US President Donald Trump during his swearing in
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Like it or not, Donald Trump is now the President of the United States of America. This was after his inauguration today, an occasion that was watched by over 31 million people.
After the dust has settled and sirens silenced, it’s time for us to reflect on the repercussions of the man whose campaign was dogged with legal huddles, much more than has ever been for any other American president. A country like Uganda, and the entire African continent, have much to lose than to gain out of this moment in history.
Since the early days of the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump has vowed to begin his second term with both new and old efforts to curb legal migration and deport those who are in the U.S. without legal status.
Trump said the US southern border was overrun by cartels, criminal gangs, known terrorists, human traffickers, smugglers, unvetted military-age males from foreign adversaries and illicit narcotics that harm Americans, especially our youth
Ugandan immigrants
As of 2017–2021, there were roughly 32,900 Ugandan immigrants in the United States. Massachusetts had the highest number of Ugandan immigrants, with about 5,300, or 16% of the total.
In the 2023–2024 academic year, 1,303 Ugandan students were studying in the United States, which was a 19.8% increase from the previous year. This was the highest number of Ugandan students studying in the United States ever recorded.
US President Donald Trump (in red tie) during his swearing in ceremony in Washington DC
Some of these would certainly be caught up in the Trump Melee due to lack of legal documents.
Incoming Trump border czar Tom Homan also said large-scale raids to deport and detain those without legal status are set to begin as soon as Tuesday, focusing on people considered a security or safety threat.
Officials further said they are also planning to end the policy known as “catch and release,” which released those without legal status from detention while they awaited an immigration court hearing.
Military conscripts
Officials around President Trump said that the new administration was going to “clarify” the military’s role in protecting the territorial integrity of the United States.
This Executive Order directs the military to prioritize US borders and territory integrity and strategic planning for its operations to maintain sovereignty, territory, integrity and security of the U.S. by repelling forms of invasion, including unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking and other criminal activities.
This order may worry several Ugandans who have conscripted in the US Army and expose them to both discrimination and disqualification.
Refugee resettlement
The officials said the U.S. would suspend refugee resettlement for at least four months. These are known to habour some Ugandans as they await issuance of legal documents. It may also affect the new administration’s refugee policy and amount of relief that come in in support of the big number of thousands of refugees sheltered in Uganda.
End birthright citizenship
Trump’s White House also plans to end birthright citizenship, which is enshrined in the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution since 1868 and provides the right to citizenship for children born in the U.S., regardless of their parents’ legal status.
This will be bad news to hundreds of Ugandan celebrity couples who are known to travel to the US to have their children delivered and issued with a US passport as any other citizen.
Enhanced vetting and screening
The officials said they are going to enhance vetting and screening of illegal aliens, and to direct agencies to report to the president regarding recommendations for the suspension of entry for nationals of any country of particular concerns.
The US- Mexico border wall implemented during the first Donald Trump administration
During the first Trump administration, several African countries were labeled as Terrorism Supporting Countries and their citizens barred from entering the US. Uganda may not be immune to such labelling due to the increasing corruption allegations in the corridors of power.
Reinstatement of the death penalty
This executive order undertaken by the Trump administration directs the attorney general to seek capital punishment for the murder of law enforcement officers and capital crimes committed by illegal aliens. It encourages state agencies and district attorneys to bring capital state charges for these crimes.
Several Ugandans held up in US jails on capital offenses would fall prey to such an order, which has been labeled as a move to strengthen national security, public safety.
Capital punishment is legal at the federal level, and President Biden had pledged to abolish it — though he never worked with Congress on legislation to do so. Biden did commute the sentences of 37 of the 40 men on federal death row to life without parole last month.
Trump had reinstated federal executions during his first term, in 2019, after a 17-year pause.
The only comfort lies in the fact that some of these executive orders may take weeks or months to implement, or need new funding that Trump currently does not have.
Ugandans, hold your breath.
