Wall Street Journal: Trump Is Losing Political Ground on Immigration

The Trump administration’s aggressive deportation program is testing the political bounds of what Americans will tolerate, spurring a backlash from voters and some Republicans and testing the administration’s resolve.

Federal officials in recent weeks have stepped up raids on worksites and farms, seeking to fulfill President Trump’s pledge of mass deportations. The move has sparked alarm in immigrant communities and street protests in Los Angeles and other cities. Last weekend, Trump directed that arrests be paused at farms and hotels, only to reverse the directive days later.

Republican members of Congress from California, Texas and Florida have publicly urged the White House to give priority to deportations of criminals rather than migrants who have resided in the U.S. for long periods and have otherwise obeyed the law. The chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R., Pa.), called the farm raids “just wrong.” The co-founder of Latinas for Trump, Florida state Sen. Ileana Garcia, wrote on X that the administration’s actions were “unacceptable and inhumane” and “not what we voted for.”

“I may have voted for Trump, but I can’t stay silent about what’s happening with ICE in LA,” Ryan Garcia, a former interim lightweight boxing champion who endorsed Trump last year, wrote on X. “We can have borders without losing our humanity.”

Presidents of both parties have historically hesitated to pursue large-scale immigration enforcement in the country’s interior precisely because it tends to be politically unpopular. Trump’s push for deportations far from the border has begun to trigger a backlash in public opinion, with polls showing his approval rating on immigration and deportations—formerly one of his strongest issues—has now turned negative.

Quinnipiac poll earlier this month found that just 43% approved of Trump’s performance on immigration while 54% disapproved. On deportations, 40% approved while 56% disapproved. In the polling average maintained by the analyst Nate Silver, Trump’s immigration policies were popular on a net basis until earlier this month—but are now more unpopular than popular by a 3-point margin. 

https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-is-losing-political-ground-on-immigration-20de43bc

Also here:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-is-losing-political-ground-on-immigration/ar-AA1H5df5

Washington Examiner: ICE sweeping up ‘essential workers’ as raids spread nationwide

Illegal immigrant workers in the agriculture and hospitality industries continue to be targeted for arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement following President Donald Trump’s recent decision not to exempt them from his deportation operation.

On Monday, 84 workers who lack legal immigration status were arrested at a southwest Louisiana racetrack, the agency announced Wednesday.

Fourteen farmworkers who work for Lynn-Ette & Sons in upstate New York’s Orleans County were taken into custody by federal immigration authorities last Friday as the White House mulled over whether to target working immigrants or focus on criminals.

The United Farm Workers union told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday that it has recently identified workers in Georgia, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington who were arrested or deported, going beyond the known arrests in California, New Mexico, and Nebraska reported last week.

Rebecca Shi, CEO for the American Business Immigration Coalition, said ICE raids are being reported “across red, blue, and purple states alike.”

“We’ve heard growing concern from our members across multiple sectors,” Shi said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “What we’re seeing is a pattern of sudden, chaotic raids that don’t appear to be narrowly focused on dangerous individuals. Instead, they’re sweeping up essential workers who are doing critical jobs and contributing to their communities.”

Newsweek: Support for ICE flips

Public opinion on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has undergone a dramatic shift, as new polling has revealed a reversal in support for the agency.

The polling comes after President Donald Trump sent 4,000 National Guardsmen and 700 Marines to Los Angeles in response to reported violence against law enforcement, specifically ICE agents carrying out deportation raids in the city amid protests of White House immigration policies.

Trump faced criticism over the decision to send in troops, as nationwide protests taking place over the weekend were attended by an estimated 4 to 6 million people, and polls show that public opinion about ICE may be shifting.

According to the latest YouGov/Economist poll, conducted between June 13 and June 16 among 1,512 adults, ICE’s net favorability rating currently stands at a net -5 points, with 42 percent holding a favorable opinion, and 47 percent holding an unfavorable opinion.

That is down from a week ago, when a survey by the same pollsters put ICE’s net favorability at +2 points, with 45 percent holding a favorable opinion, and 43 percent holding an unfavorable opinion.

Both polls had a margin of error of between plus or minus 3.3 and 3.5 percentage points.

https://www.newsweek.com/ice-donald-trump-approval-rating-polls-immigration-2087184

Associated Press: California senators demand Trump immigration officials stop using Medicaid data

California’s two U.S. senators demanded on Wednesday that the Trump administration stop using personal data of millions of Medicaid enrollees — including their immigration status — as part of its sweeping deportation campaign.

