Even stepping outside to go to the grocery store has become a dangerous task for immigrants. With the risk of being deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), many have decided to confine themselves to the walls of their home. The tensions surrounding this new reality has also reached people outside of the directly targeted undocumented migrant group which initially was presumed to be those who recently arrived and/or those with criminal records by impacting communities at large.
America, the nation once considered a melting pot and welcome beacon for immigrants has made a dramatic shift under the Trump administration. Since his campaign, he has made his intentions to transform America’s immigration policies very clear. Promises such as, “On day one, I will launch the largest deportation program of criminals in the history of America,” have caused many undocumented migrants to brace for his actions.
Sticking to his word, by January 22, 2025, President Trump, “issued ten executive orders and proclamations seeking to change the face of US immigration law and policy,” according to the American Immigration Council. In addition to these orders, the administration has set a goal of deporting 1 million undocumented migrants a year which is actually not very far from the 1.1 million deportations recorded in 2023 by the Department of Homeland Security.
Thwarted by several legal challenges, the Trump administration’s stated deportation goals have been dramatically slowed.
NBC news found that contrary to his statements, President Trump has deported fewer individuals than former President Biden in the month of February 2025 as compared to February 2024.
NBC news stated, “ICE deported around 11,000 migrants last month, the first full month Trump was in office, compared to just over 12,000 in February 2024,” a large factor being that the Biden administration received more attempted border crossings. They explain locating immigrants to deport is easily done at the border, in comparison to when they are dispersed throughout the U.S. “When removing recent border crossers from the total and counting only immigrants who were deported after first being arrested by ICE, nearly 4,300 immigrants were deported this February compared with roughly 2,100 in February 2024.“
‘Border czar’ Tom Homan repeatedly told NBC news that the Trump administration’s deportation policy is to prioritize those with “criminal records or suspected national security threats.” Although, data collected by NBC demonstrates “roughly half (of the people deported in February) did not have criminal convictions or pending criminal charges.”
The conflicting information makes the prevalent topic difficult to discern and even more controversial. Are Trump’s promises unattainable? Is the nation deporting criminals or families?
Regardless, the effects of these policies have expanded to the borders of Immaculata-La Salle and are affecting students and their families.
A student from the senior class shared concern for their uncle whose immigration parole is about to end. For two years he has been residing in the United States with parole, a temporary permit that allows non-citizens to enter or stay in the U.S. Recently, as his parole term is about to end, he has been attempting to gain legal residency although with nationwide limitations. His residency has been delayed.
More concerningly, the student shared, is the political crisis of his home country, Nicaragua. The nation is undergoing a repressive government that the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect stated, “Nicaragua is perpetuating widespread violations and abuses that may amount to crimes against humanity.” With this risk at home and the strict immigration policies being enacted, “he is at a limbo as to what to do,” the student said.
He is caught between two hardships, living in fear or living in danger. How does one decide what to choose?
A second senior, Jose Pereira confirms some immigrants are seriously considering danger over fear, making plans to return home as they have realized they are unwelcome in the U.S. “They rather live in danger than being scared of being separated form their families.” he said.
Jose has witnessed and felt the effects of the tensions and terror between immigrants and the authorities.
“They are scared to buy from us,” he said referring to his family business, a restaurant and a market. “
They are scared to go out. They do what they need to do and go home. They aren’t out and about,” Jose added.
An additional ILS family business, a dance studio called Just Dance It Miami, shares Jose’s experience and witnessed how fear has consumed some immigrants. The owner of the studio, Tonie Lanza, said a grandmother of one of her dancers at the studio came running into her building, grocery bags in hand from the Publix right next door, asking for a place to hide because the police roaming within the grocery store gave her suspicious glances. Paranoid and terrified, she remained in the back of the building for the next 30 minutes.
The fear is understandably rooted with conflicting information flooding mass media. PBS recently published that as of April 27, 2025, three children who are U.S. citizens were deported to Honduras with their mothers, who are undocumented migrants. The article explains the mothers discussed with Grace Willis of the National Immigration Project that they, “did not have a fair opportunity to decide whether they wanted the children to stay in the United States.”
Meanwhile, Homeland Security rejects the claims of deporting American citizens, stating they gave the mothers the choice to be deported to Honduras with their children or have them stay living with a caretaker in the U.S.
“When she was taken into ICE custody in April 2025, she chose to bring her younger daughter, who is an American citizen, with her to Honduras and presented a valid United States passport,” their official website states.
The light at the end of the tunnel doesn’t appear to be coming soon for migrant families. In a meeting with President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, Trump stated, “The homegrowns are next, the homegrowns. You’ve got to build five more places,” referring to the CECOT prison the Trump administration has deported individuals to recently. The president’s goals to terminate birthright citizenship, a right given to children born on U.S. soil by the U.S. Constitution’s 14th amendment, are still in debate with the federal court, though many legal experts feel that will never come to pass.
The BBC network agrees as they shed light on a past Supreme Court case that attempted to use the same clause, “subject to jurisdiction thereof” to argue children of undocumented immigrants are excluded from birthright citizenship. In 1982, Plyler v. Doe, the “justices rejected an argument made by the state of Texas that undocumented migrants were not ‘persons within its jurisdiction’”. The court established migrants are subjected to U.S. laws and therefore also given their protections from them.
Even with support from the federal courts a constitutional amendment would be needed to revoke birthright citizenship. This would entail receiving a two-thirds vote in the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as approval by three quarters of the U.S. states. A daunting task in today’s polarized political standpoints. Still, Trump seems to be optimistic and discussing openly with foreign leaders about the amendment.
With conflicting media flooding the news stations and political sources, it is important to stay alert and open-minded. Keep yourself educated and aware of the happenings in your nation. The course of this nation has always been in the hands of the people. It can be run by the well educated or the easily misguided; it is your choice.
