Among the Executive Orders signed by Trump today are ones supporting HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges) and promoting AI in high schools and colleges along with certifications (recognizing its importance). The one causing more concern has to do with accreditation (what has been called Trump's secret weapon) "Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who was in the Oval Office for the signing, opened her follow-up statement by praising the accreditation order and saying it would “bring long-overdue change” and “create a competitive marketplace.” The order calls for McMahon to suspend or terminate an accreditor’s federal recognition in order to hold it accountable if it violates federal civil rights law, according to a White House fact sheet. The executive order specifically says that requiring institutions “to engage in unlawful discrimination in accreditation-related activity under the guise of ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ initiatives” would be considered a violation of the law. The order also singles out the American Bar Association, which accredits law schools, and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, which accredits medical schools, and directs cabinet secretaries to investigate them. (The American Bar Association suspended DEI standards for its members in February, as did some other accreditors.) Beyond that, McMahon is tasked to “realign accreditation with student-focused principles.” That could include recognizing new accreditors, prioritizing intellectual diversity among faculty and requiring “high-quality, high-value academic programs,” though the fact sheet doesn’t say how that would be measured." https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/politics-elections/2025/04/23/trumps-latest-executive-orders-target-accreditation
The president has signed at least 137 executive orders. He has signed 5 bills into law. Executive orders are not law. Often they don't have to be followed. And, as we've seen in the past 3 months, many are quickly shot down by the courts. There's a lot of federal money tied up in accreditation and higher education. Money allocated by Congress supporting laws signed by Congress. Laws supercede executive orders, as the Trump administration continues to find out the hard way.
The administration is not finding out the hard way. They are well aware. The executive order is a way to get things moving very quickly, to make a statement, to set tone, and to see who scatters. They understand there will be challenges and fully anticipate some wins and losses along the way. If this (or any administration) waited for bills to be signed into law, very little would happen quickly and the bill would be plugged full or irrelevant fat in order to be passed. I am not supporting thisadministration, but they aren't learning the hard way. They understand exactly what they're doing.
I agree that the administration knows what they are doing with these executive orders. Trump is signing illegal executive orders and forcing the opposition and the courts to do lots of work proving that the executive orders are illegal. Then sometimes just trying to sidestep or ignore the court rulings. For example, the ruling that the Kilmar Garcia fellow illegally deported to the El Salvador prison isn't being returned despite the SCOTUS order that the administration facilitate his return.
It's "Kilmer" and that gent was concluded to be an active MS-13 gang member in 2019 by Prince George County Police, a notion upheld by a variety of judges. Unsurprisingly, Kilmer didn't want to return to his country back then, fearing violence from his rival gang (Barrio-18). It may be hard to have a rival gang if you are not a gang member. He is also an alleged serial wife-beater and a human trafficker (that happened in 2022). Setting aside the legal rationale for the SCOTUS ruling, deporting Kilmer is not an example of the present administration seeking to break the law or sidestep the courts. It exemplifies wisdom, decency, and a desire to safeguard the public from a violent gang member. Let's not forget that there are other things that make returning this fine upstanding alien to the US, not to mention that he now resides in his country of citizenship. Ironically, however, had Kilmer been present in El Salvador during 2023-25, he'd likely be imprisoned anyhow given Bukele's very effective anti-gang measures.
Thank you for correcting my misspelling of his name. Although I do notice that one news article about him below uses my spelling. You are apparently incorrect about it being proven about him being a gang member. For example, here's two articles that dispute the allegations. Abrego Garcia was called a 'gang member' in custody dispute. His accuser is now in prison quote: Court documents show Edwin Ramos filed a custody petition in 2018 against Jennifer Vasquez Sura. The pair had children born in 2014 and 2015 that were then raised by Vasquez Sura and Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who is at the center of the immigration debate that has reached the Supreme Court. In the court motion, Ramos wrote: “I’m afraid of my kids live (sic) are in danger because she is dating a gang member.” ... A judge dismissed Ramos’ petition in February 2019, a month before Abrego Garcia was detained. In November 2019, Ramos was charged with second degree rape, according to court records. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/05/02/abrego-garcia-wife-custody-dispute-ex-in-prison/83410756007/ Here's another article. What we know about Kilmar Abrego Garcia and MS-13 allegations https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1k4072e3nno
Why is Garcia's fitness to remain in the U.S. being adjudicated anywhere but in a U.S. court? Because Trump has already announced that due process just gets in the way with his desire to deport millions of people. The government is trying to convince the public that Garcia should be deported without actually going through the process to determine that. Why? All the extra-judicial arguments are piffle, a distraction. The process--the Constitution--not Garcia, is what it being challenged here.
I'm not terribly sure of the relevance re: Ramos. Are you suggesting that this man's crime invalidates his every statement? What about the judges and police who confirmed his gang involvement? When the police say, Do we merely ignore it, like his documented involvement in human trafficking, because of a BBC article that provides zero evidence? The human trafficking?
An observation we can agree upon. However, illegals do not possess the same due process rights owing to the congress and courts. For example, those caught near the border or who make baseless asylum claims get "expedited deportation" w/out the same process as others. See here, among other places.
You seemed to be claiming that it was shown that this Garcia person was a gang member. That is just plain not true. The important part is that the questions you ask are good questions but there was no due process so we can't really know the answers. I really don't care and it is irrelevant whether or not Garcia is a good fellow or a horrible terrible person. There was no due process so we can't really know. All persons in this country are worthy of due process according to our constitution. I think our government should follow the constitution. You are correct that there are different standards for what due process is. The constitution is that all persons within the country cannot be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process. Before taking someone's life due process standard is much higher for example. However, due process is still required even for people the government thinks are worthless deadbeats.
To circle back to the boring original topic, the language around this makes me think this will be a big payday for accreditors like TRACS. It also makes me wonder how many other faith based accreditors we might expect to see approved in the near future. It would also be interesting to see if the government takes a swing at some of the unequal treatment of accreditors. After all, if your college drops RA in favor of TRACS that loses some utility if you can't use a degree from there to get into an RA school's grad program, transfer credits as freely or get a professional license with your degree. While we can quibble over whether the standards of the accreditors are truly equal I think there might be broader consensus on the idea that the current patchwork system is a huge mess.
