Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• ICE enforcement surge and protests in Chicago area — ICE conducted a week-long surge of immigration enforcement operations across the Chicago area, including a day-long protest outside an ICE processing center in Broadview, Illinois on September 12. Demonstrators clashed with federal agents; reports indicate a protester was shot in the leg with a pepper ball. The operations are part of Trump's pledged immigration crackdown. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, both Democrats, have condemned the enforcement actions and called for resistance.

Supporting reports

• Irish citizen held in ICE detention despite valid work permit; conditions described as torture — Seamus Culleton, an Irish national with a valid work permit and no criminal record, has been held by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in El Paso, Texas for five months following his arrest on 9 September 2025. Despite obtaining a statutory exemption allowing him to work after marrying a US citizen and applying for lawful permanent residence, Culleton remains detained and unable to attend his October green card interview. He reports severe conditions including overcrowding (71 detainees in one room), inadequate food, filthy facilities, and staff-related safety concerns. His lawyer states US authorities are threatening deportation "any day."
• Irish man detained by ICE for five months despite valid work permit and US citizen spouse — Seamus Culleton, an Irish national with a valid work permit and married to a US citizen, was arrested by ICE agents on September 9, 2025, outside a Home Depot in Massachusetts and has been held in ICE detention facilities for five months under conditions he describes as torture-like. Despite having obtained a statutory exemption allowing him to work while his application for lawful permanent residence is pending, he remains in custody and faces potential removal. His wife, a US citizen, and his attorney are calling for his immediate release to allow him to complete his status adjustment process.
• Irish national held in ICE detention despite valid work permit and pending green card application — Seamus Culleton, an Irish national with a valid work permit tied to a pending green card application, was arrested by ICE on September 9, 2025, during a random immigration sweep at a hardware store in Massachusetts. Despite being married to a US citizen, having no criminal record, and possessing documentation of lawful work authorization, Culleton was detained for five months across multiple facilities, ultimately transferred to El Paso, Texas. A judge approved his release on bond in November, but ICE continued detaining him. ICE agents later claimed Culleton had signed deportation documents, which he disputes; a federal judge noted irregularities in ICE's court filings but sided with the agency.

Supporting reports

• ICE agents withdrew from job site in Rochester after community mobilization — On September 9, 2025, ICE agents attempted to detain three roofers at a job site on Westminster Road in Rochester. One worker was arrested; two others remained on the roof. Within an hour, hundreds of protesters, including lawmakers and clergy, gathered at the site. Faced with slashed tires and a swelling crowd, the agents withdrew and left the remaining workers behind.

Supporting reports

• ICE resumes immigration sweeps in Los Angeles following court ruling — Following the Supreme Court's reversal of the restraining order, ICE resumed large-scale immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles on September 8. Greg Bovino, head of U.S. Border Patrol in Los Angeles, announced via social media that operations were "starting back up" and that agents were "going hard in Los Angeles today." The Department of Homeland Security declared the decision a victory and vowed to "flood the zone" in the city, accusing Mayor Karen Bass of "protecting" immigrants.
• Attorney General Pam Bondi celebrated Supreme Court racial profiling decision — Attorney General Pam Bondi characterized the Supreme Court's decision permitting racial profiling in immigration detentions as "another massive victory" and stated that ICE can now continue roving patrols in California "without judicial micromanagement."
• ICE detained Donna Hughes-Brown, lawful permanent resident, for 37-year-old probation — Donna Hughes-Brown, a lawful permanent resident of 37 years, was detained by ICE and separated from her four children and five grandchildren. Her detention was based on a bad check for $25 written in 2015, for which she had already paid restitution and received probation. Under Trump administration policy, this prior conviction classified her as a "criminal illegal alien" eligible for deportation.
• Navy veteran James Brown expressed regret for voting for Trump after wife's ICE detention — U.S. Navy veteran James Brown told Newsweek he "100%" regrets voting for Trump after his wife was taken into ICE detention. Brown stated that Trump had advertised he would deport criminal illegal immigrants, but that the administration is not being truthful about what is actually happening to legal immigrants.

