Trump 2nd term updates: Trump says USAID is run by 'radical lunatics'

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has directed the State Department to freeze applications in the passport pipeline with "X" selected as the gender identifier, according to internal communications reviewed by ABC News.

The move follows President Donald Trump's executive order titled "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government," which states that "it is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female."

Applicants who call into the State Department's National Passport Information Center with questions are being told to wait for new guidance before applying if they can, which the center said will be made available "in the coming days."

The State Department declined to comment on the matter, saying it "does not comment on leaked internal documents."

The Biden administration introduced an option to select "X" instead of male or female on passport applications in 2022.

The State Department doesn't publish data on how many applicants have selected "X" since it was introduced, but the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, estimated at the time that 16,700 people would apply for passports with the "X" identifier each year.

-ABC News' Shannon K. Kingston

Trump signed a set of pardons for several anti-abortion protesters calling it a "great honor to sign."

More details of the pardons were set to be released later.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle

An internal Border Patrol memo obtained by ABC News indicates that the Department of Homeland Security could request up to 10,000 troops to help with efforts along the United States and Mexico border.

Defense officials, however, said they have not heard of this figure but did note they expected there could be additional requests for troops along the border.

"This is just the start. This is an initial step, and we are anticipating many further missions," a senior defense official told reporters.

-ABC News' Luke Barr and Luis Martinez

The Department of Education has put employees who led DEI initiatives on paid administrative leave following recent directives across the government to stamp it out of the federal workforce.

"These actions are in line with President Trump’s ongoing commitment to end illegal discrimination and wasteful spending across the federal government. They are the first step in reorienting the agency toward prioritizing meaningful learning ahead of divisive ideology in our schools," the department said in a statement.

The department did not provide the exact numbers of employees who were affected.

At least two councils within the department were dissolved: the Diversity & Inclusion Council, which has been in place since the Obama administration, and a council within the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights.

-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett