Project 2025 Tracker / What’s done, what’s next

Section 2 · The Common Defense

5 Department of Homeland Security

133–170 · Ken Cuccinelli

  • 11 done
  • 48 partially done
  • 11 attempted
  • 5 blocked
  • 115 not started

Major recommendations (27)

What has happened

The Mandate said

“Title 42 authority in Title 8. Create an authority akin to the Title 42 Public Health authority that has been used during the COVID-19 pandemic to expel illegal aliens across the border immediately when certain non-health conditions are met, such as loss of operational control of the border.”

What happened

Blocked

The Solicitor General petitioned for certiorari (Mullin v. RAICES, No. 26-239; response due 2026-09-23), asking whether Proclamation 10888 and its guidance are lawful and whether 8 U.S.C. §1252(f)(1) bars the class-wide relief. The D.C. Circuit denied rehearing on 2026-07-23 and its judgment stands pending the petition — the docket records no application to stay the mandate — so the injunction remains in force; SCOTUSblog reports the August 2025 partial stay still lets the asylum restrictions operate.

The Mandate said

“Repeal Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations;”

What happened

Partially done

State of the ask: DHS has terminated TPS for thirteen countries by notice, most in effect; the Haiti termination is enjoined and the Venezuela set-aside survives only under a Supreme Court stay; Lebanon's designation was extended on 2026-05-29 (South Sudan's had been in 2025-05-06 before its termination). Designations still exist and Congress has not repealed the statute.

The Mandate said

“All of the remaining supporting components could be dismantled because their functions already exist in the moving components as well as the receiving departments. Cutting these costs would save the American taxpayers significant sums.”

What happened

Partially done

The Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman stopped operating during the 2026 DHS funding lapse and has not reopened; DHS said "Congress did" it, though the DHS appropriation enacted 2026-04-30 (Public Law 119-86) did not direct the closure. One of the supporting components the Mandate names is now dark: the executive has not routed around the ask here, it has stopped the office doing anything, which is one piece of the dismantling delivered. The office's statute stands, no component has been abolished by Congress, and the rest are still running, so this is `partial`, not `done`.

The Mandate said

“Title 42 authority in Title 8. Create an authority akin to the Title 42 Public Health authority that has been used during the COVID-19 pandemic to expel illegal aliens across the border immediately when certain non-health conditions are met, such as loss of operational control of the border.”

What happened

Blocked

The D.C. Circuit (Childs, J.) affirmed: the INA's power to suspend entry by proclamation does not carry the power to remove people already present without the INA's removal procedures or protections; the class certification and vacatur were upheld (Walker, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part).

The Mandate said

“of America's borders, including using military personnel and hardware to prevent illegal crossings between ports of entry and channel all cross-border traffic to legal ports of entry.”

+1 more citation

What happened

Done

The deployment is a year old and continuing, and the Department's own anniversary account is the Primary the round-1 pass could not open. Joint Task Force–Southern Border stood up 2025-03-14 under U.S. Northern Command with the 10th Mountain Division and passed to the 101st Airborne Division on 2025-10-10. In its first year more than 20,000 service members served under it, watching 1,954 miles of border; it conducted about 22,000 enhanced detection and monitoring missions, of which almost 3,000 were joint patrols with Customs and Border Protection agents and over 800 mirrored patrols with the Mexican Secretariat of National Defense, plus more than 84,000 security site missions and nearly 1,600 aerial observation flights; and nearly 6,000 signs and 2,000 buoys were installed along the 656 miles covered by the five national defense areas. The Chapter 17 Quote's National Guard limb is answered on the Department's own record too: addressing the adjutants general on 2026-02-25 the Secretary of War said the Guard "has been instrumental in establishing 100% operational control of our southern border" and that "since January 2025, more than 18,000 National Guardsmen have supported operations on the southern border". Neither document states the Guardsmen's duty status, so whether those are Title 10 or Title 32 orders is still not established; what the round-1 note left open — that the Guard's border role was unsourced on an allowlisted host — is now closed.

