Another day and another news report of a Trump administration cruelty related to immigrants and immigration policies.
Yesterday it was 2-year-olds left to represent themselves before immigration judges. Today it was another hard-working immigrant legally living in the United States snatched by ICE and deported to God knows where. Tomorrow it could be another citizen shot dead by ICE agents who falsely claim they are the ones being attacked.
Mark Wingfield
What is happening in the name of our government is cruel, criminal and calculated. It is Stephen Miller’s intent to drive out of this country every non-white person he possibly can. His vision is white supremacy writ large, and his goal is so audacious most of us can’t believe it’s real.
Pay attention to the drip, and notice the pattern. None of these are isolated incidents. And the Trump administration is getting away with literal murder. Even when courts attempt to stop them, Team Trump forges on because they know the Republicans in Congress will not hold them accountable.
“It is Stephen Miller’s intent to drive out of this country every non-white person he possibly can.”
This is why I have written before that every Republican in Congress — every single one — must be defeated at the polls for not upholding their sworn pledge to defend the Constitution of the United States of America. They are to a person cowards and traitors to the Constitution. And all out of fear of Donald Trump. They must learn to fear the voters more than they fear Trump.
The violations are so many and so frequent that it’s impossible to compile a list anyone would read. But here are nine examples for your edification.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia — deported to El Salvador despite a protection order: In March 2025, ICE deported Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national living in Maryland, to El Salvador and placed him in the CECOT mega-prison. This despite an immigration judge previously prohibiting such an action. The Trump administration acknowledged to the Supreme Court that his removal was illegal and described it as an “administrative error” while also falsely saying he was an MS-13 member. And even after the Supreme Court ordered his release and return to the United States, the Trump administration continues to pursue him and is trying to deport him.
238 Venezuelans sent to CECOT — including people with pending asylum cases: In March 2025, Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to remove 238 Venezuelans whom it characterized as members of Tren de Aragua, sending them to El Salvador’s infamous CECOT prison. Reuters examined the cases of 50 of the men and found 27 had no deportation orders and had active immigration cases, including asylum proceedings. Some had been arrested during routine immigration check-ins; others were detained while going about ordinary activities. Many of those sent to CECOT were victims of mistaken identity, such as Leonel Echavez, a 19-year-old Venezuelan asylum seeker who had a work permit and an upcoming immigration hearing.
March 15 deportation flights and the alleged defiance of a federal judge: On March 15, 2025, planes carrying Venezuelan detainees departed for El Salvador even though U.S. District Judge James Boasberg had issued an order blocking the deportations. As of today, the federal appeals court is still considering whether a contempt of court investigation may proceed and hold Trump officials accountable.
“The federal appeals court is still considering whether a contempt of court investigation may proceed and hold Trump officials accountable.”
Migrants threatened with deportation to Libya: In May 2025, immigration attorneys reported that detainees from Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines had been told they could be deported to Libya. Some detainees reportedly were asked to sign documents consenting to removal to Libya and, according to their lawyers, were placed in isolation after refusing. A federal judge ruled that deporting people to Libya without giving them an opportunity to challenge the removal would violate an existing court order. Libya denied agreeing to receive the migrants.
Omar Abdulsattar Ameen — an Iraqi refugee deported to Rwanda: Ameen wasn’t simply an undocumented immigrant apprehended after entering the country. He had been granted refugee status in the United States in 2014. Iraqi authorities accused him of having been an Islamic State operative involved in the murder of a police officer. A U.S. judge in 2021 found the Iraqi government’s version of events “not plausible.” Both the Biden and Trump administrations pursued his removal, and in April 2025 the Trump administration deported him to Rwanda, rather than Iraq.
U.S.-citizen children sent abroad with deported mothers: In April 2025, ICE removed three U.S.-citizen children from the country with their mothers, who were being deported to Honduras. One was a 4-year-old child with stage 4 cancer. The child’s attorney said the child was sent without medication and without the ability to maintain contact with doctors in the United States. Administration officials emphasized that the children were not themselves “deported” in the legal sense because their mothers chose to take them. ProPublica’s analysis of ICE records found that, during the first seven months of Trump’s second term, ICE arrested parents of at least 11,000 U.S.-citizen children.
Deportation of unaccompanied immigrant children: A July 2026 ProPublica investigation found deportations of unaccompanied minors had roughly tripled compared with the final years of Trump’s first term. Immigration courts were issuing more than 10,000 removal or voluntary-departure orders for immigrant minors per month.
An expanding “third country” deportation program: By 2026, this evolved from a handful of unusual cases into a major component of the administration’s deportation strategy. The administration entered agreements with numerous countries to accept people who could not readily be returned to their countries of citizenship. By September 2026, at least 23,000 people had been sent to 29 countries or territories under third-country arrangements.
Wilber Rafael Garces Perez: The Austin, Texas, resident entered the country and did everything “the right way,” as required by the Biden administration. Yet the Trump administration considers him an “illegal.” Last month, ICE agents shot him in the shoulder while he was driving for DoorDash, then claimed he assaulted them. He’s now facing deportation proceedings and a criminal charge — all while being held in prison with a bullet still lodged near his spine.
Again, these are only the tip of the iceberg. There are new atrocities every day. We cannot grow weary. We cannot stop caring. We cannot be numb to what’s going on around us.
These are not normal times, and we cannot act normally.
Mark Wingfield serves as executive director and publisher of Baptist News Global.