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Here is a very brief, itemized list of what is contained in the first three immigration-related Executive Orders, what they authorize, and some notes on how they are being implemented. PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATES ON THE TRAVEL BAN, & SEE RELATED BLOG POST ABOUT THE NEW EXECUTIVE ORDER.

1. Authorizes building a wall along the entire 1,954-mile US-Mexico border.
2. Authorizes construction & staffing of mass detention facilities in proximity to border. Unclear if asylum officers & immigration judges are subject to federal hiring freeze.
3. Expands expedited removal from within 100 miles of border to entire country, & from entrants within 14 days to anyone who cannot prove continuous presence in the US for at least 2 years.
   [Expedited removal means no right to counsel & no right to a hearing before a judge: summary deportation in the sole discretion of DHS.]
4. Ends “catch & release,” curbed already in 2006, i.e. mandates detention of all individuals crossing at Southern border w/o exception, even if only suspected of violating immigration laws, plus all individuals in removal proceedings, whether or not they have a final order of removal.
5. Authorizes conduct of removal proceedings outside the US. Requires cooperation of Mexico & Canada.
6. Restricts use of parole authority for removable aliens [Goodbye, DACAbally. Impacts AOS applicants with Advance Parole who have any prior unlawful presence. If interpreted broadly, could apply to all AP holders.] Limits Credible Fear Interviews.
7. Authorizes criminal prosecution of unlawful entry, which is a crime under 8 USC 1325.
8. Makes every undocumented immigrant a priority for removal, throwing allocation of ICE ERO resources into confusion- if everyone is a priority then no one is. Widespread enforcement actions have begun.
9. Reinstates “Secure Communities” which requires local Law Enforcement Agencies to share fingerprint & arrest data with DHS, & honor ICE detainers: [parts of S.Comm. have already been found unconstitutional.]
10. Expands 287(g), under which state & local LEAs perform functions of ICE officers. The implementing interagency Memoranda of Understanding/Memoranda of Agreement are still in place.
11. Plans to publish a weekly list of criminal acts committed by foreign nationals in the US.
12. Within a year, directs promulgation of regulations to collect civil fines & penalties from unlawfully present non-citizens, and “those who facilitate their presence.” Unclear whether this applies to family, roommates, legal service providers, shelters, congregations.
13. Orders hire of an additional 5,000 CBP Border Patrol agents, and 10,000 more ICE Enforcement & Removal Operations officers.
14. Denies federal funding to “sanctuary cities.” About 500 cities refused to comply with Secure Communities because it undermines community policing; where enforcement of S. Comm. entails constitutional violation, the city & not the federal government would be held liable.
15. Requires other agencies such as IRS & Social Security to share data on unauthorized immigrants with DHS.
16. Rearranges “enforcement priorities” to include any person without lawful visa status convicted of a criminal offense, charged with a criminal offense, suspected of committing an offense, who has committed acts that constitute a criminal offense, or any type of fraud, who has used a fake SSN, or who has received any federal benefits (even indirectly) – such as living in HUD or Section 8 housing as a spouse, sibling, child or roommate of someone legally receiving benefits.
17. Removes Privacy Act protections from anyone other than US citizens & Lawful Permanent Residents. Lawful work visa holders could have their personal information disclosed to other countries.
18. Suspends all refugee resettlement under US Refugee Admission Program for 120 days, even for those who have completed all steps in screening process; requires “extreme vetting.” Reduces annual refugee quota by more than half, to 50,000. Allows DHS to give state & local authorities involvement in (i.e. authority to reject) refugee placement. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis. Gets rid of all exemptions for “Terrorism related inadmissibility grounds.”
19. Indefinite ban on Syrian refugees.
20. 90-day ban on entry into the US by nationals of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen on any temporary visa, immigrant visa, advance parole, or green card. **Lawful permanent residents (“LPRs”) have been exempted, and there is now a permanent injunction enjoining enforcement of the travel ban, granted by district court in Washington State & upheld by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals: U.S. Customs & Border Protection and most  foreign airlines are  (largely) complying. If you or someone you know has a visa & needs to return to the US, contact counsel ASAP for guidance. Ban does not expire if the listed countries refuse to accept repatriation of removed (deported) nationals of those countries from US. Other countries may be added. Department of State issued a cable cancelling all visa interviews for nationals of these countries, and provisionally revoking already-issued immigrant & nonimmigrant visas. As of Jan. 31, a federal court order was issued in California enjoining cancellation of immigrant visas. Department of State has reversed the provisional revocation of all immigrant & nonimmigrant visas, so those whose visas were not physically cancelled may travel to US: I-193 document waivers are being processed without fee at Ports of Entry.
    (Ban does not apply to naturalized US citizens, nor to nationals of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, & UAE, nor to nationals of Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Morocco, Pakistan, Turkey or other Muslim-majority countries:  DHS has retracted the ban on returning Lawful Permanent Residents, but has coerced many into executing Form I-407, Record of Abandonment of Lawful Permanent Residence. Do not sign w/o your attorney!)
21. Cancels visa interview-waiver programs for repeat visa applicants at same consular post. In-person interviews required for all visa applicants, except where exempt by law: Statutory exceptions are listed at 22 CFR 41.102, including diplomatic & NATO visas, and repeat visa holders applying within 12 months of expiry of prior visa in same category.
22. Directs development of standard procedures to screen all immigration benefits to identify fraud, intent to do harm, evaluate likelihood of becoming a positively contributing member of society, & ability to make contributions to the national interest.Will include a standard form, in-person interviews, etc. Unfunded mandate; duplicates many existing procedures; requires agreement on procedure by 5 federal agencies.
23. Expedites implementation of a comprehensive biometric entry-exit system.

For some other insights by excellent attorneys with a different perspective, please see the summaries of these first three Executive Orders as published by my distinguished colleagues – removal expert Susan Pai, & waiver goddess Laurel Scott, as well as some fact sheets (including in other languages) by the Legal Aid Society.

Last updated March 10, 2017. Check this page for further updates.