In a letter to top administration officials, Democratic Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla expressed alarm over an Associated Press report last week that detailed how deportation officials had obtained the sensitive data over the objections of career health officials. They wrote that health officials needed to stop sharing the information and that the Department of Homeland Security should “destroy any and all such data” it had obtained.

The AP reported that CMS transferred the data last week to DHS officials. Internal CMS records obtained by the AP showed the Medicaid agency fought the request, arguing that sharing the data would violate rules and federal law. Trump appointees overruled them, giving CMS a 54-minute deadline to share the information with DHS, according to emails obtained by AP.

“We are deeply troubled that this administration intends to use individuals’ private health information for the unrelated purpose of possible enforcement actions targeting lawful noncitizens and mixed status families,” the senators wrote.

https://apnews.com/article/immigration-medicaid-trump-deportation-padilla-schiff-california-a7a701026de1f954cfbdf545a7d91cb8

Raw Story: ‘Show me your badge!’ NYC mayoral candidate arrested by ICE

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander (D), who’s running to be the city’s next mayor, was arrested by ICE agents at an immigration court in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday.

Politico’s Jeff Coltin posted the arrest video to X, writing, “Mayoral candidate Brad Lander was cuffed and detained by ICE agents after asking to see a warrant for people who were detained after an immigration hearing.

amNewYork reported, “The city’s elected financial watchdog, and a Democratic candidate for mayor, appeared at 26 Federal Plaza on the morning of June 17 to observe immigration hearings involving individuals marked for potential deportation. Lander’s arrest, which amNewYork observed, occurred as the comptroller and his staff walked arm-in-arm with an immigrant whom federal agents — representing ICE, the FBI and the Treasury Department, each of whom wearing masks to conceal their faces — moved to seize after a court hearing. Moments earlier, the immigrant had their case dismissed pending appeal.”

The news outlet reported, as ICE agents moved in to arrest him, Lander yelled: “Show me you warrant! Show me your badge!”

https://www.rawstory.com/ice-arrests-ny

Raw Story: Trump rebuked as judge bars re-arrest of another student activist

A federal judge has once again handed President Donald Trump a loss in the administration’s efforts to deport international student activist Mohammed Hoque.

According to Politico legal affairs reporter Josh Gerstein, Judge Jerry Blackwell of the District of Minnesota granted Hoque’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus, preventing him from being re-detained.

Hoque, a Bangladeshi national studying at Minnesota State University-Mankato involved in pro-Palestine activism, was arrested earlier this year, allegedly over the revocation of his visa. Authorities reportedly followed him home from class and arrested him in front of his family.

Blackwell ordered his release last month after the federal government failed to prove it had a political reason for locking him up and terminating his Student and Exchange Visitor Program, or SEVIS, status.

In issuing the habeas grant, Blackwell further slammed the Trump administration for targeting Hoque over First Amendment-protected political activity.

“The record separately establishes that Petitioner’s SEVIS termination violates DHS policies. The first is a policy against targeting protected speech,” wrote Blackwell. “The second is a policy that visa revocation does not justify SEVIS termination … Not only does agency policy preclude the practice, it contravenes federal law.”

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-deportation-2672387306

Raw Story: Pete Hegseth deploys troops to several states for ICE support

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered 700 military personnel to be deployed to Florida, Louisiana, and Texas for deportation operations.

In a statement on Tuesday, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the troops would support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“These service members, drawn from all components and operating in a Title 10 duty status, will provide logistical support, and conduct administrative and clerical functions associated with the processing of illegal aliens at ICE detention facilities,” Parnell said. “They will not directly participate in law enforcement activities.”

https://www.rawstory.com/hegseth-troops

Newsweek: ICE deports Army sergeant’s wife—”They’re taking Shirly”

The wife of a U.S. Army sergeant was detained in March by federal immigration agents outside her workplace in Texas before being deported to Honduras last month.

This case, first highlighted by the nonprofit military news outlet The War Horse, highlights the impact of immigration enforcement on U.S. military families, which lack guaranteed protection from detention or deportation. According to the advocacy group Fwd.us, as many as 80,000 undocumented spouses or parents of military personnel may currently reside in the United States.

Military Parole in Place is a discretionary program that allows undocumented spouses, parents, or children of U.S. military members—including active-duty, Selected Reserve, or honorably discharged veterans—to remain in the country temporarily and avoid deportation. It also provides a lawful entry record (“parole”) that can help eligible individuals apply for a green card without leaving the U.S.

Guardado entered the U.S. without authorization in 2014 at age 16. She was apprehended at the border and issued an expedited removal order. After later marrying Correa, she sought legal residency through a process available to immediate relatives of active-duty service members.

According to Mother Jones and FOX 26 Houston, Correa’s petