UPDATE, February 21, 2025: Shortly after publication, President Trump reassigned the acting ICE director. The president had previously “expressed anger that the number of people being deported is not higher,” according to NBC News.

Just in case it wasn’t abundantly clear by now—when it comes to Trump’s immigration policies: Cruelty. Is. The. Point. This week, the administration took a number of dehumanizing actions that directly target migrants, including unaccompanied minors. The efforts come amid a slew of other executive orders and administrative decisions that are quickly chipping away at what remains of the federal government. There’s a lot to cover, buckle up.

Immigration

• The New York Times reported that hundreds of asylum seekers recently deported from the U.S. were trapped in a hotel in Panama. Days later, they were moved to a “detention camp on the outskirts of the jungle.”
• Meanwhile, the Trump White House made light of such deportations by posting an “ASMR” video showing federal agents placing migrants in chains and handcuffs on the Elon Musk-owned platform X.
• On Tuesday, the administration also abruptly cut off legal aid for unaccompanied migrant children.
• That same day, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops sued the Trump administration over its suspension of funding for refugee services.
• Trump also signed an executive order intended to end “all taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens,” but it’s unclear what programs this order might affect since those without legal status are already excluded from nearly all federally-funded benefits.

Reproductive rights

• President Donald Trump signed an executive order this week that purports to “expand” access to IVF—except it doesn’t take any concrete steps toward doing so.
• A new ProPublica analysis shows that, after Texas’ near-total abortion ban went into effect in 2021, the rate of sepsis among people who experienced pregnancy loss in the second trimester increased by more than 50 percent.

Health and science

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told staffers at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that he planned to look into the childhood vaccine schedule, a departure from what he reportedly promised to Sen. Bill Cassidy. Cassidy, a Republican senator from Louisiana and a physician, ultimately helped push Kennedy’s confirmation through to a full Senate vote.
• The Trump administration halted a CDC campaign encouraging Americans to get vaccinated against the flu, NPR reported Thursday. The move comes amid one of the worst flu seasons the U.S. has seen in recent years. In response to the reporting, an HHS spokesperson told the outlet that officials “averse to Secretary Kennedy and President Trump’s agenda seem to be intentionally falsifying and misrepresenting guidance they receive.”
• More public health officials are being caught up in the Trump administration’s federal workforce cuts. An unknown number of staffers at the CDC who helped screen people and products for diseases at U.S. ports have been fired, according to the New York Times.
• The internet is awash with memes about Kennedy’s past pitches to build “wellness farms” for people living with addiction or taking psychiatric medications. But if constructed, said Jessica Mason Pieklo on this week’s episode of Boom! Lawyered, they would mark a dark turn towards eugenics. Click here for the breakdown.

LGBTQ+ rights

• A federal court judge in D.C. reamed a DOJ attorney during a hearing Tuesday on Trump’s executive order banning trans people from serving in the military, calling one section of the order “frankly ridiculous.” A ruling is expected in early March.
• Lawmakers in Kansas voted to override their governor’s veto of a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors in the state.

Anti-democratic actions

• Trump signed an executive order Tuesday that would grant him more direct authority over the Federal Trade Commission, The Federal Communications Commission, and the Securities and Exchange Commission. The commissions have historically enjoyed more independence from the executive branch than other agencies. The order will likely be challenged in federal court.
• Another prosecutor left the Department of Justice this week, alleging that she was ordered to look into a Biden-era contract despite a lack of evidence.
• President Trump appeared to endorse a federal takeover of Washington, D.C.
• A federal court judge in D.C. said Thursday that he would not block Trump’s federal worker firing spree. The Obama-appointed judge ruled that the plaintiffs, all labor unions representing federal employees, failed to first bring the case to an administrative review board.

DEI and civil rights

• The Department of Justice appeared to take down a federal police misconduct database, The Washington Post reported Thursday. The National Law Enforcement Accountability Database, originally proposed by Trump but created under the Biden administration, was used as a tool to prevent job hopping among officers with histories of misconduct.
• The White House held a Black History Month celebration Thursday, one month after Trump ordered an end to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the federal government.
• More than a dozen states sued the federal government to remove gender dysphoria from the list of disabilities protected under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. If litigated, the lawsuit could have sweeping implications for disability protections in public schools nationwide. Check out the latest edition of The Fallout for a full breakdown of what’s at stake.
• Multiple civil rights groups filed a lawsuit over Trump’s anti-DEI executive order, the New York Times reported Wednesday, adding to the list of legal challenges to Trump’s executive power making their way through federal courts.