Trump Week 18: Immigration Policies Escalate as House Passes Trump’s Spending Bill
From mass deportations and TPS rollbacks to a House vote approving the ‘One Big Beautiful Act,’ the administration also moves on policing, public health, and Harvard funding.
Trump’s eighteenth week brought further new developments in immigration, government spending, police reform, and public health. The Supreme Court cleared the administration to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 350,000 Venezuelan immigrants—a move previously blocked by a federal judge, as The Introspective has reported.
At the same time, backlash intensified after Trump officials defied a court order halting the deportation of seven migrants to South Sudan—not to be confused with neighboring Sudan. Legal filings indicate that those deported are not South Sudanese citizens, raising legal and humanitarian concerns.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) also moved to dismantle police reform agreements in Louisville and Minneapolis, ending the consent decrees aimed at addressing unconstitutional policing practices following the 2020 protests. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is considering the development of a reality TV show in which undocumented immigrants would compete for U.S. citizenship.
On the legislative front, the House passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which advances Trump’s agenda on tax cuts, increased border security funding, and mass deportation. The bill also eliminates taxes on tips and overtime wages.
In related developments, Rep. LaMonica McIver faces federal charges for allegedly assaulting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer during the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, previously covered by The Introspective.
President Trump also unveiled a sweeping “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative, with projected costs in the hundreds of billions. The proposal echoes Ronald Reagan’s “Star Wars” vision and marks a significant shift in national defense priorities.
In public health, the Trump administration and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that annual COVID-19 shots will no longer be routinely approved for healthy children and young adults. The policy change comes as outbreaks of bird flu and measles continue to emerge across the country.
The same day, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) slashed another $60 million in grants to Harvard University, escalating tensions with the institution. As The Introspective previously reported, the administration has already revoked $450 million in grants and billions in broader federal funding to the university.
Immigration and Police Reform
As anti-immigrant sentiment continues to rise throughout Trump’s second term, the Supreme Court allowed the administration to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 350,000 Venezuelan immigrants, enabling potential deportations.
“Today’s SCOTUS decision is a win for the American people and the safety of our communities,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin wrote in a post on X.
“The Trump administration is reinstituting integrity into our immigration system to keep our homeland and its people safe.”
Ahilan Arulanantham, one of the lawyers representing the TPS holders, told ABC News that revoking TPS is “the largest single action stripping any group of non-citizens of immigration status in modern U.S. history.”
“The humanitarian and economic impact of the Court’s decision will be felt immediately and will reverberate for generations,” Arulanantham said, adding that it was “shocking” for the Supreme Court to allow the revocation without proper explanation.
“That lack of clarity just underscores how callous the Supreme Court was in treating this issue,” he said.
“If you're going to make decisions that affect the lives of so many people, you at least owe it to the world and to them to explain what it is that you're doing and when the decision is going to take effect.”
Simultaneously, backlash grew after Trump officials violated a court order that halted deportations to South Sudan and other “third-party countries”—countries that are not the deportee’s nation of origin. The deportations raised concerns, as South Sudan faces severe food shortages and ongoing instability stemming from colonialism.
“The department’s actions in this case are unquestionably in violation of this court’s order,” said U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy, noting that deportees were given only 12 hours' notice.
“It was impossible for these people to have a meaningful opportunity to object to their transfer to South Sudan.”
Murphy later ordered the Department of Homeland Security to interview each of the deportees to determine whether they feared torture or death in South Sudan. He also expanded his injunction on deportations to third-party countries, requiring at least 10 days for individuals to raise fears of harm before deportation.
The DHS faced further backlash following a Wall Street Journal report that highlighted internal discussions about a proposed reality television show in which immigrants would compete for U.S. citizenship.
“It is in the very beginning stages of that vetting process,” McLaughlin said in the report.
“Each proposal undergoes a thorough vetting process prior to denial or approval.”
However, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem denied the reports, stating she had “no knowledge” of any such show.
“There may have been something submitted somewhere along the line, because there are proposals pitched to the department, but me and my executive team had no knowledge of the reality show,” Noem said.
“There are no plans whatsoever to do a reality show.”
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DOJ) moved to end consent decrees—federal oversight agreements aimed at curbing police misconduct—in Louisville and Minneapolis, and dropped ongoing investigations into other police departments. Consent decrees gained national attention after they were used to reform the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) following the 2015 killing of Freddie Gray.
“Overbroad police consent decrees divest local control of policing from communities where it belongs, turning that power over to unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats, often with an anti-police agenda,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon in a press release.
“Today, we are ending the Biden Civil Rights Division’s failed experiment of handcuffing local leaders and police departments with factually unjustified consent decrees.”
In a court filing, the DOJ formally requested that the consent decrees with the Minneapolis and Louisville police departments be dismissed.
