Trump Intensifies Immigration Crackdown as Economy Contracts and Global Strategy Shifts
Widespread ICE Raids, New Executive Orders on Policing and Immigration, and National Protests Mark a Sweeping Week of Domestic and International Action.
With President Trump’s first 100 days of his second term now behind him, this past week brought sweeping developments in executive orders, anti-immigrant sentiment, and economic uncertainty. Nearly 1,000 people were arrested in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids nationwide, including 800 detained in Florida and more than 100 arrested during a nightclub raid in Colorado Springs. In a striking new move, the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) law enforcement division announced its collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), using package data to help identify undocumented immigrants.
Anti-immigrant sentiment intensified further as Texas introduced legislation aimed at restricting undocumented students from accessing higher education—potentially impacting millions across the state. In a development previously covered by The Introspective, the Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended Judge Hannah Dugan following her arrest for allegedly aiding an undocumented immigrant. Meanwhile, Palestinian activist and Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi was released after being detained during a citizenship interview—his arrest tied to his advocacy for Palestine.
In Washington, President Trump issued a series of controversial executive orders. These include directives for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to provide legal aid to police officers accused of brutality, expand prison capacity, resume transfers of military-grade equipment to local police departments, and roll back federal consent decrees that held police accountable. The DOJ was also ordered to prosecute officials who obstruct law enforcement and to identify and defund sanctuary cities. Additionally, all commercial drivers are now required to demonstrate English proficiency.
Economic concerns deepened as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contracted by 0.3% in the first quarter of 2025—the first decline in years—amid ongoing global instability and trade tensions. Weekly unemployment claims also surged past 241,000, pointing to widespread layoffs and uncertainty.
Former Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff was removed from the board of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, along with several other Biden-era appointees. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the termination of a military initiative focused on integrating women into security roles, criticizing it as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) polices face backlash.
On Capitol Hill, Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) introduced seven articles of impeachment against President Trump, citing “acts of tyranny.” Protests against the administration continued to spread across the country in response.
Amid ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, the United States and Ukraine signed the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, granting American interests access to Ukrainian rare earth minerals—an agreement signaling long-term U.S. involvement in the region.
Immigration
Anti-immigrant sentiment continues to escalate after more than 800 people were arrested in ICE raids across Florida in a “massive, multi-agency immigration enforcement crackdown” involving ICE, Miami, and Florida law enforcement.
“Florida is leading the nation in active cooperation with the Trump administration for immigration enforcement and deportation operations!” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote in a post on X.
The four-day operation, referred to as “Operation Tidal Wave,” is the first partnership of its kind between state and federal officials. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin warned that more raids are likely.
“Almost 800 aliens, including MS-13 gang members, convicted murderers, rapists—all these people are now off our streets, who have otherwise been acting with impunity and terrorizing U.S. communities,” McLaughlin said in an interview with Fox News.
“You are going to be seeing this throughout the country.”
At the same time, more than 100 people were arrested in an ICE raid at a Colorado Springs nightclub. Among those arrested were active-duty soldiers and U.S. citizens.
“It was actually pretty scary. They were a bit too rough on everybody,” Marvin Melgar, one of those arrested, told CBS Colorado.
“I had my hands behind my back, and my shoulders were hurting—hurting so bad.”
In a separate report, former Colorado Rep. Steph Vigil raised alarms over local law enforcement working with federal officers.
“We also have a serious trust issue with law enforcement agencies,” Vigil said.
“And we definitely have serious trust issues with any law enforcement agency following Trump’s orders.”
El Paso County Sheriff Joseph Roybal responded to the backlash following the raid, affirming his support of the operation while emphasizing community safety.
“As sheriff, I am wholly committed to keeping the citizens and deputies who live and work in my community safe. To do so, we will continue to arrest and charge criminals regardless of their country of origin,” Roybal said in a press release.
Further backlash erupted after the U.S. Postal Inspection Service—the police and investigative division of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS)—revealed it is now working with the Department of Homeland Security to identify undocumented immigrants using data from mail and packages. Immigration officials reportedly have access to the agency’s online account data, package and mail tracking information, credit card data, and IP addresses.
