US: Fear and uncertainty among immigrants
Pressure on border control authorities, more home visits and arrests during traffic checks: Under Donald Trump's tougher measures against irregular migration, more immigrants have to fear deportation.
Tough crackdown by the authorities
After taking office on January 20, 2025, US President Donald Trump issued a decree ordering stricter measures against undocumented immigrants. Federal funds are being made available and cooperation between the authorities is intensified. Fear and uncertainty prevail in immigrant communities in the US. Police and border officials are to carry out more checks on homes.
Fear of deportation
A narrow gap in the curtains provides a view of police and ICE officers approaching an apartment. Officers are only allowed to enter homes with the consent of the residents, but the appearance of the authorities still frightens people without valid papers. Some avoid unnecessary trips or no longer send their children to school.
Tougher methods not just applied to criminals
According to the government, the aggressive crackdown is primarily aimed at people who have been charged or convicted of crimes and do not have legal US residency status. But the crackdown by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency also means that immigrants with no criminal record or valid documents end up in custody.
Great uncertainty for immigrants
"I have a lot of fear about what is going to happen," says Itaily. The 22-year-old from Venezuela was waiting for her partner when he was arrested during a traffic stop. Itaily and her partner Riyer lived with their five-month-old son near Atlanta in the US state of Georgia and had just applied for asylum. Riyer has been detained by the authorities since his arrest.
More officers deployed
Numerous police and ICE officers are involved when a 47-year-old man from Mexico is arrested at a gas station in the town of Rex, south of Atlanta. The 47-year-old man had three convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. "There's definitely been a pressure to increase our enforcement numbers," said Kristen Sullivan of ICE's Atlanta Field Office.
Vested right to stay
Deportation cases are usually heard in court, with a judge deciding whether the immigrant is deported or allowed to stay. Even migrants who lose their case may continue to live in the US in freedom if they have no criminal record and their country of origin is not safe, or an appeal has been lodged. But under the current crackdown many migrants are detained despite these rules.
Detention despite protection status
Choe Blaiss Che from Cameroon places his valid documents on the kitchen table. When ICE officers checked him, he felt safe; the 31-year-old has temporary protection status and no criminal record. But the officers still dragged him out of the apartment and put him in a detention center. It took ten days before he was released. The 31-year-old now wants to take legal action against the incident.
Arrests at record high
It is not yet clear how effective the US government's tough methods are under Trump. At the end of January, ICE reported around 800 to 1,000 arrests per day for a short period, but the figures fell again in February. Under the Biden administration, an average of 311 arrests per day and a total of more than 270,000 deportations were reported for 2024, the highest number in ten years.