STORY: President Donald Trump wasted no time signing executive orders related to his sweeping immigration crackdown after taking office.
They include a broad ban on asylum and sending the U.S. military to the southern border, says Reuters correspondent Ted Hesson.
"There was really a flurry of executive orders last night and some of the things even we're still digesting - the refugee resettlement program, for instance, which brought in 100,000 people last year from other countries who are refugees abroad, was put on pause indefinitely, at a minimum three months, but potentially longer." //
"He took steps to move military assets to the border and empowered the secretary of defense to send troops as needed, but also to test the Pentagon with supplying resources for border wall, for detention space and for other aspects of border security. That's just one element."
Trump signed an executive order restricting birthright citizenship, prompting several states and civil rights groups to file lawsuits, arguing it violated the U.S. Constitution, specifically a 14th Amendment clause stating anyone born in the U.S. is considered a citizen.
"It's entirely possible that a month from now this order will be put on hold or will still be debated legally. And it seems like the sort of issue that could potentially make its way to the Supreme Court, in which case that could mean months or years of legal wrangling before we have an answer as to whether this was lawful or not."
TRUMP: "We will reinstate my 'Remain in Mexico' policy."
"I think the question will be what are they able to do in Congress? Are they able to pass through restrictive immigration laws that will be more enduring, that will be more lasting, and even budget wise? What will the budget be for the deportation initiative? I mean, that will be a major factor in how effective it is. And, you know, one figure that's been floated among Republicans is that they need $100 billion for enforcement. I mean, for some perspective, that's more than many government departments would have in their entire annual budget. Like the State Department was around $86 billion for a year. So I think whether they get that or not is a huge question."
Trump's critics and immigration advocates say the president's mass deportation plan could disrupt businesses, split families and cost U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars.