Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Trump administration moves to end "sensitive location" immigration enforcement protections — The Trump administration has moved to end a more-than-30-year policy protecting schools, churches, and hospitals from immigration enforcement operations. This policy change removes longstanding sanctuary protections for sensitive locations where vulnerable populations, including children, gather. Teachers and school administrators in Durham and elsewhere express concern that the loss of these protections will increase fear among immigrant families and students.

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• ICE agents conduct aggressive arrest operations in Minneapolis; bystanders throw snowballs in response; agents use pepper spray and tasers — On December 16, 2025, ICE agents in Minneapolis attempted to arrest a woman, holding her in a snowbank and dragging her by the wrist while partially handcuffed. Bystanders threw snowballs at agents; agents responded with pepper spray and tasers. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara criticized ICE's aggressive tactics and stated his officers had disengaged after determining the scene was safe. Similar confrontations occurred in Elgin, Illinois, where agents used teargas and pepper munitions against protesters throwing snow.

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• Trump proclamation suspends entry of nationals from 26 countries and Palestinian Authority document holders, citing security and vetting deficiencies; effective January 1, 2026. — President Trump issued Proclamation 10998 suspending and limiting entry of foreign nationals from 26 designated countries and individuals holding Palestinian Authority travel documents. The proclamation continues restrictions on 12 countries (Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen) and 4 partially restricted countries (Burundi, Cuba, Togo, Venezuela), while adding 7 new full suspensions (Burkina Faso, Laos, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Syria) and 15 new partial suspensions. Justifications include inadequate identity-management systems, high visa-overstay rates, terrorist presence, and corruption. Limited exceptions apply for diplomats, athletes, Special Immigrant Visa holders, and ethnic/religious minorities from Iran. The proclamation takes effect January 1, 2026.
• White House issues fact sheet on expanded travel restrictions affecting 22 countries and Palestinian Authority documents — The White House published a fact sheet on December 16, 2025, describing a proclamation signed by President Trump that expands entry restrictions on foreign nationals. The proclamation maintains full restrictions on 12 countries from a prior proclamation, adds full restrictions on 5 new countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Syria), adds restrictions on individuals holding Palestinian Authority travel documents, converts 2 countries from partial to full restrictions (Laos, Sierra Leone), lifts nonimmigrant visa restrictions on Turkmenistan while maintaining immigrant restrictions, and adds partial restrictions on 15 additional countries. The fact sheet cites visa overstay rates, terrorist presence, document fraud risks, and repatriation refusals as justifications.
• Trump administration expands travel ban to five additional countries — The Trump administration announced it will expand its travel ban to Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria, along with fully restricting travel to the US for people with Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents. Another 15 countries were also added to a list of countries with partial travel restrictions, including Angola, Nigeria, and Senegal.
• Trump issued proclamation expanding travel restrictions on foreign nationals from 34 countries and Palestinian Authority documents — President Trump signed Proclamation 10950 on December 16, 2025, expanding and modifying entry restrictions on foreign nationals. The proclamation continues full suspensions for 12 countries (Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen), adds seven countries to full suspension (Burkina Faso, Laos, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Syria), suspends entry of individuals using Palestinian Authority travel documents, continues partial restrictions on four countries (Burundi, Cuba, Togo, Venezuela), modifies restrictions on Turkmenistan to allow nonimmigrant visas, and imposes new partial restrictions on 15 additional countries. The proclamation cites deficient screening and vetting capabilities, high visa-overstay rates, terrorism concerns, and corruption as justifications. It becomes effective January 1, 2026.
• Trump administration expands travel ban to 39 countries — The Trump administration expanded its travel ban from 19 to 39 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria, and others. The expanded ban also applies to people holding Palestinian-Authority-issued travel documents, effectively restricting Palestinian travel rights.
• Trump signs proclamation expanding travel restrictions to five additional countries and Palestinian Authority document holders — President Trump signed a proclamation on December 17, 2025, expanding entry restrictions to nationals from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria, in addition to an initial list of 12 countries. The order also imposed full restrictions on individuals holding Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents and partial restrictions on 15 additional countries. The White House justified the move as necessary to prevent entry of foreign nationals lacking sufficient vetting information, citing a November 26 shooting by an Afghan national as justification.

