Trump’s anti-immigrant policies causing fear, chaos across US. [Getty]
In less than 10 days as US president, Donald Trump‘s migration crackdown has sparked fear and uncertainty across the US and around the world.
During Trump’s first week in office, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) arrested around 3,500 undocumented immigrants, mainly from Latin America. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has essentially banned refugee resettlement, including for Afghans and Iraqis who helped the US military.
“The biggest changes to the refugee resettlement programme will be most affected by last week’s policy changes,” Stephanie Gee, director of the legal services team with the International Refugee Assistance Project, told The New Arab. She added that they are looking at legal options to fight these policies.Â
One of their clients from Iraq was at the end of his asylum process when Trump put a pause on the refugee resettlement programme. He has now been waiting 10 years to get processed, having been put on hold during the first Trump administration, facing a gutted refugee infrastructure that Trump passed down to Biden, and now being paused again due to Trump’s second-term anti-immigrant policies.
Trump appears to be moving quickly in his crackdown, having put forth more than 20 actions to remake the country’s immigration system, ramping up deportations and preventing incoming migration.
The second-term president campaigned on an anti-immigrant platform, promising to deport undocumented immigrants, pro-Palestinian campus protesters and others who criticise Israel. He also promised to reinstate a much stronger Muslim ban than what he’d implemented in his first term.
During a presidential debate, he claimed, with no evidence, that Haitian immigrants were abducting and eating dogs and cats. The Democrats did little to counter this rhetoric, instead often emphasising their own tough border policies.Â
The deportations, led by “border czar” Tom Homan, have been publicised by the administration, showing Latin American immigrants (presumably undocumented) being flown out on US military jets. In a shift from previous administrations, arrests are occurring in US cities far from the southern border. Moreover, there are reports of ICE raids occurring at places previously deemed too sensitive for such action, such as churches, schools and buses.
The extent of the crackdowns remains unclear. However, detention facilities have been set up in Texas and shelters along the Mexican side of the border for those who have been sent back. In addition, what seems to be a fear of arrest seems to be keeping migrants at home, leading to empty streets in once-vibrant neighbourhoods.
“I think it’s important to know that it’s not an accident,” said Gee. “It’s important for advocates to know that they want us to be afraid, confused and uncertain. But we’ve been getting ready to respond to these policies. It’s very important in this climate.”
