In late May, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller called in ICE officials to raise the quota of immigrant arrests, igniting the past weeks of aggressive mass deportations of thousands of immigrants.
Elizabeth Findell, Wall Street Journal National Reporter, wrote warrantless arrests, plain-closed agents, arrests of migrants at immigration court dates, and the use of tactical gear for people with no criminal record are unprecedented practices.
In response to what many allege are authoritarian tactics, international protests known as the “No Kings” took place on June 14, 2025, in congruence with Donald Trump’s birthday parade.
Following the weekend, the Department of Homeland Security called for a guidance reversal on Monday, June 16, 2025, advising officials to continue investigations in agricultural, restaurant, and hotel operations.
This comes four days after Trump aligned himself with business owners in agricultural and hospitality fields industries that rely heavily on migrant labor.
During the initial pause, Senior ICE officials were told not to make arrests anywhere in the agricultural and hospitality industries, specifically at the workplace sites.
ICE agents have been advised to go into workers’ communities, continuing to make arrests in schools, hospitals, and courtrooms.
Trump remains mildly cautious of labor optics and business relationships. Detainments in some areas may not happen at these worksites but advance nonetheless.
Following ICE raids in Los Angeles, Trump continues to target sanctuary cities, “all blue cities, all democratic-run cities.”
In a meeting at Miami City Hall on June 17, 2025, the committee weighed a vote to deputize the city’s police officers with federal immigration powers.
Despite 9 hours and more than 100 citizens speaking out against this immigration enforcement plan, city commissioners voted to follow through with the agreement.
While foregoing democratic and constitutional processes to expedite mass deportation plans, the Republican party faces deepening divides.
The morning of Wednesday, June 18th, in a press conference in response to the U.S. strike on Iran, Trump stated, “You don’t know that I’m going to even do it, you don’t know. I may do it, I may not do it. I mean no one knows what I’m going to do.”
Trump’s volatile decision-making within domestic and foreign affairs makes it increasingly clear that his plans for the country can, and seemingly will, change based on his perception of power and capital at any given moment in time.
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