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• Trump declares Venezuela a "foreign terrorist organization" and orders naval blockade — Trump announced a "total and complete blockade" of oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela and designated the Venezuelan government a "foreign terrorist organization" (FTO). The U.S. Navy deployed 11 ships, including an aircraft carrier, to the region. Legal experts note the FTO designation is legally murky because U.S. law targets non-state organizations, not sovereign governments. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles stated Trump "wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle," suggesting regime change rather than counterterrorism as the objective. The administration seized one tanker carrying 1.85 million barrels of Venezuelan crude valued at approximately $95 million.
• Trump declares "total and complete blockade" on Venezuelan oil tankers — On Truth Social, Trump declared a "TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE" on all sanctioned oil tankers entering or departing Venezuela. Trump also warned Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro that the US "will not allow a Hostile Regime to take our Oil, Land, or any other Assets, all of which must be returned to the United States IMMEDIATELY."
• Trump orders naval blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers — President Trump announced a "total and complete" blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, escalating pressure on Nicolás Maduro's government. The order follows weeks of military strikes in the region that have killed dozens and the recent U.S. seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker carrying approximately 2 million barrels of crude. Trump stated the blockade aims to prevent Venezuela from funding drug trafficking. The Venezuelan government rejected the order as a "grotesque threat" and act of piracy; Democratic congressman Joaquin Castro called it an unauthorized act of war.
• Trump Announces Total Blockade of Venezuelan Oil Tankers — President Trump announced a total blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going into and out of Venezuela, citing the Maduro regime's designation as a foreign terrorist organization. He claimed that the blockade is necessary to prevent the regime from financing terrorism and other criminal activities. This announcement follows military actions against small boats allegedly involved in drug trafficking.
• Trump orders total blockade of Venezuelan oil tankers and designates Maduro regime as foreign terrorist organization — Trump posted on social media that Venezuela is surrounded by the largest armada ever assembled in South American history and ordered a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going into and out of Venezuela. He claimed Venezuela stole U.S. oil, land, and other assets and demanded their immediate return. Trump designated the Maduro regime as a foreign terrorist organization, citing terrorism, drug smuggling, and human trafficking. He stated that illegal aliens and criminals sent by the Maduro regime during the Biden administration are being returned to Venezuela at a rapid pace.
• Trump administration expands travel ban to 39 countries — The Trump administration expanded its travel ban from 19 to 39 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria, and others. The expanded ban also applies to people holding Palestinian-Authority-issued travel documents, effectively restricting Palestinian travel rights.

Supporting reports

• Supreme Court unanimously ordered government to facilitate Ábrego García's return — The Supreme Court unanimously ordered the federal government to "facilitate" the return of Kilmar Ábrego García to the United States after his wrongful deportation to El Salvador. The administration interpreted "facilitate" narrowly, claiming it only required allowing him entry if he arrived on his own, not requiring the government to seek his release from the torture prison.
• U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered government to return Kilmar Ábrego García from El Salvador — U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the federal government to bring Kilmar Ábrego García back to the United States after the administration had wrongfully deported him to El Salvador's CECOT terrorist prison in March 2025, where he was beaten and tortured. Ábrego García, a Salvadoran national who fled gang threats in 2011 at age 16, had been granted protection from removal by a judge in 2019 despite being denied asylum. The government appealed; the Supreme Court unanimously ordered it to "facilitate" Ábrego García's return.

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• ICE agents stop Congresswoman Omar's son in Minnesota during targeted Somali enforcement operation — Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stopped the son of Representative Ilhan Omar during a weekend in Minnesota, after he left a Target store. The agent released him once he produced his passport ID. Earlier the same day, ICE agents entered a mosque where Omar's son was praying and left without incident. The stops occurred as part of "Operation Metro Surge," a Trump administration enforcement action targeting undocumented Somalis and Latinos in the Twin Cities area, which Omar characterized as racial profiling.
• ICE pulls over Rep. Omar's son; agency denies incident — Rep. Ilhan Omar reported that ICE agents pulled over her adult son in Minnesota and asked him to provide proof of citizenship. After he showed his passport, the agents let him go. Omar argued that ICE is "racially profiling" her community by targeting young men who appear Somali. ICE's Acting Director Todd Lyons claimed there was "absolutely zero record" of the incident, and Omar's office responded that it was "no surprise that an agency known for disappearing people also can't keep its records straight."