“We want to play well in the sandbox,” read an internal email obtained by The Washington Post, referring to a meeting held with immigration officials.
Postal inspectors also participated in the Colorado Springs raid, along with agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Meanwhile, following a previous report from The Introspective detailing the arrest of Milwaukee Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan, the Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended Dugan after alleging that she obstructed the arrest of an undocumented immigrant by escorting the individual and their attorney through a private jury door to avoid federal agents.
“It is ordered ... that Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah C. Dugan is temporarily prohibited from exercising the powers of a circuit court judge in the state of Wisconsin, effective the date of this order and until further order of the court,” read the order.
In a statement obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Dugan’s attorneys criticized the court’s decision.
“We are disappointed that the court acted in unilateral fashion,” the attorneys said.
“We continue to assert Judge Dugan’s innocence and look forward to her vindication in court.”
She is scheduled to appear in court on May 15.
At the same time, Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi was released by ICE after being arrested during a citizenship interview. Mahdawi, who is Palestinian, had been detained over his involvement in campus demonstrations regarding Palestine.
“The two weeks of detention so far demonstrate great harm to a person who has been charged with no crime,” said U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford at a hearing Wednesday.
“Mr. Mahdawi, I will order you released.”
Mahdawi addressed supporters outside the Vermont courthouse, calling Crawford’s decision a “light of hope.”
“Judge Crawford, who ruled to release me against all of the heinous accusations, horrible attacks, chills of speech, First Amendment violations—he made a very brave decision to let me out,” Mahdawi said.
“And this is what justice is. And for anybody who's doubting justice, this is a light of hope, a hope and faith in the justice system in America.”
He also had a message for President Trump, referencing previous Introspective reports highlighting student visas being revoked as the administration cracks down on pro-Palestinian activism.
“To President Trump and his cabinet: I am not afraid of you,” Mahdawi added.
Mahdawi’s release comes as Texas lawmakers introduced legislation that would prohibit undocumented students from receiving financial aid at public universities. The bill could impact millions in funding, as more than 57,000 students enrolled in Texas universities are undocumented—the second-largest population in the country.
“In the 2024–25 school year alone, more than 20,000 undocumented migrants received in-state tuition benefits that resulted in an estimated $150 million in subsidies,” said Texas Sen. Mayes Middleton, who introduced the bill.
“These are funds that could’ve been used to support lawful residents, perhaps even used to lower tuition or fees for citizens.”
Executive Orders, Policing, and Economic Downturn
A series of executive orders were signed by President Trump aimed at strengthening local law enforcement by directing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to provide free legal aid to police officers accused of brutality, expanding prison capacity, supplying local and state law enforcement with military-grade weapons, and repealing federal consent decrees designed to hold police departments accountable. A notable use of a consent decree was against the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) following the killing of Freddie Gray in 2015.
“The Attorney General shall take all appropriate action to create a mechanism to provide legal resources and indemnification to law enforcement officers who unjustly incur expenses and liabilities for actions taken during the performance of their official duties to enforce the law,” read the executive order.
“Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Attorney General, shall determine how military and national security assets, training, non-lethal capabilities, and personnel can most effectively be utilized to prevent crime.”
Another executive order threatens sanctuary cities — jurisdictions that refuse to enforce federal immigration policies — by directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to identify areas that do not cooperate with Trump’s crackdown on immigration.
“It's quite simple: obey the law, respect the law, and don't obstruct federal immigration officials and law enforcement officials when they are simply trying to remove public safety threats,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday.
Many advocates and officials reacted to the executive order. Fred Tsao, senior policy counsel at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, said Trump’s hostility toward sanctuary cities is nothing new.
“The first Trump administration also went after the city of Chicago by trying to take away federal police grant funding that was issued through the Justice Department,” Tsao told the Chicago Sun-Times.
“The city of Chicago sued, and the city of Chicago won.”
In the same report, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson previously referred to Trump’s actions as “terrorism.”
“Trying to force your will to break the spirit of working people in order to have a conversation — that’s terrorism. And we’re not going to negotiate with terrorists,” Johnson said.
