America’s Immigration Crisis: Trump’s Crackdown, Rising Anti-Immigrant Sentiment, and the Future of U.S. Immigration
Mass deportations, detention center abuses, and executive orders are reshaping the U.S. immigration system under Trump’s second term.
Content Warning: This article contains discussions of abuse, neglect, and sexual assault, which may be distressing for readers.
Immigration has been at the center of debate during Donald Trump’s second term, with mass deportations surging in the nine weeks since his administration began. Previous reports from The Introspective have highlighted the growing anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States, including executive orders declaring a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, the creation of the Federal Immigration Registry—a database tracking all undocumented immigrants living in the country illegally—and the deportation of alleged criminals to El Salvador, including individuals who may be American citizens or legal residents.
Trump’s policies have been widely criticized, as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have arrested more than 32,000 undocumented immigrants since the start of his second term. Among them is Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and permanent U.S. resident, who was detained despite his legal status and his wife being a U.S. citizen. Several countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and Denmark, have issued travel warnings to the U.S. after European and Canadian travelers with proper documentation were detained at airports and while traveling within the country.
The backlash comes as the Trump administration has ended legal protections for immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, affecting more than 530,000 people. These protections are set to expire in April.
Immigration Policies Through the Years
Research from the Cato Institute highlights that nearly 100 million people have immigrated to the United States throughout its history, with 86 million arriving with proper documentation between 1783 and 2019.
Over the years, immigration laws have changed significantly. The first law to specify who was eligible to become a U.S. citizen was the Naturalization Act—also known as the Nationality Act of 1790—which restricted citizenship to white people who had lived in the country for at least two years and demonstrated “good moral character.” The residency requirement was later extended to five years in 1795, 14 years in 1798, and then reverted to five years in 1802.
The 1798 Alien Enemies Act—part of the Alien and Sedition Acts—allowed the president to arrest, detain, and deport noncitizens deemed a threat to national security.
The Immigration Act of 1864 was enacted in response to labor shortages following the Civil War. The law legalized recruitment practices similar to indentured servitude—a system in which individuals voluntarily worked without pay for a set period in exchange for freedom or debt relief. However, Congress repealed the law in 1868 following backlash from labor groups.
The Naturalization Act of 1870 granted U.S. citizenship to formerly enslaved Black people and Black immigrants. However, the law excluded Asians and other people of color from naturalization.
Birthright citizenship—the constitutional right granting citizenship to anyone born in the United States—was affirmed in United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898). The Supreme Court ruled that Wong Kim Ark, a Chinese American man born in San Francisco to immigrant parents, was a U.S. citizen. This decision challenged the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the first major U.S. law restricting immigration. The act banned Chinese laborers from immigrating, denied naturalization rights to Chinese residents, and required Chinese people to carry documentation when traveling. The law was repealed in 1943.
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965—also known as the Hart-Celler Act—eliminated immigration quotas based on race or national origin, ending barriers against nonwhite immigrants and those from Southern and Eastern Europe.
Following the 9/11 attacks in 2001, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 established the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This restructured the federal immigration system, transferring responsibilities from the Department of Justice to DHS agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Anti-Immigrant Sentiment in the 2020s
As the 2020s reach their midpoint, the United States has seen a surge in immigration, in part due to migrants from the Global South, including El Salvador, Venezuela, and Guatemala. More than 7 million people crossed the U.S.-Mexico border between January 2021 and January 2024.
High-profile cases involving undocumented immigrants have contributed to rising anti-immigrant sentiment. In February 2024, Laken Riley, a nursing student in Georgia, was killed by José Antonio Ibarra, an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela. His immigration status drew controversy, as Ibarra had been previously arrested in multiple jurisdictions but was later released back into the United States. A BBC report detailed a September 2023 arrest in which Ibarra was charged with “acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17” and a motor vehicle license violation. He was later released by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) “before a detainer could be issued.”
Then-President Joe Biden’s immigration policies faced criticism from Republicans following Riley’s killing. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp wrote on X that securing the U.S.-Mexico border “is the only way to holistically address this ongoing crisis and ensure that Laken Riley’s horrible fate is not replicated across the country.”
“Joe Biden’s failed policies have turned every state into a border state, and I’m demanding information from him so we can protect our people when the federal government won’t!” Kemp added.
A February 2024 survey found that 57% of Americans believed the large number of migrants entering the country led to more crime. Additionally, 80% said the government was doing a “very” or “somewhat” bad job handling immigration. The survey highlighted a bipartisan shift, with 89% of Republicans and 73% of Democrats disapproving of the government’s handling of immigration.
