On President Donald Trump’s first official day in office for his second term, a list of new executive orders were signed off. He signed off various executive orders relating to immigration, mass deportations and border control.
The rise of immigration raids in America are intended to target immigrants who carry a criminal background first, including undocumented individuals who have any minor offenses such as a driving violation will be deported. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to begin raids within major cities — such as Chicago, Boston, Washington D.C, Miami, Los Angeles, Denver, New York and San Antonio.
Trump has started his efforts to decrease illegal immigration from Mexico by attempting to reinstate the “Wait in Mexico” policy, which was active during his previous administration in 2019. The policy requires immigrants who seek asylum at the southern border to wait within Mexican border cities until their official hearings in U.S. immigration court.
To bolster the policy, the Trump administration is sending 1,500 troops, including helicopter crews and intelligence analysts, to the southern border. This would be a 60% increase in active duty military personnel.
In addition to the increase in security,Trump seeks to conduct military airlifts to deport more than 5,000 people detained by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection — beginning in San Diego, California and El Paso, Texas.
Additionally, ICE will no longer be avoiding “sensitive” areas — including elementary schools, secondary schools, colleges, hospitals and churches — when the raids begin, as the Trump administration believes many illegal immigrants hide within these places. A DHS spokesperson said the new policy gives ICE and CBP the ability “to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens, including murderers and rapists- who have illegally come into our country.”
In response to these new changes, the National Immigration Law Center has released statements reminding individuals of their rights regardless of their immigration status, namely the legal protections provided by the Fourth and Fifth Amendment. 80 educational and other organizations sent letters on Jan. 20 to state and local leaders to urge them to reject anti-immigrant activity.
A student at UTSA, who has decided to remain anonymous, has recently earned their dual citizenship; however, they have immigrant parents and family members. They shared their thoughts and emotions about the recent immigration raids.
When asked how it affects them personally, the UTSA student said, “This whole situation brings me back to my childhood, when my parents got deported and knowing other families are going through the same thing makes me sad. It was like my whole world was crumbling.”
“My family has been through this all of our lives, the constant hatred against our race, and I couldn’t say they feel different now as they are still going through it,” the student commented. “This whole situation will break so many friendships and relationships and the atmosphere is gonna be really intense. I feel like a lot of hatred will come into play as well.”
In a final comment, the UTSA student remarked, “You’re in danger of losing a loved one or you’re basically losing your dreams and it’s a sad reality.”
