Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Trump administration separated migrant children from families — The New York Times reported that the Trump administration has been separating migrant children from their families. In at least nine cases, immigrant parents have been given the choice of self-deporting with their children or remaining in immigration detention while their children are sent to a shelter for unaccompanied children.

Supporting reports

• Yeonsoo Go released from ICE custody after visa dispute — Yeonsoo Go, a 20-year-old South Korean student at Purdue University, was released from ICE custody after being detained by immigration officials in late July at a visa hearing and placed in expedited removal proceedings. DHS claims Go "overstayed her visa that expired more than two years ago," but her lawyer says that Go entered the US lawfully and had a visa that was valid until December 2025.

Supporting reports

• Arrest of 15 protesters at anti-ICE demonstration outside NYC federal immigration courthouse — Approximately 15 protesters were arrested for disorderly conduct on Friday outside 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan during a civil disobedience action organized by the grassroots movement 50501. Demonstrators accused ICE of operating a covert detention facility on the building's 10th floor, holding immigrants in overcrowded conditions without adequate amenities or legal access. Protesters demanded unrestricted access for elected officials, journalists, and faith leaders; police moved in within minutes of a sit-in blocking the street. The protest was one of several in New York City that week.

Supporting reports

• Federal judge halted construction of detention center in Everglades — Federal Judge Kathleen Williams ordered a halt to construction of a detention facility known as "Alligator Alcatraz" located in the environmentally sensitive Everglades. The judge ruled that while the facility may continue operating and holding detainees for ICE, no additional filling, paving, or infrastructure work may proceed for at least 14 days. Environmental organizations and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida filed suit arguing the project violates federal environmental laws and threatens protected wildlife and restoration efforts.
• Federal judge halts construction at immigration detention facility in Florida Everglades — US District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a verbal ruling on Thursday, later reinforced by written restraining order, halting construction work at the immigration detention facility known as "Alligator Alcatraz" in Ochopee, Florida. The Trump administration facility, intended to hold 3,000 immigrants awaiting deportation, was ordered to cease adding paving, infrastructure, or ground filling for two weeks while attorneys argue whether the project violates environmental laws. ICE may continue operating the camp and holding detainees pending resolution of lawsuits claiming the project threatens fragile Everglades wetlands and protected species.

Supporting reports

• Border Patrol conducts unmarked-truck raid at LA Home Depot despite court order restricting discriminatory enforcement — US Border Patrol agents in an unmarked Penske rental truck conducted a raid outside a Home Depot in Los Angeles's Westlake neighborhood on August 6, arresting 16 people described as undocumented immigrants. Officers posed as day laborers offering work, then emerged from the truck to detain individuals. The operation occurred despite a federal court order and appellate affirmation prohibiting stops based on race, ethnicity, language, appearance, or location. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino publicly promoted the raid as "Operation Trojan Horse," and Trump-appointed US Attorney Bill Essayli also publicized it on social media.

Supporting reports

• Former corrections officer reports inhumane conditions at Everglades detention facility — A former corrections officer for a private contractor working at the detention center in the Florida Everglades, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," reported that detainees have no sunlight, no clocks, no knowledge of the time of day, no access to showers (showering only every four days or less frequently), and backed-up bathrooms due to overcrowding. Florida is running the facility in expectation of federal reimbursement. Immigration advocate Aaron Reichlin-Melnick noted that unlike the federal government, Florida "can be sued for civil rights violations and punished with monetary damages."

Supporting reports

• ICE expands detention capacity in Indiana through state prison partnership — US Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced a partnership with Indiana's Department of Corrections to house 1,000 immigration detainees at Miami Correctional Center, a maximum-security prison north of Indianapolis. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem named the facility the "Speedway Slammer" and claimed it would hold "the worst of the worst" undocumented immigrants. The expansion is part of Trump administration efforts to rapidly increase immigration detention capacity following a $170 billion appropriation to ICE. Governor Mike Braun endorsed the partnership as part of a "comprehensive approach to combating illegal immigration."

Supporting reports

• Trump administration ends temporary immigration protections for Haitian nationals — The Trump administration moved to end temporary immigration protections for Haitian nationals, despite an ongoing security crisis in Haiti. The action has created fear among the Haitian population in Florida, with many afraid to access food assistance and other services due to deportation threats. The policy disproportionately affects vulnerable populations already facing economic hardship.

Supporting reports

• Stanford Daily sued Secretary of State Rubio and DHS Secretary Noem — Stanford University's student newspaper, the Stanford Daily, sued Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over their targeting of pro-Palestinian international students, alleging that "writers present on student visas are declining assignments related to the conflict in the Middle East, worried that even reporting on the conflict will endanger their lawful immigration status."

Supporting reports

• Senator Jon Ossoff investigation documented medical neglect in ICE detention — An investigation by Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) identified 85 credible reports of medical neglect among ICE detainees between January 20 and August 5, 2025. The incidents included a heart attack after days of untreated chest pain, complications from untreated diabetes, and denial of necessary medications and associated complications. The investigation predates the October 3, 2025 payment halt but documents a pattern of medical neglect that the article indicates has "almost certainly become much worse" following the cessation of third-party provider payments.
• Senator Ossoff's office releases report documenting 510 credible human rights abuses at ICE detention facilities — Senator Jon Ossoff's office released a report documenting 510 credible cases of human rights abuses at US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers since Trump's January 2025 inauguration. Alleged abuses include deaths in custody, physical and sexual abuse, mistreatment of pregnant women and children, inadequate medical care, overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, denial of legal access, and child separation. The report accuses the Department of Homeland Security of obstructing congressional oversight and limiting access to detention sites. DHS denied the allegations.

Supporting reports

• Justice Department publishes list of sanctuary jurisdictions — The Department of Justice published a list of 13 states, 4 counties, and 18 cities identified as having policies that impede federal immigration law enforcement, pursuant to Executive Order 14287 signed by President Trump on April 28, 2025. Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated the department will continue litigation against these jurisdictions and work with the Department of Homeland Security to eliminate sanctuary policies. The DOJ has already filed lawsuits against some jurisdictions, including New York City on July 24, 2025.

Supporting reports

• Civil rights lawyers reported detainees barred from attorneys at Alligator Alcatraz — AP reported that during a court hearing, civil rights lawyers seeking to temporarily block detentions at "Alligator Alcatraz" told a federal judge that detainees have been barred from meeting with their attorneys, are being held without charges, and that a federal immigration court cancelled bond hearings, while over 100 individuals have already been deported from the facility.

Supporting reports

• PhD researcher arrested at airport without explanation or attorney access — The Washington Post reported that 40-year-old Tae Heung "Will" Kim, a PhD researcher and scientist born in South Korea who has lived in the US since he was 5 and currently holds a green card, was arrested by immigration officials at the San Francisco International Airport and remains in custody. His lawyer said the reason for Kim's detainment hasn't been explained by the government, and noted that immigration officials have denied Kim access to an attorney.

Supporting reports

• Venezuelan asylum seeker reported sexual assault in El Salvador megaprison — Makeup artist Andry Hernandez Romero, a gay asylum seeker from Venezuela who was sent by the US to El Salvador's megaprison, told NBC News that he was sexually assaulted by prison staff while in custody.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration deploys federal agents and National Guard to Washington DC for immigration enforcement disguised as crime control — In August 2025, Trump ordered federal law enforcement and National Guard deployment to Washington DC ostensibly to combat crime, but the operation functioned as an immigration enforcement campaign. The deployment resulted in indiscriminate arrests based on skin color and occupation, with immigration-related arrests surging immediately. Though arrests declined as administration attention shifted, they remain elevated compared to pre-campaign levels. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction in December preventing warrantless immigration arrests without probable cause of flight risk. Data shows warrantless arrests decreased in December and further declined in January, though federal agents continue patrols assisted by local police despite local law limiting DC cooperation with ICE.

Supporting reports

• Department of Justice charges healthcare workers with assaulting federal agents — In August 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice charged two staff members at Ontario Advanced Surgical Center in San Bernardino County, California—Jesus Ortega and Danielle Nadine Davila—with assaulting and interfering with ICE officers. The charges stem from a July 8 incident when ICE agents pursued an immigrant inside the facility. Staff members attempted to protect the man and remove agents from the building by locking doors and blocking vehicles. Defense counsel argues the charges are baseless, with video evidence contradicting the government's claim that Davila struck an agent. Trial is scheduled for October 6, 2025.

