Trump poised to launch biggest immigration crackdown in history

Donald Trump has used a victory rally in Washington to draw a line under the Biden administration, vowing to unpick its legacy and pursue the biggest border crackdown in US history.

Donald Trump reacts during a MAGA victory rally at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, on January 19, 2025, on the night before his inauguration ceremony. Picture: AFP

Donald Trump has promised to transform America and unpick Joe Biden’s legacy on day one as he seeks to electrify his support base, confirming he would unveil details of the most aggressive border crackdown in US history during his inauguration address.

At a victory rally in Washington, Mr Trump pledged to “end the reign of a failed and corrupt political establishment in Washington” as he cycled through a list of his key priorities ahead of taking the oath of office at Tuesday’s (AEDT) inauguration, including a fresh plan to save video sharing platform TikTok by allowing the US to take a 50 per cent ownership stake.

Sketching out a planned blitz of emergency actions, Mr Trump said he planned to construct an American “Iron Dome” missile defence shield, deliver the cheapest energy on Earth, end wokeness in the military and dismantle the culture of diversity, equity and inclusion in favour of restoring the “merit system”.

Within days, his administration would release classified records on the assassinations of former president John F. Kennedy, former presidential candidate Robert Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr in the interests of transparency.

Hinting at pardons for some of the more than 1500 people charged for crimes over their involvement in the January 6, 2021, march on the Capitol Building, Mr Trump said his supporters would be “very happy with my decision on the J6 hostages”.

The upbeat Make America Great Again Victory Rally ended with a performance of Y.M.C.A. by the Village People, with Mr Trump dancing along on stage.

There were also several speeches including from Mr Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff; UFC chief executive Dana White; Hollywood actor Jon Voight; conservative political commentator Megyn Kelly; incoming deputy White House chief of staff Stephen ­Miller; and Mr Trump’s sons Eric and Donald Jr.

Mr Trump talked up plans to overhaul the bureaucracy through the work of the Department of Government Efficiency headed up his key ally and world’s richest person Elon Musk, yet there were suggestions of an early rift inside the incoming administration with DOGE co-chair Vivek Ramaswamy reported to have fallen out with the Tesla chief executive.

There are now widespread expectations that Mr Ramaswamy will leave the DOGE project to launch a campaign for Ohio governor, with one person close to Mr Trump telling CBS news that “Vivek has worn out his welcome”.

Mr Trump went on to tell a crowd of donors at a dinner on Sunday night that he would “revoke dozens of destructive and radical executive orders and actions of the Biden administration” at the stroke of a pen.

“By this time tomorrow, they will all be null and void,” he said.

Senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and emeritus professor of political economy at Stanford, David Brady, cautioned against viewing the incoming administration as a transformational moment for America, arguing the new president faced major challenges given the razor-thin GOP margin in the house.

Dr Brady suggested the second Trump administration would instead be characterised by the “continuation of revolving gridlock” in congress, the likely loss of the house by the Republicans in the 2026 midterms and a spate of legal challenges in response to Mr Trump’s executive orders.

Mr Trump’s plan for mass deportations and sweeping tariffs also needed to be carefully calibrated in a way that did not alienate public opinion, with Dr Brady going on to question the ability of the incoming president to stay focused and maintain a stable relationship with Mr Musk.

Taking the stage at the Capital One Arena in Washington on Sunday afternoon local time, Mr Trump argued that he had managed to achieve major changes before even taking office – branding it the “Trump effect” – and claimed that his victory had caused the stockmarket to surge, led business leaders to ramp up their US investments and helped secure a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in the Middle East.

“Hello Washington,” he said. “I’m thrilled to be back … We are going to make our country greater than ever before.”

A polar vortex and subzero temperatures forced the inauguration indoors to the Capitol Rotunda, with Mr Trump set to return to the 20,000-seat Capital One Arena after his inauguration.

Speaking at his rally, Mr Trump said the immigration measures he would set out in his inaugural address would “be the most aggressive sweeping effort to restore our borders the world has ever seen”.

“We are not going to take it anymore. We are going to stop the invasion of our borders. We are going to reclaim our wealth. We are going to unlock the liquid gold that’s right under our feet.

“We are going to bring back law and order to our cities. We are going to restore patriotism to our schools … and we are going to make America great again.”

He said that by the time the sun had set on Monday evening (local time), “the invasion of our borders will have come to a halt” and that “we will quickly establish control of our sovereign territory and borders. We will expel every single ­illegal alien gang member and migrant criminal operating on American soil.”

He also said he was “going to end the Biden war on American energy and unleash our energy resources to quickly defeat inflation and achieve the lowest cost of energy and electricity on Earth”.