Trump highlights immigration efforts amid dozens of legal challenges in first 100 days
President Donald Trump is marking the first 100 days of his second term by emphasizing his immigration policies, despite facing dozens of legal challenges, some stalling key elements of his agenda.
On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt highlighted the administration's actions to secure the border.
"The president immediately declared a national emergency on the Southern border, deployed the U.S. military and border patrol to repel the invasion, and ended reckless catch and release policies. The results have been nothing short of extraordinary," Leavitt said.
Meanwhile, outside, the White House displayed dozens of mugshots of individuals the administration had arrested and accused of committing violent crimes as part of the president's immigration crackdown. While some of Trump's agenda has been implemented, according to the Hearst Television Data team, nearly a third of his executive actions are tied up in court. Trump has signed around 140 executive orders, with more than 120 lawsuits filed against his administration, challenging policies ranging from immigration to the legitimacy of the Department of Government Efficiency.
Todd Belt, a political analyst at George Washington University, said, "You might say they are the most consequential. He's really changed the nature of government in a lot of ways. A lot of people have lost their jobs."
The courts have temporarily sided with the administration on certain DOGE actions, such as laying off probationary employees, appointing billionaire Elon Musk to lead DOGE, and allowing the IRS to share immigrants' data.
However, several of Trump's actions have been blocked, including a freeze on federal grants and loans, efforts to change transgender policies, and a ban on birthright citizenship, which is his most challenged executive order.
Alan Morrison from George Washington University Law School said, "Just because he says something, writes it down in an executive order, doesn't make it the law."
Harrison Fields, White House principal deputy press secretary, said, "These are frustrating when you have the Democratic Party and activist judges trying to obstruct the will of the people and the will of the president that he's allotted through the Constitution in Article 2."
Trump has criticized judges who have halted parts of his agenda, stating, "Maybe we have to look at the judges because I think it's a very serious violation."
In March, he called for the impeachment of a federal judge who temporarily blocked deportation flights, but Chief Justice John Roberts responded, "For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision."
Morrison added, "If (President Trump) wants to change the laws, you should go to Congress and get them to change the laws."
On Tuesday, Trump plans to celebrate his first 100 days in office with a rally in Michigan, where he's expected to highlight his economic agenda and actions on the Southern border.