Supporting reports

• DHS restaffed gutted watchdog offices with minimal personnel after lawsuit filed — After a federal lawsuit was filed in April 2025 challenging the dismantling of DHS watchdog offices, the Trump administration backtracked and allocated a very small number of people to restart the offices in August 2025. This left a five-month gap (March to August 2025) with little to no independent oversight of immigration detention, civil rights complaints, or deaths in custody. Court filings from August and February 2026 document the minimal restaffing.

Supporting reports

• Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdés killed fleeing ICE raid at Home Depot in California — Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdés, 52, a Guatemalan national, was killed in August after fleeing an ICE raid at a Home Depot in Monrovia, California, approximately 20 miles northeast of Los Angeles. He died on the freeway while attempting to escape federal agents. The Home Depot location has been a traditional gathering place for day laborers and was deliberately targeted by the Trump administration for ICE operations.
• Carlos Roberto Montoya Valdez killed after fleeing ICE sweep near Home Depot — In August 2025, after an immigration enforcement sweep near a Home Depot in Monrovia, California, Carlos Roberto Montoya Valdez, a 52-year-old Guatemalan day laborer, fled in fear and was struck and killed on the 210 Freeway. The Department of Homeland Security later denied that its agents were actively pursuing him at that moment, but local witnesses and organizers say the enforcement operation triggered the panic that sent him running. The incident prompted the National Day Laborer Organizing Network to organize the ice-scraper buy-and-return protest at the same Home Depot location.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration invokes Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan migrants without due process — In March 2025, the Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport more than 200 Venezuelan migrants accused of gang membership to a mega-prison in El Salvador without court hearings or warrants. The Department of Justice claimed the law permits warrantless house raids and deportations. Civil rights groups challenged the authority, and the case is being heard by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, likely heading to the Supreme Court. Experts warn the invocation mirrors the 1941 precedent that enabled Japanese American internment.

Supporting reports

• ICE detainee with prosthetic legs placed in solitary confinement for refusing flooded cell — Rodney Taylor, a Liberian-born double amputee detained by ICE at Stewart detention center in Georgia, was placed in a "restrictive housing unit" (solitary confinement) for three days after refusing to enter his cell due to flooding caused by faulty air conditioning. The water posed a danger to his battery-powered prosthetic legs. During confinement, he received no drinking water and could not charge his prosthetics. He was released on Tuesday by the assistant warden.

Supporting reports

• Nancy Mace endorses ICE courthouse detentions and proposes defunding sanctuary cities — Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace stated on Fox Report Weekend that she watches YouTube videos of ICE agents detaining immigrants and called such enforcement "nothing more American." She characterized detainees as "violent criminals" despite data showing most had no violent convictions. Mace also announced support for legislation to defund and remove tax breaks from cities that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, citing ICE's increased detainer activity in New York City under Trump's second presidency.

Supporting reports

• ICE agents arrest asylum seeker in immigration courtroom immediately after judge grants her case continuance — Jenny, a 25-year-old Cuban asylum seeker who entered the US legally under the Biden-era CBP One program, attended her immigration hearing in San Antonio, Texas on an unspecified date in July 2025. The immigration judge granted her asylum claim a continuance to August 2026—a favorable outcome. However, as Jenny left the courtroom and approached the elevator, ICE agents in masks converged on her, detained her, and removed her from the courthouse. Her case was subsequently transferred to a judge with a lower asylum approval rate, and her next hearing was rescheduled to the following month. The incident is part of a documented pattern of ICE arrests occurring inside immigration courthouses across the country.

Supporting reports

• ICE implements pattern of courthouse arrests targeting migrants with ongoing cases and longer US tenure — ICE agents have conducted arrests at immigration courthouses across multiple states (Texas, Illinois) targeting migrants whose cases remain ongoing and have not been dismissed by judges. The Guardian's reporting documents that ICE is arresting individuals who have been in the US longer than two years—exceeding the legal threshold for expedited removal—and those with legal pathways to remain in the country. After apprehension, detainees are transferred to often overcrowded, privately run detention facilities sometimes far from their homes and families, where they face limited access to attorneys and high-stakes deportation proceedings. The pattern is occurring under Trump administration pressure for ICE to achieve 3,000 daily arrests, a tenfold increase from Biden's final year.

