"President Trump's vision of a 'big, beautiful' wall along the Mexican border may never be realized. ... But in a systematic and less visible way, his administration is following a blueprint to reduce the number of foreigners living in the United States," the WashPost's Maria Sacchetti and Nick Miroff point out on A1.

Why it matters: The moves could change the U.S. immigration system "for generations to come."

More from the piece:

• "[F]ederal officials are wielding executive authority to assemble a bureaucratic wall that could be more effective than any concrete and metal one."
• "The administration has moved to slash the number of refugees, accelerate deportations and terminate the provisional residency of more than a million people."
• "Trump administration officials say they are simply upholding laws their predecessors did not and preserving American jobs."