Sign in Subscribe
Emigration and immigration

Trump Administration Expands Immigration Enforcement Across Federal Agencies

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The Trump administration is enlisting agencies not typically involved in immigration enforcement to help crack down on unauthorized immigrants, in a bid to meet President Donald Trump's goal of deporting 1 million immigrants. This whole-of-government approach involves over a dozen federal agencies, including the Small Business Administration, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Agriculture, among others. The agencies are collaborating in various ways, such as law enforcement partnerships, data sharing, border militarization, and scrutiny of public benefits. This expansion of immigration enforcement has sparked concerns about the eroding of trust in government and the potential for immigrants and U.S. citizens to be targeted.

Key Takeaways:

  • Over a dozen federal agencies are now involved in immigration enforcement, including the Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, and Small Business Administration.
  • Agencies are collaborating in various ways, such as law enforcement partnerships, data sharing, border militarization, and scrutiny of public benefits.
  • The Trump administration's goal of deporting 1 million immigrants is driving the expansion of immigration enforcement.
  • Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has secured a data-sharing agreement with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
  • The FBI has sent agents to aid immigrant arrests, while military troops have surged to the southern border to shield it from what the White House calls an immigrant "invasion".
  • The Department of Education has announced a crackdown on unauthorized immigrant students via access to certain funds.
  • The Health and Human Services Department has offered access to the personal data of millions of Medicaid enrollees, including home addresses, to the Department of Homeland Security.
  • The Department of Housing and Urban Development is following Mr. Trump's directive to crack down on ineligible public benefits recipients.
  • The Department of Justice has given authority to investigate and apprehend illegal aliens to officials of the U.S. Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
  • The Department of Labor has issued new guidance to ensure that unauthorized immigrants don't access federal workforce development resources and related grants.
  • The U.S. Postal Service has participated in immigration enforcement through participation in a task force with the Department of Homeland Security.

Statistics:

  • 65,682 aliens were removed within the first 100 days of the Trump administration, according to ICE.
  • The government hasn't published comprehensive, monthly immigration enforcement statistics since Mr. Trump returned to the White House.
  • $1 billion has been allocated to the Pentagon for "border support and counter-drug missions", including new military zones along the border with Mexico.
  • 2,000 acres of land in West Texas and around 250 miles along the Rio Grande have been transferred to the U.S. Army for the creation of national defense areas.
  • 109,651 acres of federal land along New Mexico's southern border have been transferred to the U.S. Army for the creation of a national defense area.

Sources:

  • "Trump administration enlists agencies to crack down on immigration" by Staff writer, The Christian Science Monitor
  • "US Postal Service confirms it's cooperating with immigration officials" by Abby Phillip, The Washington Post
  • "IRS shares data with immigration officials, prompting resignation of top executive" by David Cay Johnston, The Nation
  • "Deportation data 2020: "Most removals" are people who re-entered the US after being deported elsewhere" by Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN
  • "Department of Labor Issues Guidance to Prevent Unauthorized Immigration" by Department of Labor

Read more