NEWS GLEAMS | Trump's First Actions as President; WA Attorney General Sues Trump Administration Over Birthright Citizenship

Trump's First Actions and Executive Orders as President

WA Attorney General Sues Trump Administration Over Birthright Citizenship

SeaTac Hosts Mid-Winter Festival at the Roadhouse

Over 200 Executive Orders Signed

On Jan. 20, shortly after President Donald J. Trump was sworn into office at his inauguration event, he signed a number of executive orders in a public setting. The first ones he signed rescinded more than 80 executive orders previously implemented under the administration of former President Joe Biden, which addressed topics of the environment, immigration, and energy.

Some of the most noteworthy executive orders signed by Trump on his first day include:

• Declaring a National Emergency at the Southern Border of the United States

  • Calls for armed forces to take "appropriate action" to assist the Department of Homeland Security in "obtaining full operational control of the Southern border."

• Securing Our Borders

  • Greenlights the establishment of a wall and other barriers at the Southern border, designed to deter and prevent entry of "illegal aliens" into the United States.

  • Terminates parole programs for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans.

  • Allows for the detainment and pursuit of criminal charges against migrants.

• Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats

  • Increases screening and vetting standards from all individuals entering the United States.

  • Evaluates all visa programs and other programs designed to "ensure the proper assimilation of lawful immigrants into the United States, and recommend any additional measures to be taken that promote a unified American identity and attachment to the Constitution, laws, and founding principles of the United States."

• Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program

  • Suspends the entry of refugees taken in by the United States until the Department of Homeland Security issues an assessment that defines which the U.S. can accept based on resources, as well as "safety and security." 

• Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship

  • Reinterprets the 14th Amendment so as to limit the citizenship of children born in the United States.

  • Takes away birthright citizenship from children whose mother did not have legal status and whose father was not a U.S. citizen or with permanent legal status; or whose mother was present on temporary but lawful status and whose father was not a U.S. citizen or with permanent legal status.

• Unleashing Alaska's Extraordinary Resource Potential

  • Repeals Biden-era regulations, allowing more natural gas, oil, gas, and energy production in previously protected parts of Alaska.

• Restoring Names that Honor American Greatness

  • Renames the Gulf of Mexico — the body of water between parts of western Mexico and the southwestern United States — as the "Gulf of America."

  • Changes Mount Denali back to the name Mount McKinley, in honor of President William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States — though the name of Denali National Park will remain the same.

• Application of Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act to TikTok

  • Keeps TikTok from being banned for an additional 75 days, as national security advisers are consulted, to "pursue a resolution that protects national security while saving a platform used by 170 million Americans."

• Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing

  • Rescinds Biden administration orders to support government DEI programs and to fight discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

  • Forbids indicating any other gender identity than "male" or "female" identities on passports. 

Pardons and Commutations for Jan. 6 Rioters

Along with his executive orders, Trump also pardoned or commuted the sentence of nearly 1,600 individuals who were facing prison terms because of their roles in the riots of Jan. 6, 2021, although many had pleaded guilty or attacked police officers. A small number of Republican senators have been outspoken in their disagreement of the pardons and commutations.

Among those who are no longer serving jail sentences are 14 members of white nationalist groups, such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, including: Washington State Proud Boy Ethan Nordean; Proud Boy leader Enrique Tarrio, who was serving a 22-year sentence; and Oath Keeper founder Stewart Rhodes, who was serving an 18-year sentence.

Their sentences were commuted, meaning their sentences will just be reduced to "time served," but their felony convictions will remain on their records and may limit their future ability to vote or own firearms. The individuals who were pardoned will no longer have their convictions on their records.

Trump also called for the Department of Justice to drop all 450 pending cases that are currently still being processed in regard to the Jan. 6 riots.

Washington State's new attorney general (AG), Nick Brown, has sued the Trump administration over its executive order titled "Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship." The executive order would revoke birthright citizenship for children whose mothers did not have lawful status in the U.S. and whose fathers were also not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. It would also affect circumstances when the child's mother was in the U.S. on temporary legal status — such as on a work visa or as a student — but the father was not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

The Washington State suit is joined by Arizona, Oregon, and Illinois. AGs in 18 other states have filed their own in Massachusetts; the ACLU and a number of immigrant rights organizations have also filed similar suits.

According to Brown, Washington decided to file its own suit because of the "very good set of judges" the state has and because the state will be affected by "specific and unique harms that are brought here." The Washington lawsuit states that thousands of individuals will be affected nationwide if the measure went into effect, including an average of 12,000 babies who "will no longer be considered United States citizens." It alleges that the affected individuals would "suffer immediate and irreparable harm." 

The executive order would prevent the Social Security Administration from issuing new social security numbers or documentation to children who are born to parents that are not "lawful permanent residents" of the U.S. The Washington lawsuit intends to seek an emergency court order that will prevent federal agencies located in any of the four states from denying such privileges. 

Birthright citizenship has been honored as a result of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, adopted in 1868. The amendment states, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

The Trump administration's executive order would go into effect 30 days from when it was announced, on Jan. 20, and focuses on the idea that "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" is interpreted to exclude those lacking legal status.

SeaTac's Mid-Winter Festival this weekend will feature performances from local musicians, free produce, basic needs distributions, a vendor market, free massages, and more. The event is an opportunity to interact with other community members while supporting BIPOC farmers, chefs, and artisans. 

The SeaTac Mid-Winter Festival takes place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24, at the Roadhouse, a venue located next to the Angle Lake Station.

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