On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump was inaugurated as president of the United States for a second term.
[1] That evening, he signed several executive orders relating to immigration, including blocking asylum seekers from entering the U.S., declaring a national emergency at the Mexico–U.S.
At least nine lawsuits have been filed challenged the order on constitutional grounds, and as of February 2025[update], two federal judges have issued preliminary injunctions blocking its implementation and enforcement nationwide.
[3][4] In an executive order, Trump directed the United States Department of State to designate the gangs Tren de Aragua and MS-13 as terrorist organizations, permitting the federal government to block their assets and disrupt their financial support network through Executive Order 13224, a directive that amends the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to include foreign entities involved with terrorism; the government was already authorized to impose economic sanctions on gangs.
The designations allow the Department of Justice to indict individuals involved with gangs, such as drug dealers, with providing material support for terrorism, a charge that carries life imprisonment if the crime results in death.