“After an extensive review by current Department of Justice and Civil Rights Division leadership, the United States no longer believes that the proposed consent decree would be in the public interest,” the DOJ wrote.
The announcement sparked criticism from civil rights advocates. Derrick Johnson, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), wrote on X that it was “no surprise that Trump’s Department of Coverups and Vengeance isn’t seeking justice.”
“It’s been five years, and police reform legislation still hasn’t passed in Congress, and police departments still haven’t been held accountable. Five years,” Johnson wrote.
However, in a CNN report, Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, argued that consent decrees were ineffective and harmful.
“They don’t make any material positive difference in the relationship between police departments and the cities they serve,” Pasco said.
“In fact, to the contrary, it exacerbates the problem because it validates thinking in urban areas that the police are their enemy.”
Government Spending, Legal Tensions, and National Security
The House of Representatives passed a budget bill aimed at furthering tax cuts, increasing border security, expanding the military, and continuing President Trump’s mass deportation initiatives. The legislation also eliminates taxes on tips and overtime pay.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told NBC News that the bill nearly collapsed during negotiations.
“There’s a lot of prayer that brought this together. I’m just going to be very blunt about it. There were a few moments over the last week when it looked like the thing might fall apart,” Johnson said.
“And that’s the secret here: teamwork and mutual respect that everybody has for one another. I think that’s what defines the Republican Party. It’s a great day to be an American. It’s great to be a Republican.”
However, House Democrats sharply criticized the bill, arguing the spending cuts would harm vulnerable Americans.
“Here’s what it will mean for the American people,” said Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
“Children will get hurt. Women will get hurt. Older Americans who rely on Medicaid for nursing home care and home care will get hurt. People with disabilities who rely on Medicaid to survive will get hurt. Hospitals in your districts will close. Nursing homes will shut down. And people will die.”
Meanwhile, following The Introspective’s prior reporting on the arrest of Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka at an ICE facility, Rep. LaMonica McIver was charged Monday for allegedly assaulting an officer during Baraka’s arrest.
“Representative LaMonica McIver assaulted, impeded, and interfered with law enforcement in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 111(a)(1),” Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba said in a statement obtained by ABC News.
“That conduct cannot be overlooked by the chief federal law enforcement official in the state of New Jersey, and it is my constitutional obligation to ensure that our federal law enforcement is protected. No one is above the law—politicians or otherwise. It is the job of this office to uphold justice, regardless of who you are. Now we will let the justice system work.”
McIver responded by alleging the charges against her were politically motivated.
“The charges against me are purely political—they mischaracterize and distort my actions, and are meant to criminalize and deter legislative oversight,” McIver said.
“This administration will never stop me from working for the people in our district and standing up for what is right. I am thankful for the outpouring of support I have received, and I look forward to the truth being laid out clearly in court.”
In a court appearance Wednesday, McIver denied the charges and maintained that she was at the facility to fulfill her duties as a member of Congress. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 11.
At the same time, President Trump unveiled his “Golden Dome” initiative, a national missile defense program reminiscent of Ronald Reagan’s “Star Wars” plan, which aimed to intercept missiles launched from the former Soviet Union.
“Once fully constructed, the Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles—even if they are launched from the other side of the world, or even from space,” Trump said.
A core component of the plan involves deploying both missile-sensing and missile-intercepting satellites into Earth’s orbit, including smaller satellites designed to attack missiles immediately after launch.
The system is projected to cost nearly $175 billion, with $25 billion allocated in next year’s budget to begin construction.
Public Health and Harvard Tensions
In public health, the Food and Drug Administration announced that annual COVID-19 vaccinations will no longer be recommended for healthy individuals under age 65. Adults over 65 and children over 6 months with underlying health conditions will still be advised to receive updated shots.
The FDA estimates that between 100 million and 200 million people will be eligible under the new guidelines.
“The FDA will approve vaccines for high-risk persons and, at the same time, demand robust, gold-standard data on persons at low risk,” wrote FDA Commissioner Martin Makary and agency member Vinayak Prasad in the New England Journal of Medicine, adding that requiring trials “will provide information that is desperately craved by health care providers and the American people.”
The updated guidance marks a significant shift from previous protocol, which recommended annual COVID-19 vaccines for everyone 6 months and older.
Meanwhile, tensions continue between the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Harvard University. HHS announced another $60 million in grant cuts to Harvard, bringing the total to nearly $3 billion in funding slashed amid allegations of antisemitism tied to campus protests supporting Palestine.
“Due to Harvard University’s continued failure to address anti-Semitic harassment and race discrimination, HHS is terminating multiple multi-year grant awards,” the agency wrote in a post on X.
The continued cuts come as Harvard remains locked in a legal battle with the Trump administration, alleging that federal actions have violated the university’s right to free speech.