Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• US State Department to use AI to revoke student visas — The US State Department has announced plans to use artificial intelligence to review social media accounts of foreign students and revoke visas for those perceived as supporters of Hamas. This initiative is part of a broader effort to combat antisemitism, following an executive order signed by Donald Trump in January. The AI-assisted reviews will target tens of thousands of student visa holders, with additional checks on news reports and lawsuits related to antisemitism. The move has raised concerns about potential errors, privacy violations, and threats to free speech.

Supporting reports

• German national detained and interrogated by US border officials — Fabian Schmidt, a German national and permanent US resident, was detained and allegedly "violently interrogated" by US border officials at Boston's Logan airport. Schmidt, who has lived in the US since 2007, was reportedly pressured to give up his green card and was subjected to harsh conditions, including being stripped naked and placed in a cold shower. The German government is investigating whether this incident, along with two other similar cases involving German citizens, indicates a change in US immigration policy.

Supporting reports

• Australian working visa holder detained, interrogated, and deported upon re-entry to US from sister's memorial service — Jonathan, an Australian holding a valid work visa with over 12 months remaining, was detained at Houston airport in March 2025 after returning from Australia for his sister's memorial. Border officials accused him of carrying drugs and human remains, cancelled his visa, banned him from the US for five years, and deported him despite his decade-long residence on the US east coast. An officer allegedly called him "retarded" and stated "Trump is back in town; we're doing things the way we should have always been doing them." Jonathan reports being held incommunicado for over 30 hours in overcrowded secondary detention.

Supporting reports

• Department of Homeland Security revokes green card of Columbia student Yunseo Chung for anti-war activism — Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and federal prosecutors revoked the permanent residency (green card) of Yunseo Chung, a Columbia University student, in early March 2025 following her participation in anti-war demonstrations. Chung filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, accusing it of using "immigration enforcement as a bludgeon to suppress speech that they dislike." A federal judge blocked immigration officials from detaining her pending the outcome of her lawsuit.

Supporting reports

• Deportation of 12-year-old Amílcar's father without criminal history — In March 2025, a 12-year-old boy named Amílcar's father, who had no criminal history, was deported by ICE. The Guatemalan-Maya Center was notified by a concerned school staff member and coordinated with the Guatemalan consulate to arrange for Amílcar to travel to Guatemala to reunite with his father. The case illustrates family separation resulting from ICE enforcement operations targeting individuals without criminal records.

Supporting reports

• ICE detention of Palestinian protester Leqaa Kordia for nearly a year following pro-Palestine speech — Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank, was arrested at a pro-Palestine protest at Columbia University in April 2024; charges were dismissed the next day. Nearly a year later, in March 2025, she was taken into ICE custody when she checked into an immigration office in New Jersey. She has been held at Prairieland detention facility in Texas since then, despite a judge twice ruling she poses no threat and may be released on bond. On February 6, 2026, she suffered a seizure while in detention and was hospitalized; she reported being shackled throughout her hospital stay and denied family contact. Multiple elected officials, including Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Nellie Cou, and Senators Andy Kim and Cory Booker, have called for her release.

Supporting reports

• Kilmar Ábrego García deported in violation of 2019 immigration court order — Kilmar Ábrego García was deported to El Salvador in March in violation of a 2019 immigration court order that prevented his repatriation on grounds of possible persecution. He remained in custody in El Salvador's Cecot terrorism confinement facility for weeks while administration officials claimed inability to comply with a court order to facilitate his return. He was eventually returned to the US this month after the government secured a federal indictment accusing him of being a co-conspirator in a people-smuggling ring.
• Trump administration defies court order to return mistakenly deported Maryland resident — Kilmar Ábrego García, a Maryland resident with a federal deportation protection order, was arrested by immigration agents in March and deported to El Salvador without a court hearing, along with over 200 Venezuelan deportees. The Trump administration has admitted the deportation was in error but refuses to comply with court orders requiring his return. A federal appeals court on Thursday denied the administration's appeal and issued a scathing rebuke, stating the government cannot "stash away residents" in foreign prisons without due process. The White House posted mockingly on X that Ábrego García is "never coming back."
• Federal judge orders administration not to deport Kilmar Ábrego García to El Salvador — A federal judge issued an order prohibiting the deportation of Maryland resident Kilmar Ábrego García to El Salvador due to concerns for his safety. The administration subsequently ignored this judicial order and deported Ábrego García anyway, along with more than 230 other immigrants, mostly Venezuelans and nearly half with legal status in the U.S., to the CECOT terrorist prison in El Salvador in March.

