Donald Trump has said a \u00ab\u00a0big day\u00a0\u00bb is planned on national security, including an announcement to build a wall on the border between the US and Mexico.
The new US president is expected to sign several executive orders regarding immigration and border security over the next few days.
They are likely to include the \u00ab\u00a0extreme vetting\u00a0\u00bb of people coming from seven predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East and Africa.
This would restrict refugee access.
Mr Trump tweeted: \u00ab\u00a0Big day planned on national security tomorrow. Among many other things, we will build the wall! \u00a0\u00bb
How realistic is Donald Trump’s Mexico wall?
Trump’s promises before and after the election
Family split by the US-Mexico border
Building a 2,000-mile wall along the Mexican border was one of his key proposals during the presidential election campaign.
During his election campaign, Mr Trump said Mexico would pay for the wall, which he said would cost about $8bn (\u00a36.4bn).
He has since said the US would recoup the costs from its neighbour at a later date.
But Mexico’s president and senior officials have said that they will not pay for the wall, despite Mr Trump’s campaign pledge.
There will also be measures that force so-called sanctuary cities in the US to co-operate with the authorities on deporting illegal immigrants.
\u00ab\u00a0Sanctuary cities\u00a0\u00bb are places that don’t arrest or detain immigrants living in the country illegally.
Later this week, Mr Trump is expected to announce immigration restrictions from seven African and Middle Eastern countries, including Syria, Yemen, and Iraq.
He is also likely to halt access to the country for some refugees – until the vetting process can be made more rigorous.
The BBC’s David Willis in Washington says immigration and humanitarian organisations are likely to be outraged by the measures.
Trita Parsi, from the National Iranian American Council, said: \u00ab\u00a0Donald Trump is making good on the most shameful and discriminatory promises he made on the campaign trail.
\u00ab\u00a0He called for a Muslim ban and is now taking the first steps to implement one. This will not stand. The American people are better than this. \u00a0\u00bb
What executive actions has Trump taken?
The Mexican wall that already exists
Mexico will pay US back for wall – Trump
US immigration debate: What is a sanctuary city?
But one of Mr Trump’s advisers on the transition team at the Department of Homeland Security, James Carafano, said the new measures should not be seen as anti-Muslim.
\u00ab\u00a0The constitution and the law gives the executive lots of authority in terms of issuing visas,\u00a0\u00bb said Mr Carafano, who is from the conservative think-tank the Heritage Foundation in Washington.
\u00ab\u00a0If they’re based on security concerns, of course they have nothing to do with a person’s actual religion, it’s based on that they’re conflict zones or that there are security concerns coming out of that country. \u00a0\u00bb
BBC North America editor Jon Sopel said: \u00ab\u00a0Throughout this week the new president has been making a series of down payments on his most high profile election pledges.
\u00ab\u00a0On Monday and Tuesday, jobs and trade; today, border security. \u00a0\u00bb
The US President also took to Twitter to express his concern about the level of violence in Chicago.
He threatened to \u00ab\u00a0send in the Feds\u00a0\u00bb – federal authorities – if the city did not \u00ab\u00a0fix the horrible carnage\u00a0\u00bb taking place.
Local media has said that more than 40 people have been murdered and 228 shot so far in 2017.
The Chicago Police Department said it was \u00ab\u00a0more than willing to work\u00a0\u00bb with federal agencies to \u00ab\u00a0boost federal prosecution rates for gun crimes\u00a0\u00bb in the city.
Meanwhile, the Dutch government has said it will set up an international fund to counter the effects of Mr Trump’s ban on US funding for abortions in developing countries.
The Dutch development minister, Lilianne Ploumen, said withdrawing funding would not result in fewer abortions, but would increase dangerous abortion practices and cause more maternal deaths.<\/p>\n

\n

\nSimilarity rank: 7\n<\/div>\n

Sentiment rank: 4.8<\/div>\n

\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n