Since his inauguration, President Donald Trump has enforced a series of controversial policies, including reinforcing the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, enacting mass-deportation raids carried out by ICE, imposing tariffs on trade, and instituting cuts to federal spending. His changes have shaken Americans nationwide, evoked fear and uncertainty for both undocumented and documented immigrants, and sparked instability in economic industries and businesses.
ICE’s Strict Policies
The Department of Homeland Security, prior to the Biden administration, required Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to refrain from immigration enforcement actions in “Sensitive Areas,” according to ICE. However, the Biden administration instilled a new memo where they redefined what “Sensitive Areas” were: “schools (including preschools, K-12 schools, and higher education institutions); healthcare facilities (including hospitals, doctor’s offices, and community health clinics); places of worship; places where children gather (including playgrounds and bus stops); social services establishments (such as domestic violence shelters and food pantries); disaster/emergency response sites (including evacuation routes); weddings, funerals, and religious ceremonies; and parades, demonstrations, and rallies.” The Trump administration recently rescinded this policy, and these areas are no longer protected from immigration enforcement. Additionally, ICE now formally refers to and recognizes undocumented immigrants as “aliens,” instead of “undocumented noncitizen” or “undocumented individual.”
Under the Trump Administration, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has started detaining thousands of people across the nation for violations of immigration policies, formulating mass-deportation raids in regions across the nation. The major cities for ICE raids with reported large-scale operations are Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Denver, Miami, Atlanta, and several locations in Texas, according to El País, a Spanish-language daily newspaper.
ICE officials have stated that they are focusing on people with criminal records; however, non-violent, undocumented immigrants have been detained during these raids. In March, Columbia University student Yunseo Chung, a legal citizen who has lived in the U.S. since the age of 7, was hunted down by ICE for participating in a pro-Palestine demonstration. According to the student’s lawsuit, immigration officials made multiple efforts to locate and detain her. These included visiting several residences, calling in federal prosecutors, and searching her university housing. They even used warrants citing the federal “harboring” statute, which typically applies to those sheltering undocumented immigrants. Although Chung has not been detained, the lawsuit argues that the government went to significant lengths to try to apprehend her, making it clear that she was actively being targeted for arrest. According to the New York Times, “The Trump administration is arguing that her presence in the United States hinders the administration’s foreign policy agenda of halting the spread of antisemitism.”
As a part of a five-day mass-deportation in New York in late March, 133 people were found to be illegal immigrants: 20 had criminal charges or convictions on their records, 3 were convicted murderers, 9 had been previously deported and had re-entered the U.S. Federal Agencies had raided worksites for the operation as well, making 18 arrests, according to the ICE website.
Economic Influence
The uproar surrounding ICE enforcement has sparked a discussion about the economic impact the deportations will have on Americans. Current political rhetoric often depicts undocumented immigrants as a source of crime rather than recognizing their contributions to the nation. The New York Times states that “As a group, undocumented immigrants paid $3.1 billion in New York state and local taxes in 2022, for example, a sum equal to the city’s early education budget for the current fiscal year.” Furthermore, over a third of the tax dollars paid by undocumented immigrants go toward payroll taxes, which fund entitlement programs that they cannot benefit from. New York, for example, relies heavily on undocumented workers in major industries, such as the city’s on-demand restaurant industry. Excluding the many delivery workers, there are more than 42,000 undocumented chefs, cooks, preppers, and waiters working across New York state. According to the New York Times, economists and employers state that these undocumented workers, whom the industries enormously depend on, would be difficult to replace.
The stock market, as well, has taken a significant hit because of President Trump’s escalating trade war. His administration introduced new tariffs—starting with a 10% baseline on many imported goods, then increasing tariffs on Chinese products to over 50%, and threatening to raise them to 104%. Since this article has been written, Trump has raised tariffs on China to 145 percent. In response, China initially hit back with a 34% tariff on U.S. imports. This back-and-forth has created major uncertainty, resulting in lowered investor confidence in the stock market. Many economists and business leaders have warned that these actions are inflationary, harmful to U.S. businesses, and could trigger a recession, according to NBC news. So far, $6.6 trillion has been wiped off the markets, and analysts are forecasting rising unemployment and a slowing economy as consequences of this trade strategy.
Nationwide Responses
Since taking office, Trump has been clear about his intent to cut federal spending, regardless of the harm it may have. As part of Trump and senior advisor to the President of the United States Elon Musk’s efforts to shrink the federal government, thousands of federal workers have been already laid off or abruptly notified of termination.
In response, there have been protests across the country. On April 5th, many took part in “Hands Off” mass-action protests against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. These protests took place across the nation at state capitols, federal buildings, congressional offices, Social Security headquarters, parks, and city halls. The event flyers state that “Whether you are mobilized by the attacks on our democracy, the slashing of jobs, the invasion of privacy, or the assault on our services – this moment is for you.” Almost 600,000 people signed up to attend the events, including people from places outside of the U.S. The three main demands of the “Hands Off protests are to stop cutting federal funding for Medicaid, Social Security, and other essential programs relied on by working people, to end attacks on marginalized groups, and to prevent billionaires from taking over American democracy to end the corruption of the Trump administration.
From the actions taken by ICE to the trade tariffs and significant cuts to federal spending, many Americans have felt deeply impacted by President’s Trump’s new policies. As the administration continues to push forward with its agenda, there is a growing number of public opposition and fear; how will the Trump Administration continue to shape the future of American society?