Still to come

Executive action 76

  1. 137 Require E-Verify registration and use as a condition of DHS grants Notable Not started
  2. 138 Require grantee states to share DMV and voter registration databases Notable Not started
  3. 138 Refuse to raise the H-2B visa cap using discretionary authority Notable Not started
  4. 139 Issue a regulation requiring CBP to publish border security data Notable Not started
  5. 141 Order ICE to stop closing out pending immigration cases Notable Not started
  6. 145 Return USCIS to nearly 100 percent interview requirements Notable Not started
  7. 146 Require rejected benefit applicants to leave the U.S. immediately Notable Not started
  8. 146 Pause application intake in categories with excessive backlogs Notable Not started
  9. 151 Reinstate the PACR and HARP expedited asylum pathways Notable Not started
  10. 151 Eliminate Alternatives to Detention for border crossers Notable Not started
  11. 151 Mandate E-Verify for anyone doing business with the government Notable Not started
  12. 152 Let the Secretary waive Title 8 requirements during a mass migration event Notable Not started
  13. 155 Move CISA's emergency communications and CFATS roles to FEMA Notable Not started
  14. 155 Transfer CISA's school security functions to state homeland security offices Notable Not started
  15. 155 Refocus the Coast Guard on home waters and the Exclusive Economic Zone Notable Not started

and 61 more →

Blocked in court 5

  1. 147 Create a Title 42-style expulsion authority inside Title 8 Major Blocked

    Blocked Aug 24, 2026.

  2. 148 End the Flores Settlement Agreement by statute Major Blocked

    Blocked Aug 15, 2025.

  3. 137 Condition FEMA grants on certified compliance with federal immigration law Notable Blocked

    Blocked Apr 16, 2026.

  4. 152 Empower the Secretary to halt and expel aliens during a mass migration event Notable Blocked

    Blocked Apr 24, 2026.

  5. 159 Deunionize the TSA workforce immediately Notable Blocked

    Blocked Jul 28, 2026.

Needs Congress 39

  1. 133 Pursue legislation to dismantle the Department of Homeland Security Major Not started
  2. 133 Combine CBP, ICE, USCIS, ORR, EOIR and OIL into a Cabinet-level border agency Major Not started
  3. 133 Move CISA to the Department of Transportation Major Not started
  4. 134 Move FEMA to the Department of the Interior Major Not started
  5. 134 Move the U.S. Coast Guard to DOJ, and to DOD in time of full-scale war Major Not started
  6. 134 Split the Secret Service between DOJ and Treasury Major Not started
  7. 134 Privatize the Transportation Security Administration Major Not started
  8. 138 Consolidate ICE and CBP into a Border Security and Immigration Agency Major Not started
  9. 141 Eliminate the T and U visas Major Not started
  10. 145 Repeal the diversity visa lottery Major Not started
  11. 145 End chain migration and limit family immigration to the nuclear family Major Not started
  12. 146 Permanently authorize and mandate E-Verify Major Not started
  13. 148 Repeal Section 235 of the TVPRA Major Not started
  14. 148 Amend the TVPRA to move custody of unaccompanied alien children from HHS to DHS Major Not started
  15. 154 Wind down the National Flood Insurance Program and privatize it Major Not started

and 24 more →

All recommendations in this chapter

Every recommendation this chapter is the home of, in printed-page order.

  1. 133 Pursue legislation to dismantle the Department of Homeland Security Needs Congress Not started
  2. 133 Combine CBP, ICE, USCIS, ORR, EOIR and OIL into a Cabinet-level border agency Needs Congress Not started
  3. 133 Move CISA to the Department of Transportation Needs Congress Not started
  4. 134 Move FEMA to the Department of the Interior Needs Congress Not started
  5. 134 Move the U.S. Coast Guard to DOJ, and to DOD in time of full-scale war Needs Congress Not started
  6. 134 Split the Secret Service between DOJ and Treasury Needs Congress Not started
  7. 134 Privatize the Transportation Security Administration Needs Congress Not started
  8. 134 Move S&T to DOD and the Countering WMD Office to the FBI Needs Congress Not started
  9. 134 Dismantle DHS's remaining supporting components Needs Congress Partially done
  10. 135 Return CISA to its narrow statutory mission Not started
  11. 135 Shift the majority of FEMA preparedness and response costs to states Needs Congress Not started
  12. 136 Give the DHS Secretary a dedicated team of political appointees Not started
  13. 136 Place nominees in DHS 'acting' posts while confirmations proceed Not started
  14. 136 Strip Senate-confirmation requirements from lower-level DHS positions Needs Congress Not started
  15. 136 Legislate a political-only DHS line of succession Needs Congress Not started
  16. 137 Give acting Secretaries explicit authority to finalize agency actions Needs Congress Not started
  17. 137 'Soft close' ineffective DHS offices using the Secretary's discretion Partially done
  18. 137 Move all law enforcement personnel from office billets to field billets Not started
  19. 137 Condition FEMA grants on certified compliance with federal immigration law Blocked
  20. 137 Require E-Verify registration and use as a condition of DHS grants Not started
  21. 138 Require grantee states to share DMV and voter registration databases Not started
  22. 138 Refuse to raise the H-2B visa cap using discretionary authority Not started
  23. 138 Issue no regulations supporting the 'H-2 eligible' country list Done
  24. 138 Fulfill outstanding congressional inquiries and public information requests Not started
  25. 138 Replace every member of the Homeland Security Advisory Committee Done
  26. 138 Consolidate ICE and CBP into a Border Security and Immigration Agency Needs Congress Not started
  27. 139 Designate BSIA elements as part of the Intelligence Community Not started
  28. 139 Issue a regulation requiring CBP to publish border security data Not started
  29. 139 Let CBP and DHS executives travel on Office of Air and Marine aircraft Not started
  30. 139 Combine Border Patrol and the Office of Air and Marine within CBP Not started
  31. 139 Restart and expand the horseback-mounted Border Patrol Not started
  32. 139 Clear the records of agents accused of whipping migrants and apologize Not started
  33. 139 Merge CBP's Office of Trade into the Office of Field Operations Not started
  34. 140 Limit CBP-issued Notices to Appear to humanitarian cases Not started
  35. 140 Codify a single nationwide immigration detention standard Needs Congress Partially done
  36. 140 Request a budget that fully funds CBP temporary migrant facilities Needs Congress Partially done
  37. 140 Increase funding for Border Patrol support personnel Needs Congress Done
  38. 140 Fund port of entry facility upgrades and Non-Intrusive Inspection technology Needs Congress Done
  39. 141 Order ICE to stop closing out pending immigration cases Not started
  40. 141 Direct ICE to take custody of criminal aliens identified under 287(g) Partially done
  41. 141 Eliminate the T and U visas Needs Congress Not started
  42. 141 Issue new guidance on immigration detention and bond Partially done
  43. 141 Cut student visas from enemy nations under the SEVP program Partially done
  44. 142 Refocus HSI 1811 agents on Title 8 and Title 18 border crimes Partially done
  45. 142 Clarify ERO's authority to arrest and remove aliens anywhere in the U.S. Not started
  46. 142 Rescind all ICE 'sensitive zones' memoranda Done
  47. 142 Use expedited removal nationwide, beyond the 100-mile border zone Done
  48. 142 Make ICE/HSI and CBP full participants in the Intelligence Community Not started
  49. 143 Fund 100,000 immigration detention beds Needs Congress Partially done
