In his initial week in office, President Donald Trump empowered immigration authorities to expedite the removal of undocumented migrants without court proceedings. This led to workplace raids in cities like Chicago, Newark, and Atlanta.
Chicago emerged as a focal point for these intensified deportation efforts. Reports indicated that federal agents, backed by multiple agencies, conducted extensive raids targeting hundreds of undocumented individuals. This operation was among the most significant under Trump’s administration, signaling his commitment to enforcing his immigration campaign promises.
On a Sunday morning, agents spread across Chicago neighborhoods. In areas like Hermosa, they knocked on doors, urging residents to open up. Many homes remained dark and silent, as immigrants, aware of their rights, denied entry without arrest warrants. Later that morning, a 28-year-old Mexican man with a prior deportation and criminal record was arrested after returning home with tamales.
Fear has gripped many immigrants, leading them to avoid leaving their homes due to the threat of arrest. Some have expressed their anxieties on social media platforms like TikTok, including individuals who had voted for Trump.
One Latina woman tearfully shared on TikTok, “It’s crazy that we voted for Trump. We trusted his promises to Latinos. Now, people are scared to go to work. We have to make a living, too. I hate that I voted for him. Now I’m so scared for my family. We all need to come together and do something about this.”
However, many responses on Twitter lacked sympathy, suggesting that she was now facing the consequences of her vote.
Celebrities have also voiced their concerns over the perceived harshness towards undocumented immigrants. Actress and singer Selena Gomez, of Latina heritage, shared an emotional video on Instagram, expressing her distress over the deportations. “All my people are getting attacked,” she said through tears. “I don’t understand. I’m so sorry. I wish I could do something but I can’t. I don’t know what to do. But I’ll try everything. I promise.” The video was later deleted after facing backlash from Trump supporters.
Similarly, farm and business owners who supported Trump are now grappling with the potential impact of mass deportations on their operations. Tony DiMare, a tomato farmer with businesses in several states, expressed concern about the effect on his agricultural workforce. “We have to secure our borders south and north, but you have to have a workforce in this country… There’s no doubt that is going to restrict and put pressure on farming and many other industries that rely on this workforce,” DiMare told The Financial Post.
City officials in targeted areas are also speaking out. Newark’s mayor, Ras Baraka, criticized a raid in his city as unconstitutional, stating it violated the Fourth Amendment. “They had no warrant,” he said in a press conference. “They went into the back of a [local] establishment. We believe they say there were three people who they say were undocumented who they detained but they also detained those who were, in fact, citizens of this country. One person showed their military identification but was still questioned anyway.”
Mayor Baraka emphasized that none of the detained individuals were criminals. He stressed the importance of upholding the U.S. Constitution, stating, “We can disagree about politics… but what we must agree on is the thing that separates this country from many other countries around the world: and that is the constitution of the United States.”
