The first year of Donald Trump’s mass-deportation campaign has been marked by misinformation, intimidation and brutality and it’s likely to get worse in 2026, immigration experts say.
Deborah Fleischaker
“Unfortunately, what we’re seeing is only the beginning,” said Deborah Fleischaker, former acting chief of staff for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, during a recent webinar hosted by America’s Voice.
While claiming to target immigrants convicted of violent crimes, the administration actually expanded its dragnet to include American citizens and immigrants who are in the country legally.
“With the virtual blank check provided to ICE and the ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ the Trump administration is in the process of ramping up the number of detention beds, the number of law enforcement officers, and the ability to conduct significantly more immigration enforcement,” she said.
Vanessa Cardenas
And Trump in the process has engaged in a massive misuse of authority and unnecessary cruelty affecting every aspect of American society, said Vanessa Cárdenas, executive director of America’s Voice.
Immigration policy has “turned deportation into a crusade against anyone who looks or sounds like an immigrant,” she added. “The violence, the lack of restraint, the abuse of power cannot become normal. We must refuse to look away and demand accountability before our democracy erodes any further.”
“The violence, the lack of restraint, the abuse of power cannot become normal.”
To close out the year, the organization released a list of 12 “sweeping abuses of power” that have occurred — and continue to occur — since Trump launched his anti-immigrant crusade in January:
U.S. citizens targeted. Americans have been swept up in immigration raids despite proof of citizenship. “A woman nine months pregnant was handcuffed in her own home” and a “Native American tribal member born in Arizona was nearly deported due to a ‘clerical error’ even though she had her tribal identification with her.”
Military veterans detained and deported. “From coast to coast, both immigrant and U.S. citizen service members have been caught in sweeping enforcement actions — detained, denied stability and in some cases forced to self-deport.”
Families separated. “U.S. citizen children are being torn from their immigrant parents, inflicting trauma that will last a lifetime. More than 100 children — from newborns to teenagers — have been left stranded without parents this year.”
Schools no longer safe. “Students are being stopped by ICE during school hours, and day care workers are being detained in front of young children at drop-off — terrifying children and disrupting learning environments.”
Religious groups targeted. Sanctuaries have been raided without warning or explanation, leading to shattered trust in sacred spaces.
Health care facilities monitored. “Hospitals — also long off-limits — are now being patrolled by ICE. Health care workers report agents inside medical facilities and are pleading for clear guidance on how to protect vulnerable patients seeking care.”
Workplaces invaded. A seafood market in Newark, N.J., a Hyundai plant in Georgia and a meat production facility in Omaha, Neb., were victims of some of the more high-profile immigrant sweeps in 2025. “Even employers who followed hiring rules are watching their operations collapse.”
Local economies crippled. ICE raids are decimating businesses “as customers are too frightened to even walk the streets in some once-vibrant, small-business filled communities. Business owners report empty aisles, lost revenue, and workers too scared to show up.”
Public safety affected. Federal law enforcement dollars and personnel are being diverted from human trafficking, anti-drug and violent crime cases to satisfy the president’s “deportation obsession.”
Agents incite fear. Masked ICE officers in plain clothes and unmarked vehicles are terrorizing neighborhoods and creating “confusion about whether they’re legitimate officers or impersonators.”
Justice subverted. Detentions are often made without warrants or determining if immigrants are actual flight risks before they are funneled into fast-track deportations without hearings in immigration courts.
Legal immigrants detained. “From professors with H-1B visas to longtime DACA recipients and even green card holders, people with lawful immigration status are being detained and threatened with deportation.”
Multiple polls show a majority of Americans disapprove of the administration’s approach to immigration.
A recent Associated Press/NORC survey found a 56% to 42% disapproval rating of Trump on immigration, which was similar to polls conducted by Public Religion Research Institute (54% to 45%) and New York Times/Siena (52% to 46%).
“Support for President Trump on immigration remains under water and both ICE and this administration’s immigration enforcement actions are unpopular, especially when details of who they are targeting and how they are pursuing mass deportations are tested,” America’s Voice said.
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