHS with more resources to combat illegal immigration, end what the Trump team calls “catch-and-release” policies, and prioritize the deportation of illegal immigrants who violate other laws.

Another order is aimed at helping federal immigration agents crack down on illegal immigration, by restoring the so-called Secure Communities program, directing the State Department to use its leverage to ensure illegal immigrant criminals are taken back by their country of origin – and moving to strip federal grant money to sanctuary states and cities that “harbor” illegal immigrants.

The latter move is sure to trigger a backlash from the hundreds of jurisdictions that have such policies in place. </s> WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) – President Donald Trump is signing two executive orders in keeping with campaign promises to boost border security and crack down on immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.

The president signed the two orders Wednesday during a ceremony at the Department of Homeland Security after honoring the department’s newly confirmed secretary, retired Gen. John Kelly.

The executive orders jumpstart construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall, one of his signature campaign promises, and strip funding for so-called sanctuary cities, which don’t arrest or detain immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.

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 Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter </s> WASHINGTON — President Trump signed a series of immigration-related executive actions Wednesday, including efforts to build a wall on the Mexican border and to clamp down on "sanctuary cities," White House aides said.

Provisions in a pair of executive orders include cutting off federal funding for sanctuary cities that willingly become havens for migrants in the country illegally, as well as expansion of detention space for migrants who have been caught and being shipped back to their home countries, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said.

Related: What is a sanctuary city and what does it mean for Portland?

The signing ceremony will come during Trump's visit to the Department of Homeland Security headquarters in Washington.

Trump previewed the action in a tweet Tuesday night, saying, "Among many other things, we will build the wall!" A senior administration official confirmed the specific actions on condition of anonymity because Trump had not yet signed them.

In an interview with ABC News, Trump claimed that construction of the wall will begin in "in months," and that the United States will soon commence talks with Mexico over his demand that it pay for the structure — a demand the Mexican government has consistently rejected.

"We'll be reimbursed at a later date from whatever transaction we make from Mexico," Trump told ABC in his first television interview as president. "I'm just telling you there will be a payment. It will be in a form, perhaps a complicated form."

Trump is scheduled to meet with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on Jan. 31.

Wednesday's moves will be the first of what are likely to be many executive actions to roll back President Barack Obama's immigration policies, with more orders expected on refugees and status of people who immigrated to the United States as children.

"His priority is first and foremost focused on people who pose a threat to people in our country, to criminals, frankly," White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Tuesday. But on childhood arrivals, he said, Trump is "continuing to make sure that his Cabinet level team starts to organize and create a plan to move forward with respect to that issue." </s> President Trump signed a pair of executive actions Wednesday to begin ramping up immigration enforcement, including a new border wall with Mexico, vowing that construction on his chief campaign pledge would begin in months.

In an appearance at the Department of Homeland Security, Trump kicked off the rollout of a series of directives aimed at clamping down on the estimated 11 million immigrants living illegally in the United States. Aides said more directives could come later this week, including new restrictions on refugees and immigrants from Muslim-majority countries.

The presidential directives signed Wednesday aim to create more detention centers, add more federal border control agents and withhold federal funds to cities that do not comply with federal immigration laws, Trump aides said.

“We are going to restore the rule of law in the United States,” Trump said, addressing DHS employees after signing the orders. “Beginning today the United State gets control of its borders.”

The construction of a wall along the southern U.S. border was Trump’s chief campaign promise as he blamed illegal immigration for constricting the U.S. job market for Americans and adding to national security concerns. </s> WASHINGTON — plans to sign a series of immigration-related executive actions Wednesday, including efforts to build a wall on the Mexican border and to clamp down on "sanctuary cities," White House aides said.

A pair of executive orders call for cutting off federal funding for those cities that willingly become havens for migrants in the country illegally, as well as expansion of detention space for migrants who have been caught and being shipped back to their home countries, White House spokesman said.

The signing ceremony will come during Trump's visit to the headquarters in Washington.

Trump previewed the action in a tweet Tuesday night, saying, "Among many other things, we will build the wall!" A senior administration official confirmed the specific actions on condition of anonymity because Trump had not yet signed them.

In an interview with ABC News, Trump claimed that construction of the wall will begin in "in months," and that the United States will soon commence talks with Mexico over his demand that it pay for the structure — a demand the Mexican government has consistently rejected.

"We'll be reimbursed at a later date from whatever transaction we make from Mexico," Trump told ABC in his first television interview as president. "I'm just telling you there will be a payment. It will be in a form, perhaps a complicated form."

Trump is scheduled to meet with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on Jan. 31.

Wednesday's moves will be the first of what are likely to be many executive actions to roll back 's immigration policies, with more orders expected on refugees and status of people who immigrated to the United States as children.

"His priority is first and foremost focused on people who pose a threat to people in our country, to criminals, frankly," White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Tuesday. But on childhood arrivals, he said, Trump is "continuing to make sure that his Cabinet level team starts to organize and create a plan to move forward with respect to that issue." </s> First, they come for the immigrants, and boy, is Trump taking aim at them today, with the assistance of his nominated Attorney General, Bigot Jefferson Beauregard Sessions.

In orders signed today, Trump is undoing the Obama administration's policy of "catch-and-release," taking aim at so-called "sanctuary cities," while putting the spotlight on the victims of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants.

According to the order concerning border security, The Wall will be built with taxpayer money, which makes this at least half of a broken promise, despite Trump's claims Mexico will pay for it "in a form" at some point.

It reads, "In accordance with existing law, including the Secure Fence Act and IIRIRA, take all appropriate steps to immediately plan, design, and construct a physical wall along the southern border, using appropriate materials and technology to most effectively achieve complete operational control of the southern border."

As for paying for it? Well, there's language for that, too.

The appropriate agencies are ordered to "identify and, to the extent permitted by law, allocate all sources of Federal funds for the planning, designing, and constructing of a physical wall along the southern border"

While Congress gabbles at each other about how they can't afford Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid or the Affordable Care Act, the administration will be sending them budget requests to "project and develop long-term funding requirements for the wall."

Taxpayers will also pay for "a comprehensive study of the security of the southern border, to be completed within 180 days of this order, that shall include the current state of southern border security, all geophysical and topographical aspects of the southern border, the availability of Federal and State resources necessary to achieve complete operational control of the southern border, and a strategy to obtain and maintain complete operational control of the southern border."

That's the wall. That same order will perk up investors in private prisons in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas as well, because it authorizes them to gear up and build even more detention facilities as needed.

The order on immigration enforcement is even more draconian.

It provides for the immediate hire of up to 10,000 more immigration officers (jobs!) at taxpayer expense, of course, and in spite of a federal hiring freeze put into effect across the administration.

So-called "sanctuary cities" are a particular target. According to the order, such cities will not be eligible for federal grants as determined by the Attorney General. Think about Jeff Sessions in that light -- who also worked closely with Kris Kobach and Steve Bannon to author this.

Additionally, the order calls for a public report pertaining only to so-called sanctuary cities to publish a weekly list of "criminal actions committed by aliens and any jurisdiction that ignored or otherwise failed to honor any detainers with respect to such aliens."

Sort of a blacklist, you see.

These orders do not address those who were covered under President Obama's DACA order protecting children of immigrants brought to the United States who have become eligible for work permits. But give it time.

In the meantime, protest actions are springing up. There are marches planned for tonight in New York to protest. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman just released this statement with regard to sanctuary cities:

“The President lacks the constitutional authority to cut off funding to states and cities simply because they have lawfully acted to protect immigrant families -- as described in the legal guidance my office issued last week. Local governments seeking to protect their immigrant communities from federal overreach have every right to do so. “Building and maintaining trust between local law enforcement and the communities they bravely serve is vital to ensuring public safety. Any attempt to bully local governments into abandoning policies that have proven to keep our cities safe is not only unconstitutional, but threatens the safety of our citizens. “I urge President Trump to revoke this Executive Order right away. If he does not, I will do everything in my power to fight it.”

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has also pledged to resist.

Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions has not yet been voted on in committee, nor for confirmation on the Senate floor. Now is your opportunity to contact your Senator and urge them to vote NO on his confirmation, especially given his participation in these loathsome, racist executive orders.

I will update this post with any more news as it's available. But for now, what we know is that Trump plans to retaliate against urban centers that did not support him via bogus immigration actions and voter fraud investigations, at taxpayers' expense. </s> President Donald Trump will sign executive orders starting Wednesday restricting refugees, visas and immigration, making good on his signature campaign pledges, US media reported.

Trump is due to speak Wednesday to employees at the Department of Homeland Security -- which handles immigration -- and sign orders there on refugees and national security, according to The Washington Post and CNN.

"Big day planned on NATIONAL SECURITY tomorrow. Among many other things, we will build the wall!" Trump tweeted late Tuesday.

Trump launched his presidential campaign with a promise to build a wall along America's long -- and porous -- southern border with Mexico, coupled with a tough immigration stance.

He also called for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States" until authorities can better screen those who come into the country.

What remains unclear is how the orders would be implemented by Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, who told his confirmation hearing that the border wall might not "be built anytime soon."

On Thursday, Trump is expected to sign executive orders on immigration and on so-called sanctuary cities, where local officials refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities on such things as handing over illegal immigrants for deportation.

The orders would restrict immigration and access to the United States for refugees and visa holders from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, according to the Post, which noted that citizens from many of these countries already face big obstacles in obtaining US visas.

Immigration experts told the newspaper that the orders would stop all admissions of refugees for 120 days, including those seeking shelter from Syria's brutal civil war, and a 30-day halt to issuing immigrant and non-immigrant visas to people from some countries with Muslim majorities.