Supporting reports

• Chicago mayor opposes militarized immigration enforcement — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson released a statement opposing the Trump administration's announced immigration enforcement operation, stating the city received no advance notice of enhanced ICE action. Johnson cited ICE's documented track record of detaining and deporting U.S. citizens and violating detainees' human rights as grounds for opposing militarized enforcement without due process protections.
• Chicago mayor reports lack of federal notice for ICE enforcement operations — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson posted on X that the city received no advance notice of enhanced immigration enforcement operations by the Trump administration. Johnson stated the city remains opposed to militarized immigration enforcement without due process, citing ICE's documented history of detaining and deporting American citizens and violating detainees' human rights.

Supporting reports

• Evanston issues warning of imminent ICE operations — The city of Evanston, Illinois issued a public statement urging residents to report sightings of federal immigration agents after local officials were informed over the weekend that ICE activity was likely in the coming days. Mayor Daniel Biss stated he received information from the governor's office indicating ICE agents would be deployed to Evanston. The city reaffirmed its commitment to protecting immigrant and refugee residents.

Supporting reports

• ICE detained Donna Hughes-Brown, lawful permanent resident, for 37-year-old probation — Donna Hughes-Brown, a lawful permanent resident of 37 years, was detained by ICE and separated from her four children and five grandchildren. Her detention was based on a bad check for $25 written in 2015, for which she had already paid restitution and received probation. Under Trump administration policy, this prior conviction classified her as a "criminal illegal alien" eligible for deportation.

Supporting reports

• El Grito Chicago and related Mexican Independence Day events canceled due to federal enforcement threat — Organizers canceled El Grito Chicago, a major cultural festival that attracted 24,000 attendees in 2024, scheduled for September 13–14. The Mexican Independence Day parade and festival in Waukegan was postponed to November, and the Latin Heritage Fest in Wauconda was canceled. Event organizers cited safety concerns for the community in light of the federal immigration enforcement surge and Trump's hostile rhetoric toward Chicago's Mexican population. The cancellations represent a chilling effect on civic and cultural assembly by an ethnic minority community.
• El Grito Chicago festival postponed due to ICE enforcement concerns — The El Grito Chicago Mexican Independence Day festival, scheduled for mid-September, was postponed due to concerns about ICE operations and potential targeting of the event. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker expressed concern at a news conference that ICE agents would specifically target Mexican Independence Day celebrations.

Supporting reports

• El Grito Chicago and related Mexican Independence Day events canceled due to federal enforcement threat — Organizers canceled El Grito Chicago, a major cultural festival that attracted 24,000 attendees in 2024, scheduled for September 13–14. The Mexican Independence Day parade and festival in Waukegan was postponed to November, and the Latin Heritage Fest in Wauconda was canceled. Event organizers cited safety concerns for the community in light of the federal immigration enforcement surge and Trump's hostile rhetoric toward Chicago's Mexican population. The cancellations represent a chilling effect on civic and cultural assembly by an ethnic minority community.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration warned of deportation for asylum seeker Kilmar Abrego Garcia — In a court filing, the Trump administration warned that the government will seek to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to El Salvador if his attempt to open an asylum case in the US is successful, arguing the move would nullify an earlier ruling meant to prevent him from being sent back to his home country.

Supporting reports

• ICE raid detains 475 workers at Hyundai-LG battery plant in Ellabell, Georgia — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with Homeland Security Investigations, conducted a workplace raid on the Hyundai-LG battery plant under construction in Ellabell, Georgia, detaining 475 people, including 320 Korean nationals holding B-1 visas or visa-waiver status. The raid occurred one week before the article's publication and followed a DHS investigation that began in March 2025, coinciding with workplace safety incidents at the site. The detentions created diplomatic tension between the U.S. and South Korea and raised questions about whether undocumented workers' fear of deportation may have suppressed safety complaints.
• Trump administration conducted mass immigration raid on Hyundai facility in Georgia — ICE agents arrested 475 people, mostly South Korean nationals, during a raid on a Hyundai facility in Georgia on Thursday while executing a judicial search warrant as part of a criminal investigation into alleged unlawful employment. LG Energy Solution reported that 47 of its employees were detained, 46 of them Korean. Another 250 personnel from equipment partner companies, mostly Korean, were also detained. South Korean workers were to be returned to South Korea on a chartered flight.
• ICE detained Korean worker with valid B1/B2 visa at Hyundai factory raid — ICE arrested approximately 475 people during a raid on a Hyundai battery factory under construction in Ellabell, Georgia on September 5, 2025. An internal federal document obtained by the Guardian reveals that at least one detainee held a valid B1/B2 business visa and had not violated its terms. Despite this, ICE officials "mandated" the man accept voluntary departure and removal proceedings. The detainee was among roughly 300 people expected to be deported to South Korea. DHS disputed the account, but an anonymous agency official confirmed that legal workers were swept up in the operation.
• ICE raids Hyundai-LG battery plant in Georgia, detaining approximately 500 workers including 300+ South Koreans — US Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted a raid on the Hyundai-LG battery manufacturing plant in Ellabell, Georgia on Thursday, detaining nearly 500 workers—at least 300 South Koreans, 23 Mexicans, and others. Footage released by US authorities showed detained workers in handcuffs and ankle chains being loaded onto buses. The raid was the largest single-site sweep under Trump's anti-immigration campaign. South Korea's government announced negotiations for release and repatriation of its nationals, citing strain on diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries.
• Immigration raid arrests approximately 450 people at Hyundai battery plant in Georgia — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted a raid at a Hyundai Motor battery plant under construction in Georgia, arresting approximately 450 people including South Korean workers. The raid occurred weeks after Hyundai pledged $26 billion in U.S. investments and months after the U.S. and South Korea agreed to a 15% tariff rate on Korean imports in exchange for $350 billion in Korean investment in the U.S. South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs protested the action and expressed concern about the detention of Korean nationals.

Supporting reports

• Louisiana reopens Angola prison unit as ICE immigration detention facility — Governor Jeff Landry declared a state of emergency in late July 2025 to rapidly refurbish Camp J, a shuttered, notorious solitary-confinement unit at Louisiana State Penitentiary Angola. Initially framed as addressing state prison overcrowding, the facility was revealed in early September to be designated for federal ICE immigration detention. Renamed "Camp 57," it will house over 400 immigration detainees. The Trump administration and DHS officials, including Secretary Kristi Noem, promoted the facility as housing "the worst of the worst" immigrant detainees, leveraging Angola's reputation for brutality and its plantation-era history to associate undocumented immigrants with criminals.

Supporting reports

• DHS launches massive recruitment drive for 10,000 ICE officers and 3,000 CBP agents with lowered standards and condensed training — The Department of Homeland Security, backed by $170 billion in funding, is recruiting 10,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and 3,000 Customs and Border Protection agents by year-end to meet Trump's goal of 3,000 daily immigration arrests. The DHS has expanded age eligibility from 21–40 to 18+, condensed training from 13 weeks to 8 weeks, reduced Spanish and firearms instruction, and launched recruitment campaigns featuring language critics say echoes white supremacist ideology. Former DHS officials and human rights advocates warn that lowered standards, accelerated hiring, and gutted oversight will increase officer misconduct, abuse, and civil rights violations.

Supporting reports

• ICE deported man to Costa Rica in vegetative state; he died weeks later — Randall Gamboa Esquivel, a 52-year-old Costa Rican national, was detained by ICE in December 2024 after unlawfully re-entering the U.S. He was held at Webb County and Port Isabel detention centers in Texas for nearly 10 months. Medical records show he was hospitalized in June 2025 with "altered mental status," diagnosed with sepsis, rhabdomyolysis, protein malnutrition, and toxic encephalopathy. In September 2025, the Trump administration deported him via air ambulance to Costa Rica in a vegetative state. He died five weeks later on October 26, 2025. His family reports he left the U.S. in good health but returned with ulcers, severe deterioration, and no explanation from ICE or consular authorities.