Further scrutiny toward immigration intensified after the killing of Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted and murdered in June 2024. Two undocumented immigrants, Johan José Martínez-Rangel and Franklin José Peña Ramos, were charged with capital murder, kidnapping, and aggravated sexual assault. Prosecutors have called for the death penalty.
During the 2024 election, Nungaray’s mother, Alexis Nungaray, appeared in a Texas Senate campaign ad, criticizing the Democratic Party’s immigration policies.
“Jocelyn was murdered by two illegal migrants, each released on the same days they were detained. Not even 30 days later, she was found down there in the bayou. She had no pants on. They bound her feet, and they just left her, like nothing. All because of that policy—catch and release,” she said in an ad for Win It Back PAC, a conservative fundraising group.
Alexis later spoke to lawmakers in September 2024, blaming the then-Biden administration for her daughter’s death.
“Because of the Biden-Harris administration’s open border policies and catch-and-release, they were enrolled in the Alternatives to Detention program,” she said.
“This meant they were released into the United States. It was not even a full three weeks later that they would take my daughter Jocelyn Nungaray’s life.”
In December 2024, The Introspective reported on the killing of Debrina Kawam, a homeless woman set on fire on the New York City subway by Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala. Zapeta-Calil had been deported from the United States in 2018 but reentered at an unknown date. He was later charged with first- and second-degree murder, along with an arson charge.
In the same report, Border Czar Tom Homan criticized New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, spreading anti-immigrant sentiment.
“There’s nothing you can say that’s going to make this right in New York. Here’s another example of an illegal alien killing an American citizen. It’s almost a daily occurrence now because a historic number of criminal aliens are walking the streets, thanks to this administration’s policies in sanctuary jurisdictions and lax immigration enforcement,” said Homan.
Despite heightened fears surrounding immigration, research has found that immigrants are 60% less likely to be incarcerated than U.S.-born citizens. A 2018 New York Times investigation found no correlation between undocumented immigrants and increased crime in communities. Studies by the American Immigration Council noted that while the number of immigrants nearly doubled from 6.2% of the population in 1980 to nearly 14% in 2022, the national crime rate declined by more than 60% over the same period.
Immigration Policies Under Trump’s Second Term
The second Trump administration has taken a significantly more stringent approach to immigration compared to the previous Biden administration. A report from The Introspective highlighted an executive order in which Trump declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border and ended the “catch and release” policy—a practice that allowed undocumented immigrants to be released from detention while awaiting court hearings regarding their immigration cases.
Another executive order, Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats, designated drug cartels and international gangs, including Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, as foreign terrorist organizations. The Central Intelligence Agency later disclosed the existence of a drone program targeting alleged drug cartels and fentanyl labs in Mexico. Originally initiated under the Biden administration, the program was expanded by Trump. In response, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced constitutional reforms aimed at protecting Mexico’s sovereignty.
Trump also announced a deal with El Salvador to deport individuals from the United States deemed violent—including potential American citizens and legal residents—to be placed in Salvadoran prisons. Additionally, The Introspective reported on Trump’s attempts to invoke the Alien Enemies Act to deport detained Venezuelan men in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. A federal judge blocked the administration from carrying out the deportations; however, the Trump administration ignored the ruling and proceeded with deporting the detainees to El Salvador.
In the first 50 days of Trump’s second term, ICE reported more than 32,000 arrests of alleged undocumented immigrants.
Mass Deportations and Widening ICE Detentions
One of the most notable arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was that of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, despite his status as a permanent U.S. resident. A previous report from The Introspective detailed the Trump administration’s attempts to revoke his residency status and deport him.
Khalil’s arrest is the first known deportation effort linked to protests in support of Palestine, with many viewing his detention as a violation of free speech. He is currently being held in Louisiana.
“This has the appearance of a retaliatory action against someone who expressed an opinion the Trump administration didn’t like,” said Camille Mackler, founder of Immigrant ARC, a coalition of legal representatives, in a report by the Associated Press.
Deportations have increased under Trump’s second term, including a high-profile case involving a couple from Orange County, California, who were deported after living in the United States for 35 years.
Nelson and Gladys Gonzalez entered the U.S. in 1990 and had attempted to remain legally for decades. However, according to an ICE representative, the couple had “exhausted all legal options to remain in the U.S. between March 2000 and August 2021.”
“They were put into handcuffs by their wrists and ankles and treated as criminals before getting to these detention centers,” their daughter, Stephanie Gonzalez, told KTLA.
“All they said is they extended their stay, even though every year they’ve had permission to be here. They’re law-abiding citizens who check in with immigration and say, ‘Hey, I’m here. I’m not hiding or doing anything wrong.’ Then they just arrested them like that.”
