Trump Orders Mass deportation

By Logan Glastone '28 
President Donald Trump has continued mass deportations of illegal immigrants coming from the southern border.

On January 20, Trump signed a multitude of executive orders relating to immigration including one that declares a national emergency on the US-Mexican border. This executive order allows him to deploy the military and use government money without congressional approval.
    The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who are notorious for their raids, has upped their activity since Trump's inauguration including in New Jersey nearby in places like Newark and Paterson with large Hispanic populations. Other cities include Chicago, Houston, and Miami.
    According to ICE, on average they have made up to 1,200 arrests per day which is quadruple the average of 311 last year in 2024. This number has increased as Trump discontinued a policy that restricted immigration enforcement at places like hospitals and schools.
    Freshman Aeden Pinsker commented, “Everything ICE is doing right now is wrong. They’ve indeed come illegally but they are also fathers, mothers, and children who come from dangerous and impoverished countries and came to America to be safe and build a future for themselves.”
    The New York Times conducted a poll about Trump's plan to mass deport illegal immigrants at the beginning of January before his inauguration and found out 55 percent of people somewhat or fully supported Trump's plans on mass deportation and 88 percent supported deporting illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds.
    Freshman Remy Friedberg stated, “I fully support deporting illegal immigrants who have criminal records, when they don’t is what makes it more complicated.”
    Protests have erupted globally in reaction to the deportations, from Panama City to New York to London. These protests are dominated by the resentment of Trump's immigration policies and what some perceive as racism.
On February 2, 2025, thousands blocked the Santa Ana Freeway and protested the ICE deportations that have been plaguing Los Angeles County which is nearly 50 percent Hispanic or Latino. The protests had a plethora of Latino cultures present with street vendors and music. Despite the location and size, it remained mostly peaceful.
Nahilah Esperza, an 18-year-old Mexican-American who attended the protest, said for the LA Times, “We decided to show support, because of the youth. We’re very passionate about what we’re here for.”
    To relocate certain illegal immigrants, the government has been using military aircraft to send the immigrants back. Within the first week of Trump's second term, Guatemala received three flights with migrants inside. 
    “We’re respected again, after years of laughing like we are the stupid ones,” Trump stated in the context of the successful deportations to Guatemala.
    Not all Latin American countries we’re willing to accept migrants, Gustavo Pedro, the president of Colombia publicly condemned the flights as inhumane after rejecting two flights with migrants to land in Colombia. Trump, who was displeased, threatened to initiate tariffs against Colombia. The government eventually agreed to accept the flights.
    Trump signed an executive order to abolish birthright citizenship in the US which allows anyone being born on US soil to automatically be an American citizen. This tactic has been used by many pregnant immigrants to guarantee their children's citizenship.
    20 states including New York have deemed this executive order unconstitutional and have filed lawsuits. Many left-leaning people have grown worried about the future of this as it could potentially go to the Supreme Court which has become increasingly conservative.
    On January 29, Trump stated plans to sign an executive order that would construct a facility able to hold up to 30,000 illegal immigrants at the infamous Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Guantanamo Bay began in 2002 by former President George W. Bush to detain those accused of involvement in 9/11. Guantanamo Bay detainees faced harsh treatment and were held without charge.
    Criminal illegal immigrants peaked during the Biden Administration. According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the least amount of illegal immigrants convicted of homicide or manslaughter during the first Trump term was 2, the most was 3, the least during Bidens was 29 and the most was 60. From 2019 to 2021, the amount of assault suspects who were illegal immigrants nearly quadrupled.
    Freshman Noah Cytrynbaum said, “I don’t know what the answer is to ten million illegal immigrants, but I know that it’s wrong to call it an invasion of rapists and murderers, which has heavy racist undertones. People said similar things about Jews a hundred years ago and for hundreds of years before.” 
    Contrary to popular belief, not all illegal immigrants coming in from the southern border are Latino. Many are from sub-Saharan Africa, and China. According to the Pew Research Center, 2 million out of the 11 million illegal immigrants were from those two places.