The last update to this was on May 10, 2025. Let me know if I forget to add to it.
This post is a rolling chronicle of executive orders, proclamations, federal memoranda, and allied state-level initiatives that legal scholars, journalists, and watchdog groups have flagged as authoritarian, unconstitutional, or corrosive to democratic norms since President Donald J. Trump began his second term on January 20, 2025.
Updates are added as new information becomes available. If you notice missing actions or new developments, keep track and consider sharing them through trusted channels.
I rely on primary sources such as the Federal Register, White House fact sheets, DOJ memoranda, and congressional bills. Secondary sources include AP, Reuters, BBC, The Guardian, ProPublica, ACLU reports, and law review analyses. We prioritize verifiable documents over speculation or rumor. Each entry is backed by at least one public record or multiple converging reports.
January 20, 2025
President Trump issued a proclamation pardoning or commuting the sentences of approximately 1,500 individuals convicted in connection with the January 6 Capitol attack. This mass pardon signaled open tolerance for political violence and undermined the rule of law.
January 20 2025
Executive Order 14171 – “Restoring Accountability to Policy‑Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce.”
Reinstated the 2020 Schedule F program (now renamed “Schedule Policy/Career”) and directed agencies to reclassify potentially tens of thousands of career employees in policy‑shaping roles as at‑will. Civil‑service protections and appeal rights are stripped away, enabling politically motivated firings and threatening the independence of the professional bureaucracy. OPM guidance issued on Jan 27 set an April deadline for preliminary reclassification lists.
February 3, 2025
The Attorney General directed disciplinary boards to penalize attorneys who file what the administration deems “frivolous” lawsuits against the government. Legal experts fear this will be used to deter constitutional litigation and suppress dissent through professional retaliation.
February 12, 2025
The administration re‑imposed and expanded Section 232 tariffs, slapping 25 % duties on all steel and aluminum imports with no country exemptions. Canada, the European Union, and Mexico—previously spared—were swept in, triggering threats of retaliation from Ottawa and Brussels. Trade experts said the move risked another trans‑Atlantic trade war and would raise costs for U.S. manufacturers ranging from autos to construction.
February 14, 2025
“Dear Colleague” Letter Targets Diversity Programs, Threatens Federal Funding
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, under Acting Assistant Secretary Craig Trainor, issued a sweeping directive aimed at eradicating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in K–12 and higher education. Citing the Supreme Court’s 2023 Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard decision, the letter asserts that any use of race—direct or indirect—is unlawful, including programs that use proxies like essays or extracurricular activities to encourage racial diversity. It declares DEI initiatives “repugnant,” equates them with segregation and indoctrination, and instructs schools to cease all DEI efforts or face potential loss of federal funding.
Civil rights groups condemned the letter as ideologically extreme and legally unfounded, warning that it chills constitutionally protected speech and undermines efforts to remedy systemic inequality. Several education law scholars noted that the letter stretches the logic of SFFA far beyond its original admissions context into curriculum, hiring, scholarships, housing, and even graduation ceremonies.
The Department gave schools 14 days to begin complying and signaled an aggressive enforcement agenda. Legal challenges are expected.
Click here for the complete letter.
March 14, 2025
A Justice Department memo directed the FBI to investigate state and local officials who resist federal immigration enforcement under EO 14287. Civil liberties groups called this a dangerous escalation in criminalizing local autonomy and political disagreement.
March 21, 2025
The Trump administration announced the suspension of $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University, citing a “systemic failure” to protect students and faculty “from antisemitic violence and harassment.” The ultimatum triggered an extraordinary capitulation: Columbia agreed to overhaul its protest policies, install a new internal security force empowered to arrest demonstrators, restrict mask-wearing during protests, and submit its Middle Eastern Studies department to oversight by a senior vice provost. Legal scholars described the intervention as an unprecedented federal intrusion into academic governance, warning that it set a chilling precedent for conditioning federal funds on political compliance. Critics within Columbia called it “a shameful day” and a blow to academic freedom nationwide.
March 25, 2025
Tufts University doctoral student Rumeysa Ozturk was detained by ICE agents outside her home in Somerville, Massachusetts in what legal experts described as a chilling escalation in the Trump administration’s crackdown on campus dissent. Ozturk, who had publicly supported Palestinian rights and co-authored an op-ed critical of Tufts’ policies, was shackled, denied access to a lawyer, and transported across state lines to a Louisiana ICE facility. She described fearing for her life during the arrest and has since suffered multiple asthma attacks with limited medical care. Federal authorities claim, without evidence, that she supported Hamas. Her case drew national outcry, including from 27 Jewish organizations who filed a brief arguing that her arrest was retaliation for protected speech and a grave violation of constitutional rights.
April 2, 2025
President Trump declared “Liberation Day” in a Rose Garden ceremony, announcing sweeping new tariffs under Executive Order 14257, titled Regulating Imports with a Reciprocal Tariff to Rectify Trade Practices that Contribute to Large and Persistent Annual United States Goods Trade Deficits. Framing the day as “one of the most important in American history,” Trump invoked emergency powers to impose a universal 10% tariff on nearly all imports and significantly higher country-specific tariffs, some exceeding 40%. The move was labeled a “declaration of economic independence,” but it triggered a global market crash and a wave of retaliatory tariffs. Legal scholars and economists condemned it as an abuse of executive power under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), and lawsuits were filed challenging the constitutionality of the action.
April 5, 2025
At 12:01 a.m. Eastern, the baseline 10% “Liberation Day” tariffs took effect on nearly all imported goods not already subject to existing trade measures. Framed as a patriotic correction to trade “imbalances,” the blanket tariff was enabled by a national emergency declaration under the IEEPA. Critics warned the move would act as a stealth tax on consumers and escalate global economic instability.
April 9, 2025
A second wave of Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs was activated, imposing sharply higher import duties—up to 49%—on goods from more than 60 countries, including key allies and trading partners. China’s total tariff rate on U.S. imports reached 125% in retaliation. Supply chains were disrupted worldwide. Lawsuits, including multiple challenges in the U.S. Court of International Trade, argue the tariffs violate constitutional separation of powers and international trade obligations.
April 14–30, 2025
Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University graduate student and legal permanent resident, was arrested by immigration agents during what he believed was a citizenship interview. The Trump administration sought to revoke his green card and deport him, citing his role in pro-Palestinian protests. Federal Judge Geoffrey Crawford compared the case to McCarthy-era repression and granted Mahdawi’s release, citing over 90 character references—including from Jewish colleagues—and a lack of criminal charges. The case remains active, but legal experts called his arrest an alarming abuse of immigration law to punish political speech. DHS officials provided no evidence to support claims that he glorified violence or posed a national security threat.
April 17, 2025
Congress reauthorized Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act with minimal reform, extending warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens. Privacy advocates blame White House lobbying for the weakened protections and warn of widespread constitutional violations.
April 19, 2025
Federal authorities arrested Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan for contempt after she blocked a federal immigration transfer. It marked the first arrest of a sitting state judge by the FBI since the 1930s, raising serious alarms about judicial independence and executive overreach.
April 26, 2025
Executive Order 14286 reactivated a dormant Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) rule mandating English-only requirements for commercial truck drivers. Immigrant advocacy groups condemned the move as xenophobic, warning that it disproportionately harms non-native speakers—especially Latin American and South Asian drivers who make up a significant share of the logistics workforce. Critics argue the order has no meaningful public safety justification and is part of a broader campaign to target immigrants through bureaucratic exclusion and cultural gatekeeping.
April 28, 2025
Executive Order 14287, “Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens,” directed the Department of Homeland Security to compile and publicly release a list of “sanctuary jurisdictions” deemed insufficiently cooperative with federal immigration enforcement. It further ordered the withholding of federal funding from those jurisdictions—a coercive tactic legal scholars warn may violate the Tenth Amendment by punishing localities for exercising independent governance. Civil liberties advocates described the order as federal blackmail, designed to stoke resentment against immigrants and chill local resistance to Trump’s immigration agenda.
April 28, 2025
Executive Order 14288, titled “Strengthening and Unleashing America’s Law Enforcement,” marked a sweeping escalation of federal support for policing while dismantling civil rights protections and local oversight. It directed the Department of Justice to indemnify law enforcement officers against lawsuits for actions taken while on duty, effectively shielding police from accountability. It banned all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs within federal agencies and called for the rapid transfer of military equipment—including drones and MRAPs—to local police through the Pentagon’s 1033 program.
The order mandated a review and rollback of federal consent decrees aimed at reforming abusive police departments. It promised higher pay, legal immunity, and expanded authority for police, while pushing harsher sentencing policies—a signal of renewed mass incarceration strategies. Most alarmingly, the order authorized the DOJ to prosecute state and local officials who “obstruct” policing or promote DEI-based policies—an unprecedented move critics say criminalizes political disagreement.
It also repurposed Homeland Security Task Forces, originally created to target border “invasions,” for deployment in domestic policing—blurring the line between national security and local law enforcement. Legal experts warn the order represents a dangerous fusion of federal power, police militarization, and ideological enforcement, designed to suppress resistance and insulate the regime from accountability.
April 30, 2025
Kilmar Abrego Garcia Case: Trump Administration Defies Supreme Court Order
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident and father of three, was deported to El Salvador despite a 2019 federal court order barring his removal. The Trump administration claimed—without charges or convictions—that Garcia was affiliated with MS-13 and used this as justification for the deportation. He was imprisoned in a notorious Salvadoran megaprison known for human rights abuses. His wife and attorney deny all allegations and say he has never committed a crime in the U.S.
The case reached the Supreme Court, which affirmed a lower court ruling ordering the administration to facilitate his return. Instead, the administration defied the ruling, claiming it lacked authority since Garcia is “now abroad.” Senator Chris Van Hollen met with Garcia in El Salvador on April 17, marking his first contact with the outside world since his deportation. The Senator called the deportation an “illegal abduction.” Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, a Trump ally, refused to release Garcia despite his release order, citing his “confirmed health” as justification for continued incarceration.
Legal experts warn the case represents a direct constitutional crisis—executive defiance of judicial authority. Advocates see Garcia’s ordeal as emblematic of a broader pattern: criminalizing dissent, racial profiling, and lawless immigration enforcement under the pretext of national security.
May 1, 2025
The Department of Justice rescinded 2021 press-freedom guidelines and resumed the practice of subpoenaing journalists’ phone records. This signals a renewed willingness to target the press under national security pretexts.
May 2, 2025
President Trump announced plans to revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status, calling the institution “an anti-Semitic, far-left organization” and declaring, “It’s what they deserve!” on Truth Social. The declaration followed the administration’s earlier freeze of $2.2 billion in federal grants and contracts to Harvard after the university refused to implement demands including a protest mask ban and elimination of DEI programs. Legal scholars and Democratic lawmakers immediately condemned the move as unconstitutional retaliation, with Harvard suing the administration and warning that revoking tax-exempt status would devastate student aid and medical research. Critics said the move weaponized federal tax policy to punish dissent and set a dangerous precedent for the autonomy of nonprofit institutions.
May 4, 2025
Trump announced that all foreign-made films would be subject to a 100% tariff, declaring them a “national security threat.” The Commerce Department was authorized to implement this directive. Critics say the policy is both protectionist and propagandistic, aimed at stifling cultural competition.
May 4, 2025
May 5, 2025
Politicized Purge of Military Leadership
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a Trump loyalist and former Fox News host, announced a 20% cut to all four-star military officer positions, along with further reductions across the National Guard and flag officer corps. This followed high-profile firings of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the Chief of Naval Operations, and the NSA director. Critics argue this is a purge designed to replace experienced military leadership with ideologically compliant figures, threatening civilian-military balance and undermining institutional independence.
May 9, 2025 – Arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Outside ICE Facility
Federal agents arrested Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka outside the Delaney Hall ICE detention center after he attempted to inspect the facility, which local officials said was operating without a valid certificate of occupancy. Baraka was detained for five hours and charged with trespassing, despite remaining in a public area and being accompanied by three members of Congress conducting an oversight visit. The arrest was widely condemned as an act of intimidation and abuse of power by federal authorities.
