Trump begins overhaul of DOJ, border policy in sweeping Day 1 moves
By willowt // 2025-01-25
Copy
 
  • President Trump implements dramatic changes at the DOJ and deploys troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to enforce immigration policies.
  • Four senior officials at the DOJ's Executive Office of Immigration Review are fired, including Chief Immigration Judge Sheila McNulty, without warning or explanation.
  • Nearly two dozen senior DOJ officials are reassigned to new roles within the department, raising concerns about politicization and the loss of institutional knowledge.
  • The deployment of 1,500 additional troops brings the total number of active-duty soldiers at the border to approximately 3,700, with plans to increase to 10,000 in the coming weeks.
  • Critics argue that Trump's actions risk undermining the DOJ's independence and could lead to a more militarized approach to border enforcement, raising humanitarian concerns.
President Donald Trump has wasted no time in delivering on his campaign promises to overhaul the federal bureaucracy and tighten immigration enforcement, with a series of dramatic personnel changes at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and a significant military deployment to the U.S.-Mexico border. The moves, which include the firing of top immigration court officials and the reassignment of nearly two dozen senior DOJ staffers, signal a sharp departure from the policies of the Biden administration and underscore Trump’s commitment to his “America First” agenda. Critics, however, have raised concerns about the potential politicization of the DOJ and the abrupt dismissal of career civil servants.

DOJ shakeup targets immigration courts

Late Monday evening, the Trump administration fired four senior officials at the DOJ’s Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR), which oversees the nation’s immigration courts. Among those dismissed were Chief Immigration Judge Sheila McNulty, Acting Director Mary Cheng, General Counsel Jill Anderson and Head of Policy Lauren Alder Reid. All four were career civil servants, not political appointees, and their terminations came without warning or explanation. Alder Reid expressed her dismay in a statement to NBC News, saying, “My career Senior Executive Service colleagues and I are shocked and severely disappointed in the decision to remove us from our positions without notice or cause. We have dedicated our careers to upholding the rule of law, regardless of the administration. Our continued pursuit of justice will not be diminished.” The firings come as the immigration court system faces a record backlog of more than 3 million cases, a crisis that has worsened in recent years due to a surge in asylum claims and limited resources. The dismissed officials had decades of combined experience managing this overburdened system, raising questions about the administration’s ability to maintain continuity and efficiency in immigration adjudications.

Reassignments signal broader DOJ overhaul

In addition to the firings, the Trump administration has reassigned nearly two dozen senior DOJ officials to new roles within the department. Among those affected are Bruce Swartz, the longtime head of the DOJ’s Office of International Affairs, and George Toscas, a veteran deputy assistant attorney general in the National Security Division. Toscas played a key role in several high-profile investigations, including the probe into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s handling of classified information and the investigation into Trump’s retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. The reassignments, first reported by the Associated Press, are unusual for career officials, who typically retain their positions across administrations. The moves have sparked speculation that the Trump administration is preparing for a broader restructuring of the DOJ, particularly as it awaits the confirmation of Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi. Bondi, a former Florida attorney general, has pledged to restore “one tier of justice for all” if confirmed. “My overriding objective will be to return the Department of Justice to its core mission of keeping Americans safe and vigorously prosecuting criminals,” she testified during her confirmation process. However, her confirmation hearing has been delayed by a week due to an unnamed Democratic lawmaker, adding another layer of uncertainty to the department’s leadership transition.

Troop deployment at the border

Simultaneously, the Trump administration has taken significant steps to address what it describes as an “invasion” of illegal migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. On Monday, Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency at the border and authorizing the deployment of 1,500 additional troops to assist Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents. This brings the total number of active-duty troops stationed at the border to approximately 3,700, with plans to deploy up to 10,000 soldiers in the coming weeks, according to an internal CBP document obtained by the Washington Post. Acting Secretary of Defense Robert Salesses outlined the military’s role in a press briefing, stating that troops will provide logistical support, intelligence analysis and airlift assistance for deportation flights. “This is just the beginning,” Salesses said, hinting at further escalations in border enforcement efforts. The deployment comes amid a historic surge in illegal border crossings, with CBP recording 2.8 million migrant encounters in 2023 alone. More than 1.5 million migrants were classified as “gotaways” during the Biden administration, according to the Department of Homeland Security, underscoring the challenges facing border security officials.

Historical context and implications

Trump’s sweeping actions on his first day in office echo his 2017 inauguration, when he signed a flurry of executive orders targeting immigration and federal bureaucracy. However, the scale and speed of the current moves suggest a more aggressive approach, fueled by Trump’s vow to “demolish the deep state” and restore what he describes as the rule of law. Critics argue that the abrupt dismissal of career officials and the reassignment of senior DOJ staffers risk undermining the department’s independence and institutional knowledge. Meanwhile, the deployment of troops to the border has reignited debates about the militarization of immigration enforcement and the humanitarian implications of mass deportations. As the Trump administration moves forward with its agenda, the coming weeks will likely see further clashes between the White House and its opponents, both within and outside the federal government. For now, the president’s supporters are celebrating what they see as a long-overdue reckoning with a system they believe has failed to prioritize American interests. “We will expel the warmongers from our government. We will drive out the globalists. We will cast out the communists, Marxists and fascists,” Trump declared in a 2023 campaign speech. “We will throw off the sick political class that hates our country.” Whether these words translate into lasting policy changes remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: The Trump administration is determined to leave its mark on the federal government, no matter the cost. Sources include: ZeroHedge.com RT.com APNews.com NBCNews.com
Copy