In May, ICE agents raided a restaurant in San Diego's South Park neighborhood, arresting several workers. But neighbors and patrons spontaneously began to protest ICE’s presence, forcing agents to retreat in their vehicles. Photo: Pedro Rios/AFSC
The United States should welcome immigrants with dignity and ensure their rights are respected. Regardless of where we came from, all people should have the opportunity to build a good life and pursue citizenship in the U.S.
But today, the U.S. is moving in the opposite direction. Since taking office, President Donald Trump has enacted several immigration policies that are tearing apart families and neighborhoods, disrupting communities, and creating a culture of fear.
As a Quaker organization, AFSC’s work is led by our belief in the inherent worth of all individuals. We join with people across the country who recognize that immigrants make our communities stronger. Together, we are mobilizing against the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant agenda.
Here’s what you need to know about the Trump administration’s efforts to target immigrants:
Expanding deportations
The Trump administration is vastly expanding deportations across the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been instructed to meet a quota of 1,200 to 1,500 arrests per day. Raids are being carried out at workplaces and communities in cities and towns, big and small. People, including children, are now being detained at immigration court, at ICE check-ins, in front of courthouses and even schools.
Invoking the “Alien Enemies Act”
The Alien Enemies Act was previously used during World War II to force people of Japanese, German, and Italian ancestry into internment camps. Now, Trump is trying to use the act to immediately deport people without due process and in violation of their human and constitutional rights. Although the use of this law continues to face legal challenges, the administration has already sent hundreds of people to El Salvador and other places outside the U.S., where they are now incarcerated in inhumane conditions.
Revoking temporary legal status for over 1 million people
The Trump administration has canceled temporary legal status for over a million immigrants in the U.S., placing them at risk for deportation. Targeted programs include:
- Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
TPS is a provision under which the government protects people from deportation from certain countries afflicted by natural disasters, war, or other dangerous conditions. To date,
The Trump administration has ended TPS for Haitians, Venezuelans, Afghans, Cameroonians, Hondurans, and Nicaraguans. Those decisions are being challenged in the courts. We anticipate that the Trump administration will try to end TPS for other countries, which will likely be met with more litigation.
- CHNV (Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans) Parole Program
The Trump administration shut down a program that had allowed over 500,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to live and work legally in the U.S. The CHNV program let people from these countries come to the U.S. if they had sponsors and passed background checks, giving them two years of protection.
- Student visas
The administration has revoked the visas of hundreds, possibly thousands, of international students in dozens of states. Many students with visas—and even green cards—have been arrested, detained, and either deported or threatened with deportation because of their political speech, particularly in support of Palestinian rights.
Creating a nationwide registry to target immigrants
As part of a new nationwide registry, immigrants as young as 14 are now being forced to turn over personal data and fingerprints to the federal government or risk being jailed indefinitely. People who aren’t citizens are now required to carry proof of their registration at all times, opening the door to racial profiling and civil rights violations.
The registry echoes racist registration systems from our past. The U.S. government forced people of Japanese, German, and Italian descent to register during World War II before sending many to internment camps.
Conducting raids in schools, hospitals, and other sensitive areas
The administration has ended a long-standing policy that discouraged ICE officers from entering or making arrests in schools, hospitals, places of worship, and other sensitive areas. Protected spaces where people seek help, worship, study, and exercise their basic civil rights, could now be targets for ICE raids. The policy change could also deter immigrants from getting the emergency help they need, sending their kids to school, or practicing their faith.
Implementing a new travel ban
The Trump administration has issued a new travel ban barring people from traveling to the U.S. from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. The ban also puts restrictions on people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. The order expands on the racist Muslim and Africa ban implemented during President Trump’s first term. Read more.
Shutting down the U.S.-Mexico border
The administration has closed the Southern Border to people seeking asylum, effectively shutting out people seeking safety and opportunities in the U.S. Trump has also declared a national border emergency, allowing him to deploy more troops to the area and redirect more funds and resources to further militarize border communities.
In addition, the administration has shut down U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s CBP One mobile application, stranding people with existing appointments in Mexico. The app had previously allowed immigrants to schedule appointments at ports of entry—the only means for migrants to safely seek asylum. The administration has also reinstated the “Remain in Mexico” policy, which requires asylum seekers to wait in Mexico until their U.S. immigration court hearings.
Suspending refugee admissions
Trump signed an order to fully suspend the refugee program for at least four months. Thousands of refugees who had already been approved for admission—some already in transit to the U.S.—have been stranded in countries around the world. That includes hundreds of Afghans who assisted the U.S. during the war in Afghanistan and now fear for their lives.
Targeting local government and nonprofits
The Trump administration plans to use punitive measures—including withholding federal funds—against sanctuary cities and other localities and states to enforce its anti-immigrant agenda. These are jurisdictions that have declared that their local law enforcement and other institutions will not collaborate with ICE to deport community members. The administration has also directed federal prosecutors to investigate and even bring criminal charges against state and local officials who refuse to cooperate with ICE. This tactic has also been used to threaten nonprofits that serve immigrant communities, stripping them of funding to provide vital community services.
Attempts to end birthright citizenship
Through an executive order, the Trump administration is attempting to revoke citizenship from some U.S.-born children of immigrants. This right is protected by the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. As of this writing, more than 20 states have already filed suit to challenge the order and uphold this fundamental right. More than one federal judge has already temporarily blocked the executive order, calling it “blatantly unconstitutional."