Supporting reports

• Chicago immigration court attendance plummets as ICE arrests deter migrants from appearing — ICE plainclothes officers have been documented attending immigration court in Chicago with target lists, apprehending court attendees regardless of whether their cases are dismissed. Detainees are transported to detention facilities in Missouri, Florida, and Texas—often far from family and support networks. The lag in ICE's online detainee locator has caused some detainees to effectively disappear from public tracking. As word of these arrests has spread through immigrant communities, court attendance has dropped dramatically, creating a secondary enforcement effect: migrants now avoid court appearances entirely, risking automatic deportation orders for no-shows.

Supporting reports

• Federal judge rules Kilmar Ábrego García must be released from jail pending trial on human smuggling charges — Federal judge Waverly Crenshaw ruled Wednesday that Kilmar Ábrego García, a Maryland father of two wrongfully deported to El Salvador in March, must be released from jail while awaiting trial on human smuggling charges. Crenshaw found prosecutors failed to demonstrate Ábrego posed a danger to the public or flight risk. However, Ábrego's legal team requested a 30-day delay in implementing the release while considering next steps. Separately, US District Judge Paula Xinis issued a 72-hour freeze on further deportation attempts and ordered Ábrego returned to Maryland under supervision, citing concerns about due process.
• US District Judge Paula Xinis issues 72-hour freeze on deportation of Kilmar Ábrego García — US District Judge Paula Xinis, overseeing a civil case filed by Kilmar Ábrego García in Maryland, issued a 72-hour freeze on any further deportation attempts by the Trump administration. Xinis ruled that Ábrego must be returned to Maryland under an order of supervision, citing concerns that absent meaningful safeguards, the administration may remove him again without due process or restoration of his prior status. The judge noted that additional relief was necessary to protect constitutional protections.
• U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis prohibited officials from taking Kilmar Abrego Garcia into custody — U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland issued an order on July 24, 2025, prohibiting officials from taking Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man wrongly deported to CECOT, into custody. The judge ordered that the administration must give Abrego at least three days' notice if it intends to deport him. Abrego had been brought back to the U.S. only after the administration indicted him on charges of human smuggling, then imprisoned him in Tennessee and threatened to deport him again if he were released pending trial.
• U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. ordered release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia — U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. ordered on July 24, 2025, that Kilmar Abrego Garcia be released from criminal detention, ruling that the government had not shown that he is a threat. The judge found no evidence that Abrego has gang markings, tattoos, working relationships with gang members, or any gang affiliation, contradicting the administration's claims that he is a gang member. A magistrate judge issued a 30-day stay of the release order at Abrego's request.
• Neiyerver Adrián Leon Rengel filed administrative claim for wrongful detention — Neiyerver Adrián Leon Rengel filed an administrative claim against the Department of Homeland Security on July 25, 2025, for wrongful detention when the administration sent him to the CECOT prison in El Salvador. The filing is the first step in a lawsuit. Rengel stated, "I want to clear my name. I am not a bad person."
• U.S. District Judge orders release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia — U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. ordered the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from criminal detention, stating that the government failed to demonstrate he posed a threat. This decision follows a series of legal challenges regarding his deportation and detention status.
• U.S. District Judge prohibits deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia — U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis prohibited officials from taking Kilmar Abrego Garcia into custody and mandated that he receive at least three days' notice before any potential deportation. This ruling comes after Abrego was wrongfully deported and later indicted on charges of human smuggling.
• Federal judges ordered release of human smuggling defendant — U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis prohibited officials from taking Kilmar Abrego Garcia into custody and mandated that the administration provide at least three days' notice before any intended deportation. This ruling follows Abrego's wrongful deportation to a detention facility in El Salvador.
• — Two federal judges ordered the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who is currently in custody while awaiting trial on human smuggling charges. The rulings also required Abrego Garcia to be returned to Maryland from Tennessee and prevented immigration officials from immediately detaining him to initiate deportation proceedings.