Supporting reports

• ICE detention of Jamaican-born US Army veteran Godfrey Wade for deportation — Godfrey Wade, a 65-year-old Jamaican-born decorated US Army veteran with multiple commendations and college degrees, was arrested for driving without a license in September 2025 and subsequently taken into ICE custody. He remains detained at Stewart detention center in Georgia under the Trump administration's "mass deportation" program. The Trump administration rescinded the Biden-era ICE directive that had protected non-citizen veterans, exposing Wade and tens of thousands of other non-citizen military members to deportation proceedings.

Supporting reports

• Operation Midway Blitz launched in Chicago — The Trump administration launched "Operation Midway Blitz" in early September, deploying hundreds of federal agents to Chicago to crack down on immigrants characterized as criminal and to intimidate the largely Democratic-voting population. The operation has included aggressive raids in neighborhoods like Rogers Park, targeting individuals such as street vendors.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration's "Operation Midway Blitz" immigration raid in Chicago targets immigrants without criminal records — Federal agents conducted "Operation Midway Blitz" in Chicago's Brighton Park neighborhood beginning in September 2025, detaining 614 immigrants. Federal court records show 97% of those arrested had no criminal conviction, contradicting the Trump administration's public claims that sweeps target the "worst of the worst" criminals. Only 16 detainees had significant criminal histories; the rest faced no criminal charges. The data was submitted to federal court in a lawsuit alleging DHS violated a 2022 consent decree limiting warrantless arrests of migrants.

Supporting reports

• Chicago Border Patrol operations resulted in 3,000+ arrests from September through November — Border Patrol operations in Chicago, led by Gregory Bovino (the same commander now leading Charlotte operations), resulted in more than 3,000 arrests from September through early November 2025. These operations preceded the Charlotte enforcement action.
• Los Angeles experienced massive Border Patrol operations in fall 2025 — Border Patrol operations in Los Angeles, also led by Gregory Bovino, conducted "massive operations throughout the fall" of 2025. These operations preceded the Charlotte enforcement action.

Supporting reports

• Complaint filed — Bangstad v. Noem (W.D. Wis.) — A Wisconsin resident filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of Wisconsin residents challenging U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's policy of conducting civil immigration enforcement operations using masked officers without visible identification. The complaint alleges violations of the First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendments and claims the policy was adopted in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act. Plaintiff seeks a court order declaring the DHS and ICE policies unconstitutional and blocking masked enforcement operations without identifying insignia.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration suspended visitor visas for Palestinian passport holders — The Trump administration suspended nearly all types of visitor visas for Palestinian passport holders. The move effectively bars Palestinians from entering the United States.

Supporting reports

• Alleged uprising and use of force at Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention facility — Detainees at Florida's Alligator Alcatraz immigration jail reported that guards deployed teargas and beat detainees with batons during an alleged uprising on an unspecified date. The incident reportedly began after a migrant received news of a relative's death and detainees shouted for "freedom." At least three detainees called Miami's Noticias 23 describing indiscriminate beatings and teargas use. Florida's Division of Emergency Management denied the reports, calling them "manufactured." The facility operates under a federal judge's order to close within 60 days for environmental violations.

Supporting reports

• Alleged denial of medical care and due process at Alligator Alcatraz — Luis Manuel Rivas Velásquez collapsed unconscious at Florida's Alligator Alcatraz detention facility in mid-August and was hospitalized with a respiratory infection. Guards were reportedly slow to respond; a Cuban nurse detainee provided CPR. His family and attorneys lost contact for an extended period, leading family to believe he had died. The facility has been criticized for harsh conditions by design, alleged abuse, and denial of due process to detainees awaiting deportation.
• ICE moves detainee without notice to family or attorneys — Luis Manuel Rivas Velásquez, a Venezuelan national detained at Florida's Alligator Alcatraz immigration facility, collapsed and was hospitalized with a respiratory infection in mid-August. After his family believed him dead due to communication blackout, ICE secretly transferred him to Camp East Montana at Fort Bliss, Texas, without notifying his lawyers or family. He was subsequently moved again to an ICE processing center in El Paso. His attorney characterizes the transfers as "enforced disappearance" and potential retaliation for denouncing detention conditions.