Supporting reports

• ICE detention population reaches record high of 68,400 people — As of 14 December 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) held more than 68,400 people in immigration detention, breaking the previous record set in early December. Data published by ICE shows that since January 2025, the administration has arrested more than 328,000 people and deported nearly 327,000. The majority of those detained lack criminal records, contradicting official rhetoric about targeting "the worst of the worst" criminals. The Trump administration has simultaneously moved to invalidate legal protections for immigrants with lawful status.

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• Maryland woman detained by ICE despite claiming US citizenship released after 25 days — Dulce Consuelo Díaz Morales was detained by ICE on December 14, 2025, near her Maryland home and held for 25 days despite her attorneys presenting documentation of a US birth certificate. A federal district court judge issued an order on December 18 preventing deportation while reviewing her petition. She was released after her legal team submitted additional evidence including an affidavit from a medical professional authenticating her birth certificate. DHS maintains she is not a US citizen, and deportation proceedings remain open.
• Consuelo Diaz Morales arrested by ICE in Baltimore — Consuelo Diaz Morales was arrested by ICE agents in Baltimore on December 14 while leaving a Taco Bell with her younger sister. Her sister reported that Diaz Morales told the agents she was a U.S. citizen.

Supporting reports

• State Department orders U.S. embassies to collect data on crimes committed by immigrants — U.S. embassies in Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have been ordered to gather data on crimes committed by immigrants as part of implementing the administration's anti-immigration agenda. Senior officials have characterized mass migration as an "existential threat to western civilization." This directive reflects the NSS's emphasis on immigration as a national security priority and signals a coordinated effort across the diplomatic corps to support the administration's immigration-focused worldview.

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• Trump administration freezes asylum decisions and pauses immigration applications for nationals of 19 countries following Afghan shooting incident — Following the shooting of two national guard soldiers in Washington DC by an Afghan man, the Trump administration froze asylum decisions at USCIS, paused visa and immigration applications filed by Afghans, halted legal immigration cases for nationals of 19 countries on its travel ban, and directed re-investigation of cases granted legal status under Biden. The administration also reduced work permit validity periods for asylum-seekers and refugees. Afghan immigrants and advocates condemned the shooting but protested the collective punishment of hundreds of thousands of people for one individual's alleged actions.

Supporting reports

• ACLU alleged Trump administration coerced immigrants to leave country illegally — The Washington Post reported on December 8 that the ACLU sent a letter to ICE alleging that the Trump administration tried to illegally coerce immigrants being held at a makeshift detention center in Texas to leave the country for Mexico without written warning or hearings with an ICE officer, violating government guidance for "third country" deportations. The letter claims four Cuban immigrants were driven to the border and told to cross it or be beaten and imprisoned, with two reporting they were beaten after initially refusing.

Supporting reports

• AP reported hundreds of children held in ICE custody beyond legal limit — AP reported on December 9 that hundreds of children were held in ICE custody for more than the 20-day legal limit from August to September, with at least five children being held for 168 days. Some children were held in unsafe conditions and went days without access to medical care, violating federal detention standards.
• CNN reported ICE detention facility conditions including denial of medical care — CNN reported on December 9 that families being held in an ICE detention facility in Texas are being subjected to conditions including being denied access to urgent medical care, worms and mold in the food, and threats of family separation by staff, with some children becoming weak, faint, and pale due to malnutrition. The conditions violate basic humanitarian standards.

Supporting reports

• ICE arrested over 220,000 people, more than one-third with no criminal history — NBC News reported on December 7 that more than one-third of approximately 220,000 people arrested by ICE agents from January 20 to October 15, 2025, had no criminal histories. The data reveals that the Trump administration's immigration enforcement has swept up large numbers of people with no criminal records, expanding the scope of deportation enforcement beyond those with criminal convictions.

