Migrants on high alert as Trump administration ramps up raids and arrests

The Trump administration has intensified arrests of undocumented migrants in major U.S. cities, detaining thousands, including both criminals and those without criminal records.

Since taking office on 20 January, President Trump has overseen raids in cities such as Chicago, New York, Denver, and Los Angeles, reports BBC.

The arrests have led some migrants in affected communities to avoid work or keep their children home from school.

On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that while the administration is prioritising the arrests of criminals, no undocumented migrant is "off the table."

According to daily statistics from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), more than 3,500 undocumented migrants have been arrested since Trump returned to office. This includes just over 1,000 on Tuesday, 969 on Monday, and 1,179 on Sunday.

By comparison, ICE reported an average of 310 arrests per day during the 2024 fiscal year under former President Joe Biden.

According to BBC, immigration officials have described the recent raids as "targeted enforcement operations," highlighting the arrests of violent gang members and other dangerous suspects. Federal law enforcement agencies have also deputized additional agents to assist in the crackdown.

"I haven't seen anything remotely like this, and it's just the first few days of the presidency," said Gina Amato Lough, a California-based director attorney for the Immigrants' Rights Project at the law firm Public Counsel. "Nothing of this magnitude."

She added that the administration's stated goal is to create "shock and awe."

"It's working," she said. "It's also creating terror in the community."

Both the White House and ICE have publicized details of arrests, releasing photos of suspects along with information on their countries of origin and crimes, which include sex offenses, assaults, and drug trafficking.

However, the administration has made it clear that any undocumented migrant caught in these raids—whether convicted of a crime or not—is subject to arrest and deportation, despite the fact that being in the U.S. illegally is a civil violation.

Earlier this week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt asserted that "all of them" are criminals.

"They illegally broke our nation's laws, and, therefore, are criminals as far as this administration goes," she told reporters on Tuesday.

The arrests have had a chilling effect on immigrant communities nationwide.

It remains unclear how many of those detained have criminal records and how many are what the previous Trump administration referred to as "collateral" arrests.

NBC reported that on January 26, only 52% of those taken into custody were classified as "criminal arrests," citing administration officials.

ICE's enforcement efforts are part of a broader Trump administration initiative to curb undocumented migration, which also includes declaring an emergency at the southern border and expanding processes for rapid expulsions.

On Thursday, Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law, mandating the detention of undocumented immigrants arrested for theft or violent crimes until their trial.

Named after Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing student killed last year by a Venezuelan man, the bill was passed by Congress last week, marking an early legislative victory for the administration.

At the signing, Trump announced plans to establish a 30,000-person detention facility for undocumented migrants, doubling the government's current holding capacity and taking what he called "one step further to eliminating the scourge of migrant crime."