Supporting reports

• ICE transfers detained LA teen to Arizona without family notification — Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz, 18, was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Los Angeles on August 8 while walking his dog. He was held at Adelanto detention facility in San Bernardino County, then transferred late Monday to a remote holding site in Arizona without notifying his family. ICE subsequently prepared to send him to Louisiana for deportation processing but removed him from the plane at the last moment. He remains in custody at Adelanto. Congresswoman Luz Rivas introduced legislation requiring ICE to notify detainees' families within 24 hours of transfer.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration requests Navy base for immigration enforcement — The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Trump administration made a request to use a Navy base near Chicago to assist in the crackdown on undocumented immigrants. While a final decision hasn't been made, federal immigration agents and possibly National Guard troops would operate out of the base for much of September, a plan that one Navy captain says raises "a lot of concerns and questions."
• White House requests military base support for immigration enforcement in Chicago area — The Trump administration's Department of Homeland Security requested that Naval Station Great Lakes near Chicago provide facilities and logistical support for immigration operations targeting "sanctuary cities." The request, confirmed by the base on Thursday, includes potential National Guard deployment from September 2–30. Illinois Democratic leaders, including Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin and Governor JB Pritzker, condemned the plan as unconstitutional and unauthorized, arguing it undermines military readiness and represents federal overreach into a city that has not requested assistance.

Supporting reports

• ICE detains Kilmar Ábrego García after voluntary reporting to Baltimore field office — Kilmar Ábrego García reported to ICE agents in Baltimore on Monday as required and was immediately taken into detention. His attorney characterized the detention as punitive retaliation for exercising constitutional rights. Ábrego had been released from criminal custody in Tennessee only three days prior and was facing charges related to human smuggling, which his legal team contests as baseless.
• ICE detains Ábrego during scheduled immigration check-in — On Monday 25 August, Kilmar Ábrego García was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement during a scheduled immigration check-in in Baltimore, which was a condition of his release from criminal custody. He was subsequently held in a detention center in Virginia. His legal team filed a lawsuit the same day challenging both his detention and planned deportation, arguing the government was retaliating against him for exercising constitutional rights.
• Kilmar Abrego Garcia arrested at ICE facility after mandatory check-in — Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an undocumented immigrant previously unlawfully deported to El Salvador and later returned to the U.S. by court order, was arrested on August 25 at an ICE facility in Baltimore, Maryland, during a mandatory check-in. He faces charges in Tennessee stemming from a 2022 traffic stop for which he was not originally charged. The government has offered to send him to Costa Rica if he pleads guilty to human trafficking, but threatened to deport him to Uganda if he does not. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis issued a temporary bar on his deportation.
• Homeland Security Secretary Noem announces ICE arrest and deportation processing of Ábrego — U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on social media that ICE had arrested Kilmar Ábrego García and was processing him for deportation. Noem characterized Ábrego as an "illegal alien," MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator, stating that President Trump would not allow him to "terrorize American citizens any longer."
• Trump administration attempted deportation of El Salvador prison victim to Uganda — The Trump administration initiated deportation proceedings against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man who had been illegally sent to a prison in El Salvador and subsequently returned to the United States. The administration attempted to deport him to Uganda, a country with no documented connection to Garcia. A federal judge blocked the deportation.
• Department of Homeland Security posted mocking social media message about Abrego Garcia — The official social media account of the Department of Homeland Security, a cabinet-level department of the U.S. government, posted a mocking message about Kilmar Abrego Garcia, referring to him as "Uganda Man" in reference to threatened deportation to Uganda, after media outlets had identified him as a "Maryland man."