Supporting reports

• Federal judge issues temporary restraining order blocking ICE from detaining Kilmar Ábrego García — On Friday morning, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials from detaining Kilmar Ábrego García, hours before he was scheduled to appear at an ICE field office in Baltimore. The judge ruled that Ábrego cannot be re-detained until the court conducts a hearing on the motion for the temporary restraining order, citing the merits of his case and the need for orderly administration of justice. Ábrego, who had been released from a Pennsylvania immigration detention facility on Thursday, spoke to supporters after the ruling.
• Judge Xinis barred government from arresting Ábrego García pending hearing — On Friday, December 13, Judge Paula Xinis granted the request of Kilmar Ábrego García's lawyers to bar the government from arresting him again until she hears from both parties.

Supporting reports

• ICE escalates arrests of Afghan asylum seekers awaiting hearings — Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has intensified arrests of Afghan asylum seekers in recent weeks, targeting individuals awaiting court hearings and those complying with check-in requirements. Documented cases include arrests in Indiana, New York, and California. Many detainees had humanitarian parole status, clean records, and were following all legal obligations. Attorneys report the arrests have created a "chilling effect," with Afghan communities expressing fear and uncertainty about their safety and legal status.

Supporting reports

• Kristi Noem testified before House committee on immigration enforcement and military veteran deportations — During a House committee hearing, Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI) confronted Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with specific cases of deported U.S. military veterans and family members, including a Purple Heart recipient deported to Korea, a Navy veteran's Irish-born spouse imprisoned for four months, and the father of three Marines detained by ICE. Noem defended enforcement of all immigration laws without exception. Magaziner documented cases of children with cancer and mothers with infants in NICU being deported. Noem departed the hearing mid-testimony, claiming a scheduling conflict; Rep. Jared Moskowitz later confirmed the meeting she cited had been canceled.

Supporting reports

• Protesters disrupt House homeland security hearing on ICE raids — Two protesters interrupted a House committee hearing featuring Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and National Counterterrorism Center director Joseph Kent on Thursday in Washington DC. One protester shouted "Stop ICE raids! The power of Christ compels you!" while holding signs referencing anti-war group Codepink. A second protester displayed a poster reading "No ICE, no troops!" and called to "Get ICE off our streets!" Capitol police escorted both protesters out. The hearing occurred amid Democratic calls for Noem's resignation over Trump administration immigration enforcement tactics.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration announced Gold Card citizenship program for $1 million payment — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced a new "Trump Gold Card" program allowing individuals to purchase U.S. citizenship for $1 million. Lutnick framed the program as bringing "the best and brightest" by expediting wealthy foreign nationals to the "top of the list" for immigration benefits in exchange for a $1 million payment to the U.S.

Supporting reports

• Federal judge orders release of Kilmar Ábrego García from ICE custody; DHS vows appeal — U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland ordered the release of Kilmar Ábrego García from an immigration detention facility in Pennsylvania on Thursday, December 11, 2025, finding that the federal government lacked lawful authority to detain him without a final deportation order. Ábrego, a Salvadoran national and construction worker, was freed shortly before 5pm ET. The Department of Homeland Security immediately condemned the ruling as "naked judicial activism" and announced plans to appeal. Ábrego plans to return to Maryland, where he has lived with his U.S. citizen wife and child.
• Judge Xinis ruled ICE could not hold Ábrego García without final deportation order — On Thursday, December 12, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ruled that ICE could not hold Kilmar Ábrego García because there was no final deportation order for him, noting that the judge had not ordered one in the original 2019 decision protecting him from deportation.

Supporting reports

• Pentagon lawyers proposed sending Caribbean strike survivors to Salvadoran torture prison — Lawyers for the Pentagon proposed sending two survivors from an October strike against a small boat in the Caribbean to CECOT, a notorious terrorist prison in El Salvador known for widespread torture and abuse of detainees. State Department lawyers refused the proposal, citing concerns about legal scrutiny in U.S. courts. The two men were subsequently returned to their home countries of Colombia and Ecuador instead.

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• Trump administration transfers 760 acres of California public land to US Navy for militarized border defense zone — The Trump administration's Department of Interior announced the transfer of 760 acres of public land in California's San Diego and Imperial counties to the US Navy for a three-year period to establish a "National Defense Area" supporting border security operations. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated the action addresses security gaps and supports the President's border and sovereignty agenda. The region, spanning from the Otay Mountain Wilderness Area to approximately one mile west of the California–Arizona border, is claimed by officials to be among the highest-traffic areas for unlawful crossings.

