Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Board of Immigration Appeals curtails bond release for immigration detainees — The Board of Immigration Appeals issued a decision on September 5 that dramatically curtailed the immigration system's ability to release detainees on bond while awaiting status determinations. The decision "virtually eliminate[d] bond for people no matter how long they've lived here and whether they have jobs and contribute to our nation," according to the American Immigration Lawyers Association. This action prompted immigration attorneys to shift strategy toward filing habeas corpus petitions in federal district courts.

Supporting reports

• Fifth Circuit blocks Trump's invocation of Alien Enemies Act for Venezuelan deportations — A three-judge panel of the Fifth US Circuit Court of Appeals issued a preliminary injunction on September 3, 2025, blocking the Trump administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to justify rapid deportations of Venezuelans alleged to be members of Tren de Aragua gang. Circuit Judge Leslie Southwick, writing for the majority in a 2-1 decision, rejected the administration's claim that the gang constituted a "predatory incursion" warranting invocation of the 1798 wartime statute. The court found no legal basis for Trump's March 14 proclamation invoking the act during peacetime.
• Fifth Circuit blocks Trump's use of Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans — A three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that Trump unlawfully invoked the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan men he claimed were gang members. The court found no valid "predatory incursion" as required by law and issued a preliminary injunction blocking the deportations. The Trump administration is expected to appeal to the full circuit and ultimately the Supreme Court.

Supporting reports

• Supreme Court overturned federal court order halting ICE racial profiling in Los Angeles — In July 2025, a federal court ordered federal agents to halt indiscriminate raids and racial profiling in Los Angeles. In September 2025, the Supreme Court overturned that ruling. The ACLU and immigrant rights groups have since submitted an amended legal complaint challenging the decision. The reversal left communities without judicial protection against profiling tactics.
• Supreme Court rules against racial profiling challenge in immigration enforcement case — In September 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority sided against Los Angeles-area plaintiffs challenging "roving" ICE immigration patrols. The plaintiffs alleged that stops based on race, language, employment status, or location violated Fourth Amendment protections. The ruling effectively legalized racial profiling in immigration enforcement, according to critics. Justice Brett Kavanaugh's concurring opinion asserted that people with legal status would only be "briefly" questioned, a characterization contradicted by subsequent reporting of traumatic detentions of U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
• Supreme Court ruling permits race and ethnicity as enforcement factors in immigration stops — In September 2025, the Supreme Court issued a ruling allowing immigration enforcement agents in southern California to interrogate anyone they suspected of being in the country illegally, explicitly noting that perceived race or ethnicity can be a relevant factor in such determinations. Legal experts note this ruling may complicate challenges to racial profiling under the Federal Tort Claims Act.

Supporting reports

• Appeals court judges stay closure order for Florida's "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention facility — Two Trump-appointed judges on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay of Miami District Judge Kathleen Williams's preliminary injunction ordering closure of "Alligator Alcatraz," a 3,000-capacity immigration detention camp in the Florida Everglades. Williams had ruled the facility's hasty construction breached federal environmental laws. The appeals panel found 2-1 that because Florida initially funded construction with state money, no environmental impact study was required. The stay allowed the facility to resume operations and rapidly refill with detainees after a brief shutdown period in late August.
• Appeals court judge stays closure of "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention facility — Barbara Lagoa, a judge on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, authored a 2-1 majority ruling in September 2025 that stayed (paused) a Miami district judge's order to close "Alligator Alcatraz," a state-run detention camp for undocumented migrants in the Florida Everglades. The ruling reversed the lower court's finding that the DeSantis administration must comply with federal environmental regulations. The facility, criticized for harsh conditions, remains operational. Lagoa's husband, Paul Huck, is a senior attorney at a law firm that has received over $10 million in state contracts from the DeSantis administration, raising conflict-of-interest concerns.
• Eleventh Circuit stays federal judge's order to close "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention facility — A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit voted 2–1 on September 4, 2025, to stay (suspend) a federal district judge's order requiring closure of the "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention center in Florida's Everglades within 60 days. The stay allows construction and operation to continue while Florida's appeal proceeds. The facility, built by Florida at a cost of approximately $250 million and operated on behalf of ICE, has faced criticism for harsh conditions, abuse allegations, denial of due process, and environmental damage.

Supporting reports

• Chicago Mayor Johnson signs executive order resisting federal immigration enforcement — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order on Saturday directing the city to resist the Trump administration's planned immigration crackdown. The order bars Chicago police from assisting federal authorities with civil immigration enforcement, related patrols, traffic stops, and checkpoints. It also directs all city departments to protect residents' constitutional rights amid the anticipated militarized federal operation.
• Chicago mayor signs executive order directing city police not to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order on August 31, 2025, directing the Chicago Police Department to refuse cooperation with federal immigration authorities during planned ICE enforcement operations. The order bars police from assisting with civil immigration enforcement, patrols, traffic stops, and checkpoints, and prohibits officers from wearing face coverings. Johnson stated the city would guard constitutional rights of residents amid threatened federal deployment and criticized the Trump administration's immigration crackdown as unconstitutional and retaliatory against Democratic cities.
• Chicago Mayor Johnson issues Protecting Chicago executive order — At the end of August, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson passed the "Protecting Chicago" executive order, a sweeping measure designed to limit Trump administration influence on local law enforcement operations. The order represents local resistance to federal intervention and an attempt to shield Chicago's police and community from federal control.