Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• USCIS policy memo requiring green card applicants to return to home countries for processing — The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), under Department of Homeland Security oversight, issued a policy memo on Friday requiring foreign nationals seeking to adjust immigration status and obtain green cards to do so from outside the United States via the State Department, rather than through the existing "adjustment of status" process available to those already in the country. The policy affects over 1 million immigrants currently waiting on green cards and will likely force applicants—particularly in mixed-status families—to leave jobs, homes, and relationships for unknown periods. The change reverses a process unchanged for over 60 years.

Supporting reports

• Detainees at Delaney Hall ICE facility engage in hunger and labor strike over conditions; families report medical neglect and inhumane treatment — Immigrants detained at Delaney Hall, a private ICE jail in New Jersey run by Geo Group, launched a hunger and labor strike beginning May 22 to protest substandard conditions including medical neglect, expired food, and inadequate sanitation. Elder Guerra, a Guatemalan immigrant held for five months, suffered a serious head injury in mid-May and was placed in medical isolation without adequate recovery care. Families report distress over visitation restrictions and fear of retaliation. Congressional oversight visits confirmed detainees' claims. DHS and Geo Group deny allegations while detainees report ongoing threats and discrimination from staff.
• Hunger and labor strike at Delaney Hall enters third week with women joining — The hunger and labor strike at the GEO Group-run Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark, which began May 22 with approximately 300 detainees, entered its third week in June with dozens of detained women joining. Strikers cited medical neglect, spoiled food, lack of sanitation, denial of bond, and coercion to sign deportation documents. Demands include firing a guard accused of sexually assaulting at least 10 detained women. ICE responded by transferring most original hunger strikers to other facilities.
• Hunger and labor strike by detainees at Delaney Hall enters ninth day — On May 22, approximately 300–400 detainees at Delaney Hall immigration detention center began a hunger and labor strike demanding improved conditions, medical care, a meeting with Governor Sherrill, and expedited processing of their immigration cases. The strike continued through the week of protests, with detainees refusing food and work. The strike prompted family visitation cancellations and sparked external protests in support of the detainees' demands.
• Delaney Hall detainees begin hunger strike over case processing delays — On May 22, 2026, approximately 300 detainees at Delaney Hall, the largest detention center in the Northeast, began a hunger strike demanding immediate release of young, elderly, and medically vulnerable detainees and protesting that immigration judges are ignoring their cases. Detainees cited violations of Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment rights and reported that judges are conducting mass deportations without proper case review, disregarding federal court habeas corpus rulings, and processing cases at an unsustainable rate—one judge handling 74 cases in a single day.

Supporting reports

• Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel drops trespassing charges against Gaza protest student after media exposure — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel dismissed trespassing charges against Josiah Walker that stemmed from a May 2024 incident at a University of Michigan Gaza encampment raid. The lawsuit alleges the charges relied on a falsified trespassing report and that Nessel was encouraged to prosecute by U-M leadership with pro-Israel bias. Nessel also declined to file a resisting arrest charge after Walker was tackled and arrested at a September 2024 campus festival. The dismissal followed Guardian reporting exposing Nessel's connections to U-M leadership and defense attorney calls for a hearing into potential bias.
• University of Michigan student files federal lawsuit alleging surveillance, false prosecution, and constitutional violations tied to Gaza protest activities — Josiah Walker, a University of Michigan student and leader in Students Allied For Freedom and Equality, filed a federal lawsuit against the university and private investigators alleging a coordinated campaign of undercover surveillance, falsified police reports, illegal stalking, assault, property seizure, and malicious prosecution in 2024–2025. The suit claims the university hired dozens of undercover investigators to surveil pro-Palestinian students, that police manipulated documents to obtain warrants for email and Google Drive access, and that Walker was falsely arrested and imprisoned on trespassing charges. Walker alleges violations of First Amendment free speech rights, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment privacy and due process protections, and seeks monetary and punitive damages.

Supporting reports

• FBI flagged San Diego mosque shooter as potential threat; father's guns seized a year prior — Caleb Vazquez, 18, one of two white supremacist shooters who killed three people at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday, had been flagged by the FBI as a "potential threat" and was already on law enforcement radar. Local officials, alarmed by his idolization of mass shooters and Nazism, seized his father's guns in a protective order a year before the attack. Vazquez had also been placed in an involuntary psychiatric hold. Despite these interventions, he and accomplice Cain Clark, 17, carried out the mosque attack, which killed a security guard and two other men.

