Trump signs more than 200 executive actions on first day of second term
Editor's note: This article has been corrected to state 200 executive actions took place.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
President Trump signed more than 200 executive actions on the first night of his second presidency.
In one executive order, Trump pardoned more than 1,500 defendants charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Others include removing birthright citizenship to children born for parents of undocumented migrants, withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization and 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico.
According to the Justice Department, more than 730 people have been convicted of misdemeanor offenses in connection with January 6. Full clemency was given to hundreds already convicted of felony crimes, such as assaulting police and destruction of property.
That includes two Missourians, Matthew Loganbill and Jerod Bargar.
Trump had long pledged to pardon at least some of his supporters who stormed the capitol that day, disrupting the peaceful transfer of power as president Biden took office.
More than 120 police officers were injured during the seven-hour siege. It led directly and indirectly to the deaths of four Trump supporters and five police officers.
There are more than a dozen Jan. 6 defendants who received commutations. Those include Oath Keepers and Proud Boys convicted of seditious conspiracy. The reduced or eliminated sentences pave the way for their release from prison.
Those who received pardons still have a criminal record or conviction on their record. However, their offenses are forgiven and restore the recipient's civil rights, like gun ownership or voting rights. commutations do not restore a recipient's civil rights.
Another executive order signed by Trump includes ending birthright citizenship to children born for parents of undocumented migrants. The 14th Amendment states anyone born in the U.S. is an American citizen, but Trump is trying to clarify that language.
The order applies to children born after 30 days of the measure.
It is expected to stir up a legal fight since ending birthright citizenship would need to be addressed by the courts or via a constitutional amendment.
Trump also declared a national emergency at the southern border, which immediately ended a border app called CBP that allowed migrants to legally enter the U.S.
With this order, senior leadership at the Justice Department's agency overseeing the nations immigration courts were removed from service.
Trump ran on the promises of mass deportation starting day one. According to ABC News Chicago, the first immigration raid would start in the city.