Supporting reports

• Mass revocation and restoration of international student visas — The State Department revoked the legal status of more than 1,400 international students from 200 US colleges, citing pro-Palestinian views, minor offenses (such as speeding tickets), or no stated reason. Secretary of State Marco Rubio lambasted protesters as "lunatics." The administration later reversed course and restored statuses after multiple court challenges, but revealed it had scraped names from a national crime database including arrests without charges, dropped charges, and missing persons. New guidelines were issued that appear to expand ICE's power over students' immigration status. The legal uncertainty caused some students to flee the country voluntarily.

Supporting reports

• Sergei arrested during ICE office visit in San Francisco; Marina told to return — Sergei and Marina, a young couple from Russia with a pending asylum case, went to an immigration office in San Francisco in March to update paperwork. ICE agents arrested Sergei and instructed Marina to return in a few weeks. This case demonstrates the targeting of immigrants with pending asylum cases during routine administrative visits.

Supporting reports

• Trump invokes Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to justify deportations based on Venezuelan gang activity — In March 2025, the Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798—previously used only three times in U.S. history—to claim authority to deport citizens of nations engaged in invasion or "predatory incursion." Trump contended that Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua's activities constituted an invasion justifying mass deportations. Multiple federal judges rejected this claim, with New York federal judge Alvin Hellerstein ruling in June that refugee migration and gang infiltration do not meet the law's definition of invasion or predatory incursion.

Supporting reports

• ICE detains PhD student for op-ed criticizing university's Palestine response — In March 2025, Rümeysa Öztürk, a PhD student at Tufts University, was detained by ICE for writing an op-ed criticizing the university's response to the war in Palestine. Öztürk has since been released, but the detention represents targeting of an immigrant for published political speech.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration targets noncitizen academics for pro-Palestinian speech and activism — The Trump administration, through the Department of Homeland Security and directed by executive orders signed in January 2025, has arrested and deported or sought to deport noncitizen students and scholars for pro-Palestinian activism and speech. Targets include Mahmoud Khalil (Columbia University graduate) and Rümeysa Öztürk (Tufts University student). The administration relied on dossiers compiled by the rightwing Canary Mission and information from the far-right Zionist group Betar USA to identify targets. Federal judges have ordered the release of detainees, but the administration continues enforcement efforts.

Supporting reports

• Americans launch economic boycott against anti-DEI policies — On February 28, 2025, Americans across the country participated in a 24-hour economic boycott organized by the People’s Union USA. The boycott aimed to protest against corporations rolling back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, influenced by government cuts under Donald Trump and Elon Musk's "department of government efficiency." Participants were encouraged to avoid spending money or to shop at local businesses using cash. The boycott was part of a broader movement to demonstrate consumer power and resist policies perceived as harmful to social equity.

Supporting reports

• ICE deports Venezuelan teenager to El Salvador despite agents reportedly knowing he was not the intended target — Merwil Gutiérrez, 19, a Venezuelan asylum seeker living in the Bronx, was detained by ICE on 24 February alongside 237 other Venezuelans and subsequently deported to El Salvador's Cecot prison. According to his father, ICE agents stated at the time of arrest that Gutiérrez was not the person they intended to apprehend. Gutiérrez has no criminal record, gang ties, or connection to El Salvador. The deportation occurred under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 as part of the Trump administration's broader removal campaign.

Supporting reports

• ICE directed to deport migrant children — The Trump administration directed ICE to deport hundreds of thousands of migrant children who entered the US without their parents. This directive raises significant human rights concerns and could impact the lives of vulnerable children.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration cuts legal aid for immigrant children — The Trump administration cut off legal aid for unaccompanied immigrant children, a decision that was later reversed. This action temporarily left vulnerable children without necessary legal support in immigration proceedings, raising concerns about their rights and protections.

Supporting reports

• Jorge arrested at ICE check-in in Portland despite asylum case pending — Jorge, a 22-year-old Venezuelan asylum seeker, reported to the ICE field office in Portland, Oregon in February for a routine check-in while awaiting a court date on his asylum case. Instead of being released as had been standard practice, he was arrested and transferred to a detention center in Tacoma, Washington. Jorge had been complying with ICE requirements for two years, had enrolled in community college, worked as an advocate, and had no criminal record. A judge later denied his bond appeal, meaning he faces detention until at least September 2025.