  50. 143 Fund 20,000 ERO officers and 5,000 OPLA attorneys Needs Congress Partially done
  51. 143 Restructure FDNS to report directly from the field to headquarters Not started
  52. 143 Reimplement the USCIS denaturalization unit Partially done
  53. 144 Create a criminal enforcement component inside USCIS Needs Congress Partially done
  54. 144 Audit and rescind Biden-era USCIS policies in the first days Partially done
  55. 144 Retrain the USCIS workforce on eligibility and fraud detection Not started
  56. 144 Return USCIS training to FLETC and rebrand the agency Not started
  57. 145 Bar USCIS staff from being pulled onto DACA and mass parole programs Partially done
  58. 145 Submit rulemakings on public charge, asylum bars and third-country transit Partially done
  59. 145 Shorten employment authorization documents and end COVID flexibilities Partially done
  60. 145 Reject incomplete applications and require FDNS sign-off on approvals Partially done
  61. 145 Return USCIS to nearly 100 percent interview requirements Not started
  62. 145 Repeal the diversity visa lottery Needs Congress Not started
  63. 145 End chain migration and limit family immigration to the nuclear family Needs Congress Not started
  64. 145 Transform H-1B into an elite, highest-wage-only program Partially done
  65. 145 Improve the integrity of the temporary work visa programs Needs Congress Not started
  66. 145 Repeal Temporary Protected Status designations Needs Congress Partially done
  67. 146 Permanently authorize and mandate E-Verify Needs Congress Not started
  68. 146 Legislate parole standards returning immigration parole to a limited remedy Needs Congress Not started
  69. 146 Have USCIS decline to honor court decisions where no jurisdiction exists Not started
  70. 146 Submit a USCIS fee rule raising fees and limiting fee waivers Partially done
  71. 146 Authorize a 10 percent across-the-board increase in all USCIS fees Needs Congress Not started
  72. 146 Expand USCIS premium processing Not started
  73. 146 Require rejected benefit applicants to leave the U.S. immediately Not started
  74. 146 Pause application intake in categories with excessive backlogs Not started
  75. 147 Classify USCIS as national security-sensitive and decertify its union Partially done
  76. 147 Cut USCIS's Washington presence to skeletal and rotate staff to the field Not started
  77. 147 Create a Title 42-style expulsion authority inside Title 8 Needs Congress Blocked
  78. 147 Enact a mandatory appropriation for the border wall system Needs Congress Done
  79. 147 Appropriate funds for port of entry infrastructure and personnel Needs Congress Done
  80. 148 Repeal Section 235 of the TVPRA Needs Congress Not started
  81. 148 Amend the TVPRA so all unaccompanied children can be returned home Needs Congress Not started
  82. 148 End the Flores Settlement Agreement by statute Needs Congress Blocked
  83. 148 Amend the TVPRA to move custody of unaccompanied alien children from HHS to DHS Needs Congress Not started
  84. 148 Raise the credible fear standard to match the asylum standard Needs Congress Not started
  85. 148 Codify the former asylum bars and third-country transit rules Needs Congress Attempted
  86. 148 Eliminate the 'particular social group' protected ground for asylum Needs Congress Attempted
  87. 149 Halt federal funds to NGOs that process and transport illegal aliens Needs Congress Attempted
  88. 149 Update the statutory basis for the Remain in Mexico program Needs Congress Not started
  89. 149 Mandate that the executive negotiate and honor Asylum Cooperative Agreements Needs Congress Attempted
  90. 149 Explicitly authorize PACR and HARP-style expedited pathways Needs Congress Not started
  91. 149 Have Congress reassert control over work authorization eligibility Needs Congress Not started
  92. 150 Authorize state and local police to enforce immigration law Needs Congress Attempted
  93. 150 Require detainer compliance and penalize sanctuary jurisdictions Needs Congress Not started
  94. 150 Restrict prosecutorial discretion in immigration cases by statute Needs Congress Not started
  95. 150 Change Title 8 so that aliens 'shall' be detained rather than 'may' Needs Congress Partially done
