Immigration and Customs Enforcement

The crackdown on immigration into the United States by the Trump administration has led to some of the most controversial actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Aimed at individuals with outstanding removal orders, criminal histories, or pending legal violations, families in the asylum process would quickly become the victims.  Simply being undocumented, in the eyes of the executive branch, would change from a civil violation to a criminal offense.

Across the country, many community members, advocacy organizations, and local officials have expressed alarm at reports of detainments occurring in public spaces, workplaces, homes, and, increasingly, in federal courthouses. In the waiting rooms, uncertainty would replace hope. The protections of the judicial branch and of the asylum process itself would be cast aside to meet target numbers. Only after crossing the waiting room’s threshold, walking the long halls, and hearing the elevator doors shut behind them would their anxiety, temporarily, ease. For those on the list, they would be swiftly grabbed and sent to a holding cell before their family would even have time to process.

In New York and New Jersey, residents and leaders of these “sanctuary states” viewed it as imperative to protect the rights, safety, and humanity of those seeking to live, work, or find refuge in the United States. ICE’s response was to limit visibility and hinder reporting on these detainments, operating in the shadows to avoid public oversight. This manifested in increased restrictions and hostility toward those documenting enforcement actions. Journalists, Rapid Response teams, and members of the public often encountered the same aggression intended for the so-called dangerous criminals the agency claimed to pursue.