Supporting reports

• Federal judge bans ICE arrests at Manhattan immigration courts except in rare cases — US District Judge P Kevin Castel issued a 15-page order on Monday prohibiting ICE agents from arresting immigrants at three federal courthouses in lower Manhattan (26 Federal Plaza, 201 Varick Street, and 290 Broadway) except under exceptional circumstances or when public safety is threatened. The ruling responded to a lawsuit by the ACLU, New York Civil Liberties Union, Make the Road NY, and other groups. Castel found a strong governmental interest in immigration enforcement must be balanced against individuals' right to attend removal proceedings and pursue asylum claims without fear of arrest. The judge noted the Trump administration had recently reversed its position on whether 2025 policies applied to immigration courts, and he corrected what he called a "clear error" after prosecutors apologized for material misstatements to the court.

Supporting reports

• ICE officer Christian Castro charged with assault in shooting of Venezuelan man Julio Sosa-Celis — Christian Castro, a 52-year-old ICE officer, was charged with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime by Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty for shooting Venezuelan national Julio Sosa-Celis in the leg on January 14, 2026, during the Trump administration's "Operation Metro Surge" immigration enforcement in Minnesota. Video evidence contradicted federal claims that Sosa-Celis attacked agents with a shovel; he had dropped the weapon and was running inside when shot. Federal prosecutors had initially charged Sosa-Celis but dropped charges after evidence proved inconsistent with testimony.

Supporting reports

• Mass shooting at Islamic Center of San Diego; two teenage assailants killed three victims and themselves — Two teenagers, identified as Cain Clark (17) and Caleb Vazquez (18), opened fire at the Islamic Center of San Diego on May 19, killing three victims: security guard Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha, and Nadir Awad. The shooters, who had met and been radicalized online, rushed the mosque "fully armored" with handguns and rifles. Police found them dead from self-inflicted gunshot wounds near the scene. The FBI recovered a manifesto expressing "broad hatred" toward various races and religions, along with 30 firearms, tactical gear, and ammunition from two residences. The shooting prompted lockdowns at five nearby public schools.
• Mass shooting at Islamic Center of San Diego kills three worshippers; two teenage suspects dead from self-inflicted wounds — Three people, including a security guard, were killed in a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego (ICSD), the county's largest mosque, shortly before midday prayer. Two suspects, aged 17 and 18, died from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds. The mother of one suspect had called police two hours prior reporting her son missing along with weapons and a vehicle. Authorities are investigating the incident as a hate crime; the FBI recovered evidence of "generalized hate rhetoric" by the attackers. No children at the center's school were harmed.
• Two teenagers opened fire at Islamic Center of San Diego, killing three men; attackers found dead from self-inflicted wounds — On Monday, May 19, 2026, two teenagers aged 17 and 18 opened fire at the Islamic Center of San Diego, killing security guard Amin Abdullah (51), mosque elder Mansour Kaziha (78), and community member Nadir Awad (57). Abdullah engaged the attackers, delaying their advance and protecting approximately 140 children nearby. Kaziha called 911 and Awad attempted to intervene. Both attackers fled and were found dead from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds several blocks away. Police and FBI are investigating as a hate crime, with the FBI noting the attackers appear to have been radicalized online.
• Memphis Safe Task Force agents shoot and kill Jonah Neal during mental health call — On 21 May, Memphis Safe Task Force officers responded to a report of an armed man threatening to harm himself at a home. Police reported finding Jonah Neal, 25, with several weapons inside. A Homeland Security special agent shot and killed him. This is the third officer-involved death attributed to the taskforce.

Supporting reports

• Brookings Institution study documents 145,000+ US children separated from detained parents during Trump ICE enforcement surge — The Brookings Institution released a report estimating that over 145,000 US citizen children have experienced parental detention by immigration authorities since Trump's second presidency began in January 2026. The study found approximately 22,000 children lost all co-resident parents, with 36% younger than six years old. The report notes DHS's own count of 18,277 detainees with US citizen children in fiscal 2025 is "almost certainly a substantial undercount." Researchers recommend DHS collect and publicly report accurate data on detained parents and affected children, and ensure affected children receive basic governmental support.

