Trump's illegal immigration policy: How federal agencies are stepping up crackdown for mass deportation

Trump recently expressed strong support for legal immigration, highlighting its importance as manufacturing in the country expands due to his tariff policies.

Amid US President Donald Trump’s executive orders aimed at overhauling US immigration law, immigrants across the country are bracing for a tidal wave of aggressive policies and possible mass deportations.

During his inaugural speech, Trump reiterated his pledge to carry out mass deportations.

“We will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came,” Trump said.

While community leaders are hosting know-your-rights sessions, employers report that many immigrants are too fearful to come to work, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

How is the administration preparing?

The Department of Homeland Security has adopted new norms allowing the government to deport immigrants who entered the country illegally as long as two years ago using a fast-track process.

According to an internal memo seen by WSJ, the Trump administration will grant agents across the federal government the same powers as an immigration officer to carry out deportations. The department will grant immigration-enforcement authority to other agencies at the Justice Department, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Officials at the Pentagon told WSJ that it was sending 1,500 active-duty troops to the southern border. The Pentagon is also sending helicopters, crews and intelligence analysts to support monitoring efforts. “The deployments would be complete by the end of this week,” officials told WSJ.

According to the report, the Pentagon will build temporary and permanent physical barriers for additional security to curtail illegal border crossings and illicit trafficking. Defense officials told WSJ that there have been requests from Trump officials for potentially as many as 10,000 troops.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s joint terrorism task forces have also been reportedly asked to coordinate with the Department of Homeland Security to “assist in the execution of President Trump’s immigration-related initiatives”.

What is ICE doing?

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said it made 538 arrests and detained 373 undocumented immigrants in sanctuary cities across the country, including those with criminal histories of sexual assault, domestic violence and drugs among other things.

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ICE (@ICEgov) January 24, 2025

According to Fox News, the arrests took place between midnight January 21 and 9 am January 22. Those arrested are nationals from various countries including Afghanistan, Angola, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Senegal and Venezuela.

Trump to sign the Laken Riley Act

Trump is poised to sign the first bill of his new administration. It is named after a slain Georgia nursing student whose name became a rallying cry during his White House campaign.

If signed into law, the Laken Riley Act would require the detection of unauthorised immigrants accused of theft and violent crimes. The bill won bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.

What are communities doing?

Boston-based lawyers for Civil Rights launched rapid-response efforts to help immigrants, Oren Sellstrom, the organisation’s litigation director, told WSJ. This included training sessions to help people and community groups understand individuals’ rights if law-enforcement authorities show up on their doorstep, or they are detained. They also set up a hotline people can call to access pro bono legal help.

Wellington Z Chen, executive director of the nonprofit Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corporation, said potential deportations have been on the mind of immigrants in New York City’s Chinatown community. “People are on edge,” he said.

Schools and businesses brace themselves

According to WSJ, some businesses are reporting that migrant employees are too fearful to come to work. Jacob M Monty, an immigration and employment lawyer in Texas, said he has been advising businesses to conduct “mock audits” of their workers’ I-9 forms, and to not delay addressing any problems or errors they find. As per the norms, employers need to complete filling the form after verifying an employee’s identity and eligibility to work in the US by checking his or her original documents.

In December, New York City schools sent a message to principals about what to do if ICE agents arrive at schools. The WSJ report stated that the Los Angeles school superintendent told families that the district welcomed all students and wouldn’t ask about or disclose immigration status. “I know this is a scary time for many. We stand with you. We will use every tool at our disposal to continue to support you,” Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District, wrote in an email message Friday.

Meanwhile, Trump recently expressed strong support for legal immigration, highlighting its importance as manufacturing in the country expands due to his tariff policies.

“I’m fine with legal immigration. I like it. We need people, and I’m absolutely fine with it. We want to have it,” Trump said during his first news conference as president.