Mi Nguyen
*Names have been changed to protect source privacy.
Since President Donald Trump assumed office in Jan., his administration has focused its efforts on immigration through new policies and restrictions to existing immigration-related services.
On Sept. 19, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services would end the Temporary Protected Status designated to Syrians living in the U.S. The TPS system grants renewable refuge and work permits for foreigners whose home countries are facing crises, but does not grant them legal permanent residence.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated that conditions in Syria no longer threatened their nationals, and that allowing Syrians to remain in the U.S. would conflict with the nation’s interests.
“[It] just hurts my heart to think of all the families that are currently being torn apart,” said sophomore Avonlea Ha. “Especially for the people that are immigrating to America to escape hostile things happening in their own country, only to be immediately sent back.”
VISA PROGRAMS
Changes have also been made to other immigration programs, notably the H-1B and H-2A visa programs.
Also on Sept. 19, President Trump signed a proclamation imposing a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitions filed after Sept. 21, as an effort to curb “abuse of the program.” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services also stated it would take steps to ensure only the “best of the best temporary foreign workers” are hired, prioritizing higher skilled and paid immigrants over those earning lower wages.
The H-1B Specialty Occupations visa is a temporary, non-immigrant visa U.S. companies use to hire foreign workers.
“In the short term, it could be detrimental … because of the fact that a lot of the high-skilled labor here is foreign, especially for tech companies coming from India and China,” said senior Arun Yama. “But in the long term, it’s definitely beneficial because Trump’s goal is to promote American labor to replace these jobs. There’s a sentiment [of], ‘why are we having foreign nationals doing high-paying, very rewarding jobs that Americans could theoretically do.’”
Similarly, on Oct. 2, the Department of Labor declared new nationwide regulations for the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Workers Program. The program previously required employers to protect foreign workers by guaranteeing a minimum number of work hours, providing free housing and transportation and paying at least the annual baseline wage set by the Adverse Effect Wage Rule.
Now, under these new regulations, employers can subtract housing costs from worker wages, resulting in reductions of farmworker wages by more than $3 per hour. Additionally, they can give contracts in languages workers do not understand, and remove safety regulations and holiday and overtime bonuses.
The Department of Labor cited these changes were made because the program imposed high cost burdens for employers while granting foreign workers under the program unfair additional compensation not given to U.S. workers. Others, however, stated these regulations could make living and working conditions worse for H-2A workers who depend on the program, whilst increasing risk of labor exploitation.
PROGRAM EXPANSION
Another major step in Trump’s immigration crackdown was the restoration of the Everglades Detention Facility in Florida as a federal immigration detention facility in July.
Dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” the 3,000-capacity camp has since become subject to lawsuits pertaining to its inhumane conditions, environmental risks and lack of legal counsel for immigrants, though the Trump administration denies such claims. Projected construction plans were temporarily halted in mid-August by a federal judge who claimed the camp posed environmental risks to the surrounding wetlands and people who depended on its resources.
“They’re putting people in there [who] aren’t the worst of the worst,” said Tara*, whose parents are undocumented immigrants. “Most of these people, [are just] working or people who … have the right to be here. What happened to due process? What happened to treating people like humans?”
The expansion of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the mass deportation of illegal immigrants, often unlawfully, has been most prevalent across media coverage. A $75 billion dollar package was approved in July to expand operations for the agency over the next four years, the highest funding currently for a law enforcement U.S. agency.
The monthly average of deportations since has increased to three times greater than it was under former President Joe Biden. While ICE under Obama deported over 3.1 million people, news coverage and popular opinion claim the agency focused on deporting primarily those with criminal records while maintaining a low profile.
“[Did] you see Obama filming when they tore people apart, families apart?” said Jeff, an immigrant who came to the U.S. a few decades ago. “You never see those scenes on TV, or you never see immigration holding cameras when they actually put people on the ground … The way they’re handling things [now] is out of control.”
ICE AGENTS
ICE is also criticized for controversial tactics when confronting immigrants, such as agents masking themselves, often with no clear formal identification on display, causing many to be concerned about accountability and upholding public safety and trust. Others think this measure is necessary.
“[You] have state governments and county governments directly acting against the federal government, making the federal government’s job harder … endangering federal agents,” Yama said. “That’s unacceptable. The American people have a mandate that they gave the Trump administration; they voted for this.”
Agents have also been seen detaining people outside immigration courts or hospitals — previously places out-of-bounds for immigration enforcement. Furthermore, the use of tear gas and other chemical irritants, like pepper spray, have been continually used on immigrant crowds, like in Los Angeles, or to dispel civilian protests against the crackdown, like in Chicago.
“It’s heartbreaking to see everything that’s going on in this country,” Jeff said. “When I came [here], I thought I came to a different country … What I’m seeing right now is [the] same country that I actually came [from] a few decades ago … Right now, it’s broken.”
CIVILIAN RESPONSE
For many immigrants, these changes are very disheartening.
“[The American Dream was] why a lot of families came, my parents came, and I feel like it’s not really a dream anymore,” Tara said. “A lot of people are self-deporting because … all the progress has started to decline because of the administration.”
Some, however, believe Trump’s immigration crackdown is an effort to support American citizens.
“He is definitely promoting an America First agenda, which applies to Americans first, right?” Yama said. “That goes hand in hand [with] creating more jobs for Americans, safety concerns, things like that. I don’t want to say he’s attacking immigration, but he is focusing on prioritizing America, and there definitely is an immigration component to that.”
While the crackdown has instilled fear among immigrants, some, like Marie, believe people will still try to find ways to be in the U.S.
“Even with everything happening about ICE and immigration [enforcement], I think people still are willing to risk that in order to become better people and have a better life,” Marie said.
Others believe there should be a different path for undocumented immigrants who abide by laws and contribute to the nation.
“If you’ve been here for a long time [with] your family … and you’ve been paying your taxes and doing everything that you’re supposed to do, [then] there should be a path for these people to get in society,” Jeff said.
In mid-Oct., Trump also considered deploying the National Guard to San Francisco, but ultimately called it off after receiving friction from tech companies in the Bay Are and a private conversation with San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.
Gov. Gavin Newsom responded that such actions without proper justification were equivalent to authoritarian overreach, and that California would stand by the Constitution to defend immigrant rights.
Newsom signed Assembly Bill 49 and Senate Bill 98 in Sept., which created stronger protective regulations against immigration enforcement in schools. AB 49 prohibits law enforcement agents on school sites without a proper warrant, and SB 98 requires schools to notify students and families in the event that an immigration officer is on campus.
San Mateo Union High School District Superintendent Randall Booker sent out an email following the uncertainty around federal troops in San Francisco, citing legal protections and resources for immigrants when dealing with immigration enforcement.
“School is a safe place,” Booker said in the email. “We remain committed to supporting all students regardless of their immigration status.”