Supporting reports

• Supreme Court weakens Voting Rights Act protections — On April 29, 2026, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that significantly weakened the protections for Black-majority districts established by the Voting Rights Act. This decision has prompted Republican-controlled southern state legislatures to expedite the redrawing of district lines, which is expected to dilute the voting power of Black Democrats. The ruling has sparked widespread protests and calls to action from various groups advocating for voting rights across the country.

Supporting reports

• "Prevention through deterrence" border policy pushes migrants into remote desert terrain — Veteran borderlands volunteers describe a long-standing federal border enforcement strategy known as "prevention through deterrence," which deliberately makes border crossing extremely difficult by forcing migrants away from ports of entry into remote, dangerous desert regions. Volunteers call this policy "deterrence through death." The strategy has intensified with deployment of concertina wire and other barriers, pushing migrants into wilder terrain where heat exposure and dehydration are more likely to be fatal.

Supporting reports

• Border Patrol agents instructed to vandalize water stations left for migrants in desert — Former border patrol agent Jenn Budd, now an immigrant rights activist, alleges that border patrol agents are trained in the field to vandalize water jugs left in the desert by humanitarian organizations like Humane Borders. Budd claims this policy is framed as preventing illegal border crossing. Border Patrol responded by stating agents carry water and supplies to assist people in distress, and reiterated that "the border is closed."

Supporting reports

• Six deaths from heat exposure in sealed railway car near Laredo, Texas — Six people, aged 14 to 56 from Mexico and Honduras, were found dead inside a sealed Union Pacific railway car near Laredo, Texas. Medical examination indicates at least one died from hyperthermia (extreme heat exposure); the same cause is likely for all six. Investigators believe the group boarded the train near Del Rio and became trapped during transit. The deaths occur as immigration advocates warn of an approaching dangerous summer season for border crossers facing lethal temperatures.

Supporting reports

• Governor Polis commutes sentence of election denier Tina Peters — Colorado Governor Jared Polis commuted the prison sentence of Tina Peters, a former Colorado county clerk convicted of tampering with voting machines following the 2020 presidential election. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold condemned the move as a "gross injustice" and "demoralizing" to election officials, warning it sets a "dangerous precedent" for future elections. Trump had repeatedly called for the commutation, and Polis was later censured by Colorado Democrats for his decision.

Supporting reports

• National voting rights mobilization "All Roads Lead to the South" scheduled — A national voting rights mobilization titled "All Roads Lead to the South," led by Black Voters Matter and a coalition of more than 90 civil rights, faith, labor, and community organizations, is scheduled for Saturday, May 16, 2026. The day begins with a prayer gathering at 9:00 a.m. CT at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, followed by a national rally at 1:00 p.m. CT at the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery. Solidarity events are being organized across the country. Rev. Dr. Bernice A. King is expected to participate. The mobilization will launch a sustained summer of organizing including voter mobilization, civic education, economic pressure, legal advocacy, and direct action.
• National voting-rights mobilization announced for May 16 — A national voting-rights mobilization titled "All Roads Lead to the South" was announced for Saturday, May 16, 2026, led by Black Voters Matter and a coalition of more than 90 civil rights, faith, labor, and community organizations. Anchor events are scheduled in Alabama, with solidarity actions invited nationwide. The mobilization responds to the Supreme Court's weakening of Voting Rights Act Section 2 and rapid state-level redistricting efforts targeting Black representation.
• Thousands of Americans and eighteen members of Congress gathered in Selma and Montgomery to mobilize for voting rights protection — On May 16, 2026, thousands of Americans, including eighteen members of Congress, traveled to Selma and Montgomery, Alabama to call for action to protect voting rights in response to the Supreme Court's recent decision. Speakers, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, framed the moment as a defense of democracy itself and warned that gerrymandering efforts to dilute Black and marginalized voting power had awakened a grassroots movement. Pastor Kenneth Sharpton Glasgow emphasized that the issue transcended partisan politics.
• Thousands gather in Selma and Montgomery to advocate for voting rights — On May 16, 2026, thousands of Americans, including eighteen members of Congress, gathered in Selma and Montgomery to advocate for the protection of voting rights in response to the recent Supreme Court ruling. Speakers emphasized the importance of representation for marginalized communities and the need to resist efforts to gerrymander electoral districts. The event aimed to mobilize public support for voting rights and highlight the ongoing struggle for equality in the electoral process.