Military Forces SEAL Borders – Unprecedented Move

Hand holding sign with Deportation Order text.

President Trump’s administration has unleashed an unprecedented enforcement blitz that fundamentally reshapes America’s immigration system, delivering on campaign promises while fundamentally transforming how the nation handles border security and deportations.

At a Glance

Trump administration deploys military forces to seal borders and expand expedited removal nationwide, bypassing traditional immigration court hearings
Congress approves $170 billion funding package for detention, enforcement, and deportation operations through 2029
State and local police expanded to perform immigration enforcement duties, with federal funding cuts targeting sanctuary jurisdictions
New fees and restrictions eliminate access to asylum, humanitarian protections, and benefits for lawfully present immigrants

Military Deployment and Border Sealing Operations

The Trump administration has deployed U.S. armed forces to seal America’s borders, marking a dramatic escalation in immigration enforcement strategy. Military personnel and hardware now actively prevent unauthorized crossings, with the naval base at Guantánamo Bay repurposed to detain migrants and military flights conducting deportations.

This represents an unprecedented militarization of immigration policy, fundamentally shifting enforcement from civilian agencies to active-duty military operations.

Nationwide Expedited Removal Expansion

Expedited removal procedures, historically limited to newly arriving immigrants near borders, now apply nationwide to any noncitizen unable to prove continuous U.S. residence for two years prior to apprehension.

This process allows immigration officers to summarily deport individuals without hearings before immigration judges, effectively eliminating due process protections that previously safeguarded even those with arguable legal claims to remain in America.

Massive Detention and Enforcement Funding

Congress allocated $45 billion specifically for immigration detention through September 2029, quadrupling ICE’s annual detention budget to approximately $11.25 billion yearly. An additional $32 billion funds enforcement and deportation operations during the same period. This $170 billion comprehensive funding package represents the largest immigration enforcement investment in American history, enabling sustained mass deportation operations.

State and Local Police Deputization

Executive orders expand state and local police authority to perform immigration enforcement functions including investigation, apprehension, and detention of noncitizens. Simultaneously, federal funding cuts target sanctuary jurisdictions refusing cooperation with immigration enforcement.

The administration rescinded Biden-era policies protecting churches, mosques, schools, and hospitals from immigration raids, enabling enforcement operations in previously protected sensitive zones.

Elimination of Humanitarian Protections and Visa Categories

The administration cancelled parole programs for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans while suspending Temporary Protected Status extensions for over 300,000 Venezuelans. Special Immigrant Juvenile Status protections for abused and neglected children face elimination.

The CBP One application for orderly border processing was terminated, and safe mobility offices in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Guatemala were closed, dismantling orderly asylum processing pathways.

New Fee Barriers and Benefit Restrictions

The administration implemented minimum non-waivable $100 asylum application fees plus additional annual $100 charges for pending cases, effectively penalizing applicants for government processing backlogs. A $5,000 border crossing penalty applies to unauthorized entries, with no asylum-seeker exceptions despite legal rights to claim asylum.

Restrictions strip lawfully present immigrants from health insurance, nutrition assistance, and child tax credits, creating financial hardship for immigrant families already in America legally.