On January 21st, Donald J. Trump will be inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States. These next four years will be unorthodox and challenging if Donald Trump holds firm with his plan on deportation, eradicating the Department of Education, and expanding the territory of the U.S.
Trump’s Plan for Immigration
Donald Trump ran his 2024 campaign on one central platform: immigration. He declared that on day one of his presidency, he would round up illegal immigrants in the United States. He planned to deport 2-20 million of them. My biggest concern was how on earth can he do this legally and ethically. In recent weeks, Tom Homan, the Trump-appointed border Czar, released a statement. He outlined how millions of immigrants would be deported. On January 21st, the Trump administration will start raids on suspected illegal immigrants in Chicago.
Chicago is just the first step in Trump’s “Deport America” plan. He also wants to end birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants who were born in the United States. This plan is not only unconstitutional but un-American. The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees birthright citizenship. Any person born inside the United States is a citizen. It does not matter where their parents were born or their documentation status. To end birthright citizenship to U.S. citizens would strip away the very foundation upon which this country was built.
Eliminating birthright citizenship is abhorrent. In my previous post about immigration and slavery in the United States, I discussed the importance of Immigrants. They played a crucial role in building a nation that actively works against them. Once Donald Trump takes office on Monday, Americans will be under a new system. This system will destroy what it means to be American. They will also attempt to expunge the history of immigrants and slavery.
Trump Plans to Eradicate Education in America
Under Trump’s administration, the Department of Education will be abolished, and the states will be allowed to control the narrative. As many of us may not know, history is dictated by the winners. However, acknowledging one’s shortcomings is key to learning from them. Allowing states to dictate their own curriculum allows disinformation to be taught to our children.
In the state of Oklahoma, the state superintendent, Ryan Walters, ordered that the King James version of the Christian Bible be taught in schools across Oklahoma. Forcing the Bible to be taught in schools is not only unconstitutional but highly concerning. Under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, it states…
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;”
The First Amendment guarantees the right to freedom of religion. No government establishment, including schools, can favor or impose any religion. When we stray from factual information in schools, we lean toward the teachings of fiction. We begin to purposely ignore our past and the tragedies we as a nation have committed.
Expanding the Empire?
Along with deportation and abolishment of the Department of Education, Trump hopes to gain the support of Greenlanders and welcome Greenland into the United States. Trump had sent out his son Donald Trump Jr. to scope out Greenland, shockingly the only people willing to converse with Donald Trump Jr. were supposedly homeless people who were paid to be there. On a personal note, if I were a person from Greenland, I would never join the United States. Knowing anything about the United States’ treatment of Native Americans would prevent me from doing so. Knowing their history would prevent me from considering such a thing.
The most shocking thing, however, is the unlimited support that Trump receives from his avid followers. It saddens me to know that many of these Americans are some of the most hard-working individuals you will ever meet. Yet, they refuse to go beyond what they already believe.
Final Reflection
Stupidity and ignorance is a disease that is taking America by storm. Many Americans accept information at face value. They neglect to research anything further. Alternatively, they reject any conflicting information. When Trump takes office on Monday, I hope no harm comes to anyone working or living inside the United States. This applies whether they are there legally or not. To live in the United States, for many is a dream. For Trump to dismantle the foundation of America would be catastrophic.
Resources
American Immigration Council. (2024, October 16). Birthright citizenship in the United States. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/birthright-citizenship-united-states
Congress.gov. (n.d.). First Amendment. U.S. Constitution Annotated. https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/
Ferguson, H. T. (2024, December 9). What could an effort to ‘abolish’ the Department of Education actually mean for financial aid policy? NASFAA. https://www.nasfaa.org/news-item/35224/What_Could_an_Effort_to_Abolish_the_Department_of_Education_Actually_Mean_for_Financial_Aid_Policy
Karp, S. (2025, January 18). Trump’s immigration raids will begin next week, including in Chicago. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/01/18/nx-s1-5266892/immigration-raid-chicago-trump
Suppe, R. (2024, November 21). Christian lobbying group pushes for Bible reading in public schools. Idaho Capital Sun. https://idahocapitalsun.com/2024/11/21/christian-lobbying-group-pushes-for-bible-reading-in-public-schools/