  96. 150 Withdraw Biden credible fear and public charge regulations Partially done
  97. 151 Limit work authorization classes by regulation Partially done
  98. 151 Reinstate Asylum Cooperative Agreements with Northern Triangle countries Partially done
  99. 151 Reinstate the Remain in Mexico (Migrant Protection Protocols) policy Day one Partially done
  100. 151 Reinstate the PACR and HARP expedited asylum pathways Not started
  101. 151 Prohibit Notices to Report and government transport of aliens into the interior Partially done
  102. 151 Mandate ICE use all detention space and report capacity weekly Partially done
  103. 151 Eliminate Alternatives to Detention for border crossers Not started
  104. 151 Prohibit categorical use of immigration parole Partially done
  105. 151 Restrict prosecutorial discretion by executive order Partially done
  106. 151 Mandate E-Verify for anyone doing business with the government Not started
  107. 152 Designate USCIS as Intelligence Community-adjacent with database access Partially done
  108. 152 Rescind all memoranda limiting immigration enforcement Partially done
  109. 152 Empower the Secretary to halt and expel aliens during a mass migration event Blocked
  110. 152 Let the Secretary waive Title 8 requirements during a mass migration event Not started
  111. 152 Review and repeal USCIS internal memos inconsistent with new priorities Partially done
  112. 153 Issue a memo barring denial of 287(g) applications without good cause Partially done
  113. 153 Issue a directive refocusing HSI on immigration-related crime Attempted
  114. 153 Operationalize Blackie's Warrants for ICE worksite enforcement Not started
  115. 153 Raise FEMA's per capita indicator threshold for public assistance Attempted
  116. 153 Change the disaster cost share to 25 percent federal for small disasters Needs Congress Not started
  117. 154 Wind down the National Flood Insurance Program and privatize it Needs Congress Not started
  118. 154 Terminate DHS and FEMA preparedness grant programs Needs Congress Not started
  119. 154 Make only the FEMA Administrator Senate-confirmed Needs Congress Not started
  120. 154 Eliminate FEMA's 'springing Cabinet position' Needs Congress Not started
  121. 155 Move CISA's emergency communications and CFATS roles to FEMA Not started
  122. 155 Transfer CISA's school security functions to state homeland security offices Not started
  123. 155 End CISA's counter-mis/disinformation efforts Partially done
  124. 155 Dismiss the entire CISA Cybersecurity Advisory Committee on Day One Day one Not started
  125. 155 Limit CISA's election role to pre-election cyber hygiene assessments Partially done
  126. 155 Refocus the Coast Guard on home waters and the Exclusive Economic Zone Not started
  127. 156 Require the Coast Guard to submit a long-range shipbuilding plan Not started
  128. 156 Accelerate Coast Guard facility expansion and cutter basing in American Samoa Needs Congress Not started
  129. 156 Convene a naval board to reset Coast Guard wartime requirements Not started
  130. 156 Hold annual joint Navy-Coast Guard wartime drills in the Pacific Not started
  131. 156 Establish an interagency maritime coordination office Attempted
  132. 156 Consider shifting the Arctic mission from the Coast Guard to the Navy Partially done
  133. 156 Re-vet Biden-era Coast Guard promotions and hiring Not started
  134. 156 Re-onboard Coast Guard personnel dismissed over the COVID-19 vaccine Done
  135. 157 Transfer all non-protective Secret Service investigations to DOJ and Treasury Not started
  136. 157 Close all Secret Service field offices Not started
  137. 157 Move Secret Service agents outside Washington into ICE field offices Not started
  138. 158 Keep Secret Service visitor logs for all presidential facilities Not started
  139. 158 Significantly increase Secret Service Uniformed Division staffing Needs Congress Partially done
  140. 158 Let Uniformed Division officers enforce all laws across the District of Columbia Not started
  141. 159 Deunionize the TSA workforce immediately Blocked
  142. 159 Expand the Screening Partnership Program to all airports Not started
  143. 159 Place operational management advisers in the Management Directorate front office Not started
  144. 160 End unionization of DHS components by executive order under 5 U.S.C. 7103 Partially done
