President Donald Trump signs an executive order yesterday following his taking the oath of office. (Photo: AP /Matt Rourke)
Jan. 21, 2025 by David Silverberg
The Donald Trump revolution has begun with 46 executive orders, issued immediately after his taking the oath of office, yesterday, Jan. 20.
They are sweeping, diverse in the areas they address and radical in their actions. There is also considerable redundancy, with different orders repeatedly directing the same actions.
In this analysis, ten orders appear to particularly affect Southwest Florida and its residents given their focus on immigration, border enforcement, energy exploitation as well as renaming the Gulf of Mexico.
The following is a list of the regionally relevant orders with brief analyses of their impacts. They are in the order they are listed on the official White House website, beginning with their official titles.
(A note on terminology: While this is not the usage in these orders, it is the usage of The Paradise Progressive that when it comes to immigration, an “immigrant” is someone who has legally been admitted into a country and all “immigrants” are ipso facto legal. A “migrant” is someone who has or is moving. (A useful mnemonic device is to remember that all immigrants are “in,” while all migrants are “moving.”) An “undocumented migrant” is someone who does not have the legal permissions to be resident in a country. An “alien” is any foreigner.)
Guaranteeing the states protection against invasion
This is a proclamation that declares an invasion on the southern border and closes the border by declaring that “entry into the United States of such [unauthorized] aliens be suspended until I issue a finding that the invasion at the southern border has ceased.”
While Florida does not share a land border with any country, it has been a destination for many migrants in the past. To the degree that this directive stops all in-migration to the United States, it will cut down the flow of migrants into Florida.
Restoring names that honor American greatness
This order re-names Mount Denali in Alaska to its previous designation, Mount McKinley, and changes the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
When it comes to the Gulf, it directs the Secretary of the Interior to alter the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) to expunge references to the Gulf of Mexico and “update the GNIS to reflect the renaming of the Gulf and remove all references to the Gulf of Mexico from the GNIS, consistent with applicable law.” All “agency maps, contracts, and other documents and communications shall reflect its renaming.”
Protecting the American people against invasion
Like the order “protecting” the states, this order restricts immigration into the United States and declares that it is US policy to “faithfully execute the immigration laws against all inadmissible and removable aliens” and “to achieve the total and efficient enforcement of those laws… .” Like the other order, it will cut down on in-migration to Florida.
This order directs the relevant officials not to permit wind energy leasing in the outer continental shelf. While Florida does not have any offshore wind farms, this order prohibits any in the future.
Declaring a national energy emergency
This is one of two “drill-baby-drill” orders. It declares that the United States is in an energy crisis and directs the relevant officials to “to facilitate the identification, leasing, siting, production, transportation, refining, and generation of domestic energy resources, including, but not limited to, on Federal lands.”
For Florida, this means that its shores will be open to oil exploration and exploitation.
This order repeats the orders contained in others that seek to close the border, with the addition of building walls and barriers and other measures more relevant to the Southwestern land border, like stopping use of the “CBP One” mobile application for entry into the United States.
Protecting the meaning and value of American citizenship
This order attempts to nullify the Fourteenth Amendment granting birthright citizenship.
It orders officials not to issue or recognize documents recognizing US citizenship to people with parents who are not in the United States legally. It would appear to negate Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), while not mentioning that program specifically.
Realigning the United States refugee admissions program
This order cuts down on the number of refugees and asylum seekers admitted to the United States “to admit only those refugees who can fully and appropriately assimilate into the United States.”
Florida is home to numerous refugees and asylum-seekers from countries like Cuba, Venezuela and Haiti.
This order repeats the earlier order allowing energy exploration and exploitation on federal lands, whether territorial or maritime, including the Outer Continental Shelf. There is no exception for Florida waters.
Delivering emergency price relief for American Families and defeating the cost-of-living crisis
This vaguely worded order directs officials to “deliver emergency price relief, consistent with applicable law, to the American people and increase the prosperity of the American worker.”
While directing the officials to cut down costs, eliminate unnecessary expenses, create jobs and “eliminate harmful, coercive ‘climate’ policies that increase the costs of food and fuel,” it provides no further specific actions.
Presumably, this will affect Southwest Floridians in the same way it affects all US citizens.
Liberty lives in light
© 2025 by David Silverberg