Supporting reports

• Trump ends federal benefits for undocumented immigrants — Trump signed an executive order aimed at ending federal benefits for people in the country illegally. The order did not make clear which benefits will be targeted but stated it will do away with all "taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens." The action is part of broader efforts on immigration to fulfill Trump's promise to remove millions of people from the country.

Supporting reports

• Trump issues executive order to end birthright citizenship — On his first day in office, President Trump issued an executive order seeking to overturn birthright citizenship by reinterpreting the 14th Amendment. The order declares that children born in the US to parents who are not US citizens or lawful permanent residents, or who have only temporary legal status, are not automatically US citizens. The order applies to births after February 19, 2025. The Migration Policy Institute estimated approximately 255,000 children annually would be affected, potentially adding 2.7 million unauthorized immigrants by 2045.

Supporting reports

• ICE detains immigrants at check-ins and court hearings — The Trump administration has authorized US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to conduct civil enforcement operations at courthouses, including immigration courts. This has led to the detention of immigrants attending mandatory check-ins or court appearances. Reports indicate that ICE has set daily arrest quotas and is targeting immigrants who comply with legal requirements, such as attending scheduled appointments. This approach has resulted in the detention and deportation of individuals, including those with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) protections and minimal criminal records.

Supporting reports

• Russian scientist detained by ICE at Boston airport after customs paperwork error — Kseniia Petrova, a Russian researcher at Harvard Medical School, was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement on 16 February after arriving at Boston Logan airport from France. She made a paperwork error on a customs declaration form while importing frog embryo samples for her lab. Although the legal penalty was a $500 fine, immigration officers revoked her visa and denied re-entry. Petrova informed authorities she feared political persecution in Russia due to her public protests against Putin's invasion of Ukraine. She was transferred to ICE detention and moved between facilities in Vermont and Louisiana, where she remains held with over 80 other female detainees, awaiting an asylum hearing.

Supporting reports

• ICE detention and release of Rodney Taylor, double amputee with prior conviction — Rodney Taylor, a 47-year-old Liberian-born green-card applicant and double amputee, was detained by ICE on February 15, 2025, after agents dragged him from his car in front of his children. He was held at Georgia's Stewart Detention Center for over 14 months due to a burglary conviction from his teenage years that Georgia pardoned in 2010. Despite a habeas corpus petition, multiple protests, letters from state officials, and a March 4 Capitol Hill hearing by Representative Lucy McBath citing dangerous detention conditions, ICE maintained his detention until his release on May 1, 2026. His health deteriorated significantly during detention, including development of bone spurs.

Supporting reports

• ICE officials reassigned over deportation targets — Two senior officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Russell Hott and Peter Berg, have been reassigned due to dissatisfaction with the pace of deportations and arrests, which were not meeting the targets set by the Trump administration. Hott was moved to ICE's Washington DC office, while Berg was reassigned to St Paul, Minnesota. This move comes amid pressure from President Trump and his administration to increase deportation numbers, with new arrest quotas being issued to ICE to boost figures.

Supporting reports

• Oklahoma board of education votes to require citizenship information — In January 2025, Oklahoma's board of education voted to require parents to provide citizenship information when enrolling their children in public schools. This decision challenges the constitutional right to public education for all children, regardless of immigration status, as established by the 1982 US Supreme Court ruling in Plyler v. Doe. The rule is expected to face legal challenges and may be struck down as unconstitutional. However, the policy has already created fear among immigrant families, potentially leading them to keep their children out of school.

Supporting reports

• ICE arrests asylum seeker despite regular check-ins and work authorization — Alberto Lovo Rojas, a Nicaraguan asylum seeker with legal work authorization, was arrested by ICE on February 8, 2025, while waiting for a haircut in Spokane, Washington, despite having checked in with the agency as required just three days earlier. Rojas had fled Nicaragua in 2018 after participating in anti-government protests and had been living in the US with his wife and children, working as a mechanic. His arrest occurred after the Trump administration rolled back Biden-era enforcement priorities, making all undocumented immigrants subject to arrest regardless of criminal history or compliance with reporting requirements. He now faces deportation to Nicaragua, where he fears persecution.