The Post cited people familiar with the matter as saying that Trump's chief strategist Steve Bannon, his attorney general pick Jeff Sessions and other senior advisers were heavily involved in discussions about the orders.

Trump has also controversially vowed to scrap the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which his predecessor Barack Obama instituted in 2012.

 

 (AFP) </s> WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will begin rolling out executive actions on immigration Wednesday, beginning with steps to build his proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to two administration officials. He’s also expected to target so-called sanctuary cities and is reviewing proposals that would restrict the flow of refugees to the United States.

The president is expected to sign the first actions — including the measure to jumpstart construction of the wall — Wednesday during a trip to the Department of Homeland Security. Additional actions will be rolled out over the next few days, according to one official.

Trump is said to still be weighing the details of plans to restrict refugees coming to the U.S. The current proposal includes at least a four-month halt on all refugee admissions, as well as temporary ban on people coming from some Muslim majority countries, according to a representative of a public policy organization that monitors refugee issues. The person was briefed on the details of that proposed action by a government official and outlined the expected steps for The Associated Press.

The officials and the public policy organization’s representative insisted on anonymity in order to outline the plans ahead of Trump’s official announcements.

On his personal Twitter account Tuesday night, Trump tweeted: “Big day planned on NATIONAL SECURITY tomorrow. Among many other things, we will build the wall!”

Trump campaigned on pledges to tighten U.S. immigration policies, including beefing up border security and stemming the flow of refugees. He also called for halting entry to the U.S. from Muslim countries, but later shifted the policy to a focus on what he called “extreme vetting” for those coming from countries with terrorism ties.

While the specific of Trump’s orders were unclear, both administration officials said Wednesday’s actions would focus in part on the president’s plans to construct a wall along the southern border with Mexico. He’s also expected to move forward with plans to curb funding of cities that don’t arrest or detain immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, which could cost individual jurisdictions millions of dollars.

Trump’s insistence that Mexico would pay for the wall was among his most popular proposals on the campaign trail, sparking enthusiastic cheers at his raucous rallies. Mexico has repeatedly said it will not pay for any border wall.

Earlier this month, Trump said the building project would initially be paid for with a congressionally approved spending bill and Mexico will eventually reimburse the U.S., though he has not specified how he would guarantee payments.

Trump will meet with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto at the White House next week.

In claiming authority to build a wall, Trump may rely on a 2006 law that authorized several hundred miles of fencing along the 2,000-mile frontier. That bill led to the construction of about 700 miles of various kinds of fencing designed to block both vehicles and pedestrians.

The Secure Fence Act was signed by then-President George W. Bush and the majority of the fencing in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California was built before he left office. The last remnants were completed after President Barack Obama took office in 2009.

The Trump administration also must adhere to a decades-old border treaty with Mexico that limits where and how structures can be built along the border. The 1970 treaty requires that structures cannot disrupt the flow of the rivers, which define the U.S.-Mexican border along Texas and 24 miles in Arizona, according to The International Boundary and Water Commission, a joint U.S.-Mexican agency that administers the treaty.

It appeared as though the refugee restrictions were still to be finalized. The person briefed on the proposals said they included a ban on entry to the U.S. for at least 30 days from countries including Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, though the person cautioned the details could still change.

There is also likely to be an exception in the refugee stoppage for those fleeing religious persecution if their religion is a minority in their country. That exception could cover Christians fleeing Muslim-majority nations.

As president, Trump can use an executive order to halt refugee processing. President George W. Bush used that same power in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Refugee security vetting was reviewed and the process was restarted several months later.

Other executive actions expected Wednesday include bolstering border patrol agents and ending what Republicans have argued is a catch-and-release system at the border. Currently, some immigrants caught crossing the border illegally are given notices to report back to immigration officials at a later date.

If Trump’s actions would result in those caught being immediately jailed, the administration would have to grapple with how to pay for jail space to detain everyone and what to do with children caught crossing the border with their parents.

Zoll reported from New York. AP writer Alicia A. Caldwell in Washington contributed to this report. </s> New York Times: “With just a few strokes of the pen on Wednesday, the new American president signed an executive order to beef up the nation’s deportation force and start construction on a new wall between the nations. Adding to the perceived insult was the timing of the order: It came on the first day of talks between top Mexican officials and their counterparts in Washington, and just days before a meeting between the two countries’ presidents.”

“The action was enough to prompt President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico to consider scrapping his plans to visit the White House on Tuesday, according to Mexican officials. It mattered little to them whether Mr. Trump’s order would receive congressional approval or the funding required to fulfill it.”

Meanwhile, The Hill reports Peña Nieto reaffirmed his country will not pay for a border wall.
President Trump signs two executive orders related to immigration, one to take federal grant funding away from sanctuary cities, and another to build a wall along the U.S.–Mexico border.