Neither Gladys nor Nelson had a criminal record before their arrest and deportation.
Many travelers within the United States have also been detained by ICE, including a U.S. citizen and her fiancé. A PBS News report detailed the experience of Lennon Tyler and her fiancé, Lucas Sielaff, a German citizen, who were stopped while returning to Las Vegas from a day trip to Mexico. ICE agents accused Sielaff of violating the terms of his 90-day U.S. tourist permit, arresting him and placing him in detention. He was jailed for 16 days before being deported to Germany.
Despite being a U.S. citizen, Tyler was handcuffed and chained to a bench after requesting a translator for Sielaff.
“You are angry, you are sad, you don’t know when you can get out,” Sielaff said in the report, describing his experience in the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego.
“You just don’t get any answers from anybody.”
Despite having no criminal history and never having lived in the United States, Sielaff underwent a full-body search and was forced to surrender his belongings, including his phone.
Tyler has since planned to sue the federal government, and both she and Sielaff are now reconsidering their decision to hold their wedding in Las Vegas.
“Nobody is safe there anymore to come to America as a tourist,” Sielaff said.
Another high-profile case involved Canadian actress and entrepreneur Jasmine Mooney, known for her roles in the American Pie franchise. She was detained for two weeks after attempting to renew her work visa to enter the United States. Despite not having a criminal record and not speaking with a lawyer, Mooney was arrested by immigration officials and never charged with a crime.
“We eventually learned that about 30 people, including Jasmine, were removed from their cells at 3 a.m. and transferred to the San Luis Detention Center in Arizona,” Mooney’s mother, Alexis Eagles, told The Guardian.
“They are housed together in a single concrete cell with no natural light, fluorescent lights that are never turned off, no mats, no blankets, and limited bathroom facilities.”
In the same report, Mooney described her treatment at the ICE facility.
“I have never in my life seen anything so inhumane,” she said.
“I was put in a cell, and I had to sleep on a mat with no blanket, no pillow, with aluminum foil wrapped over my body like a dead body for two and a half days.”
As the administration escalates its crackdown on immigration, The Introspective obtained a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) memo outlining plans to end legal protections for more than 500,000 immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. The memo states that the administration will revoke “categorical parole programs for inadmissible aliens.”
“Over the previous two years, DHS has implemented programs through which inadmissible aliens who are citizens or nationals of designated countries, and their immediate family members, could request authorization to travel to the United States in order to be considered for parole into the country,” the memo reads.
Immigrants in the program have been ordered to leave the country by April 24, 30 days after the memo’s publication.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, and Canada have issued travel warnings for the United States following increased scrutiny of immigration and Trump administration policies that have rescinded rights for transgender people.
Allegations of Abuse in ICE Detention Centers
As ICE faces increasing scrutiny, the agency has been accused of abuse over the years. A report by Yale University Law School details a complaint alleging multiple violations of civil and human rights under U.S. and international law at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center.
“The women we spoke to shared deeply unsettling accounts of systemic abuse and neglect that violated their human rights, harmed their mental and physical health, and stripped them of their civil rights and dignity,” said Trinh Truong, a Yale student who assisted with the investigation, in the report.
“Their stories underscored the urgent need for accountability and meaningful change in the immigration detention system, and I am grateful for the opportunity to help amplify their voices.”
According to the complaint, detainees in ICE facilities were not receiving adequate food, were served unsafe drinking water, and were denied meals that aligned with their religious beliefs—potentially violating the First Amendment. Officers also allegedly forced detainees to clean their cells multiple times a day, causing distress for those who did not speak English fluently.
“Many of the officers’ acts violate the standards set by ICE, causing the women to fear abuse and retaliation,” the complaint stated.
A 2024 report by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) found more than 200 allegations of sexual abuse in ICE facilities since 2007, with California, Arizona, and Texas each having more than 16 allegations. Nineteen other states, including New York, Maryland, Virginia, Michigan, and Louisiana, reported between one and 15 cases.
A 2023 NPR report detailed allegations of medical neglect in ICE detention centers, including a case in Georgia where a nurse allegedly ignored a detainee’s request for an inhaler during an asthma attack. The man was never seen by medical staff, yet the nurse reportedly documented that “he was seen in sick call.”
The same report highlighted allegations of excessive force, including an incident where an officer allegedly moved an unconscious detainee, despite warnings that doing so “could have led to the detainee sustaining permanent physical injury of the neck and/or spine.”
“These reports are chilling. They are damning,” said Eunice Cho, senior staff attorney for the ACLU’s National Prison Project.
“They really show how the government's own inspectors can see the abuses and the level of abuses that are happening in ICE detention.”