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In the 1940s, France, under the Vichy regime, enacted measures targeting Jewish citizens, including police censuses and legislation to restrict their rights and participation in society. In modern-day America, policies under the Trump administration have been compared to these historical actions, drawing significant controversy.
On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order requiring undocumented immigrants aged 14 and older to register their information with the government. Failure to comply could lead to fines or imprisonment. The administration has increased audits and fines for employers hiring undocumented immigrants and rescinded certain parole programs for immigrants from specific countries, limiting their work authorizations. These actions aim to enforce immigration laws and reportedly protect "the American people against invasion."
The administration has also targeted transgender individuals, with a January 2025 order to ban them from military service. Though federal judges have blocked this from taking effect, the Human Rights Campaign has criticized it as unconstitutional. Additionally, steps have been taken in some states to remove LGBT-related content from school curriculums, with incidents such as a Florida teacher being placed on leave for using a transgender student's preferred name.
Comparisons have been drawn to the Vichy government's revocation of citizenship rights from Jews who gained citizenship after 1927. Similarly, President Trump has attempted to end birthright citizenship for children of non-citizen parents without permanent status. This executive order is stalled in the courts.
Exercising emergency powers akin to the Vichy regime's actions, President Trump declared a national emergency at the U.S. southern border on January 22, 2025. The order facilitates further border wall construction and expands the DHS's operational capacity.
In terms of detention policies, the Laken Riley Act, signed on January 29, 2025, mandates the detention of undocumented immigrants for minor offenses. Furthermore, the administration plans to expand the Migrant Operations Center at Guantanamo Bay to detain "high priority criminal aliens."
The use of detention centers and expanded immigration enforcement actions under the Trump administration have drawn concern and criticism, paralleling the historical use of internment camps during the Vichy regime.
