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President Donald Trump, a White man wearing a navy blue suit and red tie, points in front of him while sitting.

Politics and the Trump Administration

President Donald Trump set out to reshape U.S. criminal justice and immigration enforcement. He is also the nation’s only president with felony convictions. Our reporting and analysis shed light on the impact of his first and second terms and his own experience with the system.

Press Association via Associated Press
News
Who Is Billy Marshall? What to Know About Trump’s New Bureau of Prisons Director
West Virginia’s top corrections official led a troubled state agency, and will now head a federal bureaucracy plagued with problems of its own.
Marshall, a man with light-toned skin, wears a blue suit jacket and glasses as he stands behind a podium. On person stands behind him and three are sitting.
A group of people participate in a protest outside with signs advocating for federal workers' rights and public service recognition. One prominent sign in the center reads "FED WORKERS...HOLD THE LINE!" while others hold blue signs with phrases like "Public Service is a Badge of Honor!" and "Justice Takes Action: Standing Up for Our Rights!"
News March 31
Trump’s Union Order Endangers Federal Prison Officers, Labor Leaders Say
Supporters of the union, which represents 30,000 prison employees, fear the move will worsen an ongoing staffing crisis.
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President Donald Trump, a White man in a black suit and blue tie, stands by a door. A group of reporters holding cameras and microphones surround him in front of the door.
Closing Argument March 22
Trump vs. The Courts: Presidential Attacks Open New Front in Long Battle
Both parties have tried to undermine the courts at times in the past. But Trump’s attacks are in some ways unprecedented.
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A photo shows a line of police officers standing on a corner while wearing riot gear and holding batons.
News March 12
Trump Is Backing Away From Police Reform. Here’s What That Means for 12 Places.
The administration appears set to end federal oversight of police, including agencies that have committed systemic civil rights violations.
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Metal fencing can be seen in front of two structures, one on the right with a short wooden staircase, and one on the left with beige siding. A sign in front of the building on the right reads: Federal Medical Center Carswell.
News February 25
‘Fear for Their Lives’: Trans Women Federal Prisoners Told They Will Be Housed With Men
After a minor change in a judge’s order, the Trump administration arranged to move over a dozen transgender women to men’s facilities.
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An officer in a navy uniform holds a walkie talkie while walking through a hall. There is an open gate in the foreground. Two people in orange uniforms with towels are walking in the background.
Closing Argument February 15
How Trump Is Trying to Expand the Already Colossal U.S. Prison System
The administration’s efforts — from mass deportation to harsher punishments for some crimes — rely on access to more prison and jail cells.
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Three U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, wearing black guard vests, green long sleeve shirts and black ski masks, stand in front of a green door.
Closing Argument February 8
How Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Blurs the Lines Between Reality, Rumor and Theater
ICE arrests, including “collateral arrests,” are up — and often in front of cameras. But experts say the data is incomplete — and hoaxes abound.
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Three men, wearing orange and red uniforms, talk on telephones in a payphone booth area.
Analysis January 23
How Trump’s Immigration Orders Represent a Seismic Shift on Enforcement
The president’s actions move the federal government toward his promised hardline position. But some executive orders will face court challenges.
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President Donald Trump, a White man wearing a dark suit, gestures with his hands out while sitting at a desk with a presidential seal on it. On the left, a man holds a stack of executive orders. In front of the president, photographers take pictures of him.
Analysis January 23
Trump’s Order Takes Aim at Transgender People in Prison
Few trans people receive gender-affirming housing and care in the federal prison system. This executive order would make it even harder.
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A group of men wearing white uniforms, seen from the back, walk toward a fenced area. A guard stands by the entrance.
Analysis January 22
What Will Trump’s Executive Order on Private Prisons Really Do?
The order reverses Biden’s ban on private prison contracts with the Justice Department. Private immigrant detention never stopped and is expected to grow.
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