  145. 160 Route all OCFO budget communications through the Director of Legislative Affairs Not started
  146. 160 Make the Federal Protective Service report directly to the Secretary Not started
  147. 160 Establish FPS information-sharing agreements with Marshals, Park Police and FBI Not started
  148. 160 Inventory and reevaluate DHS's domestic terrorism lines of effort Not started
  149. 161 Inventory and publish DHS's history of social media censorship work Not started
  150. 161 Remove all DHS personnel who participated in censorship activity Partially done
  151. 161 Set a departmentwide DHS grant policy and clear all granting decisions Partially done
  152. 161 Streamline DHS's congressional reporting requirements Needs Congress Not started
  153. 161 Eliminate the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review Needs Congress Not started
  154. 161 Make PLCY's Immigration Statistics program the department's single source Not started
  155. 161 Eliminate the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis Needs Congress Attempted
  156. 161 Have CISA build cyber intelligence products with NSA and Cyber Command Done
  157. 162 Move surviving I&A functions into the National Operations Center Not started
  158. 162 Make component chief counsels report to their component heads Not started
  159. 162 Hire significantly more political appointees in the Office of the General Counsel Not started
  160. 162 Buy e-discovery software and contract a vendor for DHS e-discovery Partially done
  161. 163 Shift congressional document gathering to the Chief Information Officer Not started
  162. 163 Merge the Office of Partnership and Engagement into the Office of Public Affairs Not started
  163. 163 Make component public and legislative affairs staff report to headquarters Not started
  164. 163 Limit congressional contact to political appointees in Legislative Affairs Not started
  165. 163 Move appropriations staff from the CFO's office into Legislative Affairs Not started
  166. 163 Limit DHS congressional oversight to one authorizing and one appropriations committee Needs Congress Not started
  167. 164 Stop reporting to Congress on outdated requirements and sunset the rest Not started
  168. 164 Fold CRCL and the Privacy Office into the Office of the General Counsel Not started
  169. 165 Make CRCL and PRIV officers report to a political Deputy General Counsel Not started
  170. 165 Restrict the CRCL Officer to EEO and headquarters investigations Not started
  171. 165 Route all civil rights complaints to the Inspector General Not started
  172. 165 Update DHS issuances to limit Privacy Act protections to U.S. persons and LPRs Not started
  173. 165 Bar CRCL and PRIV from reviewing intelligence products Not started
  174. 165 Disband the CRCL and PRIV advisory boards and working groups Partially done
  175. 165 Limit all CRCL and PRIV external meetings to the Deputy General Counsel Not started
  176. 165 Eliminate the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman Needs Congress Partially done
  177. 166 Strip CRCL of its immigration portfolio by directive Not started
  178. 166 Review the effectiveness of DHS Directive 0810.1 Not started
  179. 166 Eliminate the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman Needs Congress Attempted
  180. 166 Prohibit CISOMB from helping illegal aliens obtain benefits Not started
  181. 166 Move the Office of Refugee Resettlement from HHS to DHS Needs Congress Not started
  182. 166 Have DOD assist in aggressively building the southern border wall system Partially done
  183. 167 Use active-duty military and National Guard to secure the border Done
  184. 167 Move EOIR and the Office of Immigration Litigation from DOJ to DHS Needs Congress Partially done
  185. 167 Sanction countries that refuse to accept deportees Partially done
  186. 167 Bar noncitizens from federally assisted housing Attempted
  187. 167 Deny federal student loans to non-citizens and to in-state-tuition schools Not started
  188. 167 Eliminate the two lowest prevailing wage levels for foreign workers Not started
  189. 167 Equalize taxes on visa holders and give DHS illegal aliens' tax data Partially done
  190. 167 Replace I&A's Intelligence Community role with CBP and HSI representation Not started