Trump’s role in immigration and its effects on society

Immigration and America

The Donald Trump Administration has billed itself as taking unprecedented steps to crack down on illegal immigration.

Given that many immigration policies under Biden and Obama have echoed similar enforcement priorities, the real question is: what truly distinguishes Donald Trump’s anti-immigration approach?

To start, no aspiring president has ever made opposition to the admission of refugees and asylees a fundamental tenet of their platform. In particular, his pledge to build a wall between the United States and Mexico alongside his efforts to ban Muslims from entering the United States became staples of his campaign speech. Furthermore, multiple figures have aligned with Trump’s immigration agenda and have adopted increasingly aggressive stances. For example, Kristi Noem, the former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security and former governor of South Dakota, has supported suspending habeas corpus[1] to speed up deportations. Similarly, Tom Homan, Trump’s appointed border czar and former ICE director, has openly suggested ignoring court orders. This ultimately demonstrates how Trump’s approach to immigration is not just strict, but fundamentally more confrontational, legally aggressive, and politically symbolic than that of his predecessors. Meanwhile, private companies, such as Geo Group and Ceo Civic, which manage hundreds of ICE detention centers, are lining up to profit from mass deportations.

Figure 1: Los Angeles protests, Politico, June 2025

2025 LA Protests:

In June 2025, the Trump administration’s increased immigration raids caused a serious crisis in Los Angeles, where ICE[2] agents carried out sweeping raids across downtown Los Angeles, including the Westlake neighborhood and suburbs like Paramount and Compton. These raids targeted migrant communities already living in fear, leading to immediate and widespread public outrage. Protests burst soon after the invasions, centered mainly around the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse. Protesters initially gathered to call for an end to immigration raids, but the situation escalated quickly. While many protesters remained peaceful, there were violent clashes between citizens and authorities. In response, Trump took the unprecedented step of deploying 2,000 National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles, bypassing the objections of local and state officials. This deployment marked the first time since 1965 that a U.S. president mobilized a state’s National Guard without the governor’s consent. California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass condemned the move, calling it “an abuse of federal power” and warning that it would escalate tensions rather than calm the situation.

The dispute between the Trump administration and California officials quickly intensified as federal action came into play. Trump publicly criticized Bass and Newsom as “incompetent,” while the governor and mayor accused Trump of authoritarian tactics and “criminalizing migration.”

Regarding state and local responses, Governor Newsom even filed a lawsuit against the federal government, alleging that the president’s deployment violated state sovereignty and federal law. Meanwhile, the Trump administration defended its actions as necessary to restore “law and order”.

The Department of Defense further increased its troop presence, sending over 4,000 National Guard members to the region.

Internationally, Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, criticized the U.S. for “criminalizing migration” and highlighted the important contributions of Mexican immigrants to the American economy. This crisis in Los Angeles illuminated the sharp divisions over immigration policy in the United States, the limits of federal authority, and the volatile relationship between immigrant communities and law enforcement. The events underscored the human impact of aggressive immigration enforcement and raised serious questions about the use of military force in domestic law enforcement.

Figure 2: Reuters, 17 Nov. 2022

The Human Cost

According to a poll conducted by the Associated Press, 60% of American adults are against immigration arrests happening in places like schools and places of worship. For over a decade, immigration agencies like ICE and CBP avoided making arrests in what were known as “sensitive locations.” Which included schools, hospitals, and religious institutions, because people have the inherent right to seek safety, education, or medical care without the fear of being detained. However, since then, they have been removed, which is not just a policy change but a fundamental shift in how undocumented people are treated in the country. It reflects a dehumanizing approach that punishes individuals simply for trying to survive or care for their families. More than that, it signals a broader erosion of civil liberties. When the government strips vulnerable communities of their right to feel safe in public spaces, it sets a dangerous precedent. If the rights of undocumented people can be so easily dismantled, it opens the door for the rights of others to be ignored as well. From 1892 to 1954, over 12 million immigrants arrived through Ellis Island under the belief that the U.S. was a land of opportunity and refuge. Today, that promise feels hollow. Which leads me to my next point: this isn’t just an immigration issue, it’s a moral and constitutional one that impacts the entire fabric of society.

[1] In Latin it translates to “you shall have a body”. It is a legal principle that protects people from being held in jail or detained without a fit reason and without the chance to challenge it in court.

[2] The federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement

References

Arroyave, E., & Cunningham, O. (2025, February 14). The Human Costs of Trump's Immigration Crackdown - The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. Retrieved July 20, 2025, from https://civilrights.org/blog/the-human-costs-of-trumps-immigration-crackdown/

Botts, J., & Cortes, J. (2022, November 17). Pressure mounts in giant Mexican migrant camp as U.S. expulsions ruled unlawful. Reuters. Retrieved July 20, 2025, from https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/pressure-mounts-giant-mexican-migrant-camp-us-expulsions-ruled-unlawful-2022-11-17/

Everything we know about the protests in LA and other US cities. (2025, June 11). BBC. Retrieved July 20, 2025, from https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj93d3r0zz0o

Human Rights First. (2025, May 19). The human cost of the Trump administration’s immigration policies - human rights first. Retrieved July 1, 2025, from https://humanrightsfirst.org/library/the-human-cost-of-the-trump-administrations-immigration-policies/

Hutchinson, B. (2025, June 11). LA protests timeline: How ICE raids sparked demonstrations and Trump to send in the military. ABC News. Retrieved July 20, 2025, from https://abcnews.go.com/US/timeline-ice-raids-sparked-la-protests-prompted-trump/story?id=122688437

McHugh, C. (2025, June 11). Which Party Should Be Worried About the Politics of the LA Protests? Politico. Retrieved July 1, 2025, from https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/06/11/los-angeles-protests-political-fallout-interview-00398836

Mendiola, D. (2025, June 5). Trump has launched an unprecedented crusade against legal immigrants | Daniel Mendiola. The Guardian. Retrieved July 1, 2025, from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/05/trump-legal-immigration-crusade

Wasem, R. E. (2020). More than a Wall: The Rise and Fall of US Asylum and Refugee Policy. Journal on Migration and Human Security. Retrieved July 1, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1177/2331502420948847