Supporting reports

• Civil rights coalition alleges systematic abuse at Fort Bliss ICE detention facility — A coalition of eight civil rights organizations, including the ACLU and Human Rights Watch, submitted a 19-page letter to ICE and DHS officials documenting allegations of beatings, sexual abuse, and forced deportations at Camp East Montana, a tent-based detention facility at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, holding over 2,700 detainees. The letter, based on sworn testimony from 45+ detainees, describes masked officers forcing asylum seekers across the border into Mexico without legal proceedings, guards inflicting sexual violence and physical beatings, and systematic medical neglect and unsanitary conditions. DHS denied all allegations; the coalition called for immediate facility closure.

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• Border Patrol and federal agents conduct raids in Chicago's Little Village, detaining citizens and city employees — Border Patrol and other federal agents conducted immigration raids in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood, a heavily Mexican-American area. The operations detained at least seven people, including at least two U.S. citizens who were city employees. A Chicago alderman described the operations as "lawless" and an "utter disregard for our constitutional rights." The raids occurred weeks before Governor Pritzker signed HB 1312 and directly prompted the legislative response to restrict immigration enforcement in sensitive spaces.

Supporting reports

• DHS signs $140m contract with Daedalus Aviation for six Boeing 737s for deportation operations — The Department of Homeland Security signed a nearly $140 million contract with Virginia-based Daedalus Aviation to purchase six Boeing 737 aircraft for deportation operations. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated the purchase would save $279 million in taxpayer dollars through more efficient ICE flight operations. Funding comes from a congressionally-approved $170 billion budget allocated for Trump's border and immigration policies, which also covers detention centers, ICE enforcement, and border wall construction.

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• Illinois Governor Pritzker signed law limiting immigration enforcement at courthouses — On December 9, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed a new law limiting immigration enforcement outside state courthouses. The law also makes it easier for residents to sue immigration agents for violating their rights, and limits the information that hospitals, daycare centers, and colleges in the state can provide to immigration agents.
• Illinois Governor Signs HB 1312 to Restrict Immigration Arrests — Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed House Bill 1312, which bans civil immigration arrests in and around state courthouses, extends protections to hospitals, campuses, and day cares, and allows residents to sue immigration officers who violate constitutional rights. The law is a response to aggressive federal immigration enforcement under the Trump administration. It aims to protect immigrant communities by restricting where federal immigration officers can conduct arrests and providing legal recourse for rights violations. The law is expected to face legal challenges from the Department of Homeland Security, which argues it violates the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
• Illinois Governor Pritzker signs HB 1312, restricting civil immigration arrests in state spaces — Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed House Bill 1312 in Little Village, a heavily Mexican-American neighborhood that experienced recent federal immigration raids. The law bans civil immigration arrests in and around state courthouses (except in narrow circumstances) and within 1,000 feet of them; extends protections to hospitals, university campuses, community colleges, and licensed day cares by requiring policies governing immigration agent interactions; and creates a state-level right to sue for residents whose constitutional rights are violated by immigration enforcement officers. Pritzker's office framed the law as a "nation-leading response" to aggressive Trump-era immigration enforcement.
• Illinois Governor Pritzker signed HB 1312 restricting civil immigration arrests and authorizing lawsuits against immigration officers — Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed HB 1312, which restricts civil immigration arrests in and around courthouses and extends protections to hospitals, campuses, and day cares. The law grants individuals the right to sue immigration officers who violate their constitutional rights. DHS characterized the law as dangerous; Pritzker responded by indicating the state would defend the law in court, positioning Illinois as creating legal guardrails against federal immigration enforcement overreach.
• DHS challenges Illinois HB 1312 as unconstitutional violation of Supremacy Clause — The Trump administration's Department of Homeland Security, through spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin, issued a statement challenging Illinois Governor Pritzker's signing of HB 1312. DHS argued that Pritzker "must be unfamiliar with the U.S. Constitution" and claimed that by signing the law, Pritzker violated the Supremacy Clause and his oath to support the U.S. Constitution. The statement asserted that immigration enforcement is a clearly federal role and that states cannot restrict federal immigration operations. Pritzker has indicated willingness to defend the law in court.