In an effort to harden the migratory policies, The administration of Donald Trump has carried out a series of operations that have resulted in the detention of more than 3,500 undocumented migrants In various cities of USA. As reported by BBC, These raids, made in places like Chicago, New York, Denver and Los Angelesthey have generated fear in the migrant communitieswhere many people have chosen not to attend work or keep their children out of schools.
According to the figures provided by the Immigration and Customs Control Service (ICE), Only in the first days of this new stage of the Trump administrationmassive arrests have been recorded: 1,179 people on Sunday, January 26, 969 on Monday and more than 1,000 on Tuesday. These figures significantly contrast with the daily average of 310 arrests during fiscal year 2024, under the presidency of Joe Bidenas detailed by the British media.
The authorities have described these raids as “selective compliance operations”, Arguing that they are aimed at capturing Violent gang members and dangerous suspects. However, the Administration has made it clear that anyone in the country irregularly can be arrested and deported, regardless of whether it has a criminal record.
The White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitthe said that “no one is out of the table” and that, for this administration, all undocumented migrants are considered criminals for having violated the Immigration laws.
The Government has intensified these operations by incorporating agents from other federal security agencies to support the arrests. In addition, he has published some of the arrests, showing images of the detainees and detailing their countries of origin and the crimes that are imputed to them, including sexual assaults, drug trafficking and other serious crimes.
The effect of these raids has been immediate and deep in the migrant communities. As reported NBC News, many undocumented They have expressed fear of performing daily activities, such as going to hospitals, renewing driving licenses or even attending the Church.
Gina Amato Loughdirector of the Immigrant Rights Project in California, described the situation as a strategy of “shock and amazement” that has generated panic among migrants. “It is working,” he said, “but is also creating terror in the community.”
For its part, Michael LukensExecutive Director of Ama Center for Immigrant Rights, said that his organization has received a significant increase in calls from people concerned about their safety. According to Lukens, some migrants have stopped sending their children to school or minimally reduced their outputs abroad. In addition, he denounced that Trump administration He has blocked the attempts of his organization to access the detention centers to provide legal assistance to detainees.
Among the testimonies collected by the BBC is the Gabrielaa Bolivian migrant that came to USA More than 20 years ago. Gabriela, who works as a domestic employee in Maryland, confessed that she was initially worried about Trump’s electoral victory, believing that the raids would be limited to criminals. However, after the recent operational in nearby communities, he has begun to pack his belongings for fear of being deported. “No one is going to the church now,” he said.
Another case is to Carlosa Mexican migrant resident in New York, who also expressed concern about arrests. Although his son is an American citizen, Carlos has chosen to limit his outputs to the minimum necessary. “I have no problem to arrest criminals, but we continue to listen that they are also taking workers,” he said.
The Trump administration He has defended these actions as part of a broader effort to combat irregular immigration. The president recently signed the Laken Riley law, which requires the undocumented migrants arrested for crimes such as theft or violent crimes remain in prison while waiting for trial.
This legislation, appointed in honor of a nursing student killed by a Venezuelan migrantwas approved by Congress last week and represents one of the first legislative victories of the Administration.
During the signing of the law, Trump He announced plans to build an installation with capacity for 30,000 detainees, doubling the current capacity of the country’s detention centers. “We are one step closer to eliminating the scourge of migrant crime,” said the president.
Although the administration has emphasized that the raids are aimed at criminals, the data suggests that a significant part of the detainees has no criminal record. According to a report from NBC cited by the BBC, Only 52% of arrests made on January 26 corresponded to people with criminal history. When asked about these figures, press secretary Leavitt reiterated that anyone who has entered the country illegally is considered a criminal by the government.