May 9, 2025 – Trump Orders Hiring and Deputization of 20,000 New Deportation Officers
In a presidential proclamation establishing “Project Homecoming,” President Trump directed the Department of Homeland Security to expand immigration enforcement by hiring or deputizing 20,000 new officers. This includes local law enforcement, retired federal officers, and private individuals, effectively constructing a mass deportation force. The order permits expanded property seizures, wage garnishment, and arrest powers, drawing comparisons to authoritarian paramilitary forces such as the Nazi-era SA (Brownshirts).
May 9, 2025 – Trump Administration Announces Consideration of Suspending Habeas Corpus
Stephen Miller, a top adviser to President Trump, publicly stated that the administration is “actively looking at” suspending the writ of habeas corpus in immigration cases, citing the Constitution’s clause allowing suspension in times of “rebellion or invasion.” The move would allow the federal government to detain individuals—particularly immigrants—without judicial review, stripping them of their legal right to challenge imprisonment. This right, foundational to American constitutional law, has only been suspended four times in U.S. history, all under extreme national emergencies. Legal scholars and federal judges, including several appointed by Republican presidents, have rejected the administration’s claim that immigration constitutes an “invasion.” This announcement marks a radical escalation in the administration’s effort to erode due process and judicial oversight in pursuit of mass deportation.
Ongoing or Undated Developments (Occurring Across 2025)
- The Trump administration has supported reviving the ENCRYPT Act and advancing the STOP CSAM Act. Though framed as protecting children, both bills would compromise end-to-end encryption by introducing backdoor access for law enforcement, jeopardizing digital privacy for everyone.
- Former intelligence officials who publicly criticized Trump have had their security clearances revoked.
- ICE has signed 370 new 287(g) agreements with local police, dramatically expanding federal immigration enforcement while eliminating oversight panels.
- The IRS has reportedly conducted selective audits of nonprofit organizations that fund protest bail and civil disobedience support, suggesting politically targeted enforcement.
- “Trump 2028” merchandise has appeared on campaign sites, prompting alarm over flirtation with violating the 22nd Amendment’s two-term limit for presidents.
- In 22 states, 41 bills have been introduced or passed that criminalize protest actions like roadway blockades and legally shield drivers who injure demonstrators.
- The Pentagon has ordered the removal of books on race and gender from military academies and libraries, citing them as “divisive” or aligned with critical race theory.
- The White House has repeatedly called for the impeachment of judges who block its immigration orders. Chief Justice John Roberts issued a rare public rebuke in response.
- In defiance of a Supreme Court ruling in the Kilmar Ábrego García case, the White House delayed returning a deported immigrant to the U.S., prompting a constitutional crisis over executive defiance of judicial authority.
The pace and pattern of these actions suggest not isolated excesses but a coordinated strategy to consolidate executive power, dismantle accountability mechanisms, and undermine democratic resistance.
To help: share and archive this list. Take screenshots. Download backups. Link rot is real. Support trustworthy legal and civil liberties organizations. Contact your elected officials. Demand oversight of Schedule F, Section 702, DOJ overreach, and anti-protest laws. Use secure communication tools like Signal or Session, and browse with privacy-focused tools like Tor Browser or Mullvad.
Stay informed. The erosion of liberty is not hypothetical—it’s already happening.
A Final Note: The Slow Creep
Milton Mayer, in They Thought They Were Free: The Germans 1933–45, interviewed ordinary German citizens after the fall of the Third Reich. One of them described how tyranny arrived not with a thunderclap, but with a whisper—through slow, almost imperceptible steps:
“If the last and worst act of the whole regime had come immediately after the first and smallest… thousands, yes, millions would have been sufficiently shocked… But of course this isn’t the way it happens. In between come all the hundreds of little steps, some of them imperceptible, each of them preparing you not to be shocked by the next…”
This is how authoritarianism wins: not through a single moment of crisis, but through normalization, rationalization, and delay. Each step feels like only a slight shift from the last. And when the shock finally comes, the country has already changed.
This chronicle exists to help us see those steps now, while resistance is still possible.
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