In an interview with CBS Minnesota, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said crime is a more pressing issue than undocumented immigration.
“I don't want our police officers tracking down undocumented immigrants when we need to prevent homicides from taking place and carjackings,” Frey said, calling the order a violation of state law.
“He can't require local law enforcement to do certain and specified federal work. That would be against the state law because federal immigration policy is not one of the enumerated policies under state law that police can conduct that business in.”
Trump also signed another executive order requiring commercial truck drivers to be fluent in English. The order, titled Enforcing Commonsense Rules of the Road for America’s Truck Drivers, follows a previous directive establishing English as the official language of the United States, despite the country previously not having one.
“Every day, truckers perform the demanding and dangerous work of transporting the nation’s goods to businesses, customers, and communities safely, reliably, and efficiently,” the order read.
“They should be able to read and understand traffic signs, communicate with traffic safety, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station officers.”
The order also directs Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to issue new guidance on English proficiency testing and enforcement policies. Any violation of the English requirement would place the driver “out of service.”
“You might not know, but there’s a lot of communication problems between truckers on the road with federal officials and local officials, as well, which obviously is a public safety risk,” Leavitt said.
In a statement, Dan Horvath, senior vice president of regulatory and safety policy at the American Trucking Associations, welcomed the executive order, calling it a correction to what he described as an “uneven application” of existing regulations.
“We look forward to working with FMCSA and the law enforcement community on an objective, consistent and effective enforcement standard,” Horvath said.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) also supported the executive order, emphasizing that basic English skills are “essential.”
“OOIDA and the 150,000 truckers we proudly represent strongly support President Trump’s decision to resume enforcement of English proficiency requirements for commercial drivers,” said OOIDA President Todd Spencer.
“Basic English skills are essential for reading critical road signs, understanding emergency instructions, and interacting with law enforcement.”
Meanwhile, amid growing economic uncertainty and the ongoing trade war, the U.S. gross domestic product declined by 0.3% during the first quarter — or winter — of 2025, marking the first contraction in years.
Ryan Sweet, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, told Fox Business that other areas of the economy still showed resilience.
“This will be tested as the economy is being hit now by several shocks, including tariffs, supply-chain stress, tighter financial market conditions and uncertainty, but the daily data imply that the engine of the economy didn't stall early this quarter,” Sweet said
“The Q1 data on GDP highlight the bind that the Federal Reserve is in. The economy was essentially stagnant in the first three months of the year while growth in headline and core inflation accelerated, fanning concerns of stagflation.”
Despite Sweet’s reassurance, a report from the Department of Labor found that weekly unemployment claims reached more than 241,000. In New York state alone — where claims have doubled — the figure surpassed 30,000.
“Nonetheless, the deterioration in the timeliest hiring and firing indicators over the last couple weeks suggests that jobless claims will trend up over coming weeks,” economist Sam Tombs told CNBC.
Impeachment, Dismissals, and DEI Backlash
Following actions taken by President Trump throughout his second term, Michigan Rep. Shri Thanedar of announced he filed articles of impeachment against the president.
“I have introduced articles of impeachment against President Trump,” Thanedar wrote in a post to X.
“When Trump ignores the Constitution, Congress, and the courts, he is not ‘fighting for America.’ He is tearing it down and endangering our democracy.”
The articles of impeachment are unlikely to progress, as Republicans currently control both the House of Representatives and the Senate. However, the filings underscore the escalating political tensions across the United States.
“Donald Trump has already done real damage to our democracy, but defying a unanimous 9-0 Supreme Court ruling—that has to be the one final straw,” Thanedar said, referencing a decision to bring back Kilmar Abrego Gracia, a Maryland legal resident who was deported to El Salvador.
“It’s time we impeach Donald J. Trump.”
At the same time, former Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff was removed from the board of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, along with several other Biden-era appointees. The Trump administration holds the authority to appoint and remove members from the museum’s board.
“President Trump looks forward to appointing new individuals who will not only continue to honor the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust, but who are also steadfast supporters of the State of Israel,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in a statement to ABC News.
In the same report, Emhoff acknowledged his removal, stating, “Holocaust remembrance and education should never be politicized.”
“To turn one of the worst atrocities in history into a wedge issue is dangerous, and it dishonors the memory of six million Jews murdered by Nazis that this museum was created to preserve,” Emhoff said.
Emhoff’s dismissal comes amid further shakeups throughout the federal government, including at the Department of Defense (DOD). Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday that he had shut down the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) initiative, a program designed to support the inclusion of women on security teams, as backlash toward diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts continues.
“WPS is yet another woke, divisive, social justice Biden initiative that overburdens our commanders and troops — distracting from our core task: WAR-FIGHTING,” Hegseth wrote in a post to X, adding that the DOD would do the bare minimum to comply with the program’s requirements before working to eliminate it in the next fiscal year.
“WPS is a United Nations program pushed by feminists and left-wing activists. Politicians fawn over it; troops HATE it.”
Ukraine Mineral Deal
As the conflict between Ukraine and Russia continues, the United States and Ukraine have signed a deal granting American officials access to Ukraine’s critical minerals and other natural resources—potentially boosting support for the Eastern European nation.
“We have formed a version of the agreement that provides mutually beneficial conditions for both countries. This is an agreement in which the United States notes its commitment to promoting long-term peace in Ukraine and recognizes the contribution that Ukraine has made to global security by giving up its nuclear arsenal,” Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said in a post to Facebook.
The agreement covers minerals—including rare earth elements—as well as oil and natural gas. It also establishes a reconstruction investment fund, which will be jointly controlled by the United States and Ukraine.
“This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a press release.
Under the deal, Ukraine will contribute 50 percent of all future profits from government-owned resources to the fund. The United States will contribute through direct funding and equipment, as well as defense systems and other forms of military aid.
Anti-Trump Demonstrations Escalate
Protests broke out nationwide Thursday against the second Trump administration as backlash to its policies continues. Demonstrators cited a range of concerns, including anti-immigrant sentiment promoted by the administration, U.S. involvement in Palestine—especially the targeting of student protesters—the ongoing trade war, and the downsizing of the federal government.
“We have a bunch of robber barons and freeloaders in charge of this authoritarian regime, who want to oppress us, live off our hard-earned wages, pull our jobs out from under us, decimate universities, deport international students who want to speak out for Palestinian liberation, and try to keep us silent,” said Lisa Rofel, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace.
“The movement for a free Palestine is the tip of the spear they are using to shred freedom of speech and all freedoms.”
The Introspective was on the scene at a protest in Baltimore organized by groups such as the Maryland chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Teachers Association of Baltimore County, and the Baltimore chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Demonstrators marched through downtown before concluding at McKeldin Square, carrying signs that read “Hands Off: Students, Migrants, Grants, Gender-Affirming Care” and “Jews say, cease-fire now!”
During the rally, former State Department employee Stacy Gilbert shared her reasons for resigning from the agency, including her criticism of former President Joe Biden for obstructing a report on Israel blocking aid to Gaza—before condemning the Trump administration for adopting the same stance.
“There were indications of looming famine. About 208 workers had died,” said Gilbert.
“But the State Department removed the people working on the report and released a version to Congress that said Israel was not blocking humanitarian assistance.”
Later, Zion Parran, a sophomore at Baltimore City College High School, criticized President Trump for past remarks about low academic performance in Baltimore schools.
“Mr. President, do you know why our students are struggling?” Zion asked the crowd.
“Because our teachers are underpaid, because mental health goes unfunded, because public education is treated like an afterthought in a democracy that thrives on the critical theories and experiences of the working class.”
Zainab Chaudry, director of CAIR’s Maryland chapter, called for the release of Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Gracia while also demanding an end to the administration’s targeting of international students and immigrants. A previous report from The Introspective found that more than 1,500 students had their visas revoked.
“We demand the end of the targeting of students. We demand the end of the targeting of our immigrant communities. We demand our Maryland father, Kilmar Abrego Gracia. Bring him home!” said Chaudry, before urging the crowd not to remain complicit in Trump’s policies.
“The fight today isn’t just about dehumanization and racism, brothers and sisters—it is also against silence and complicity,” she said.
“We have to push back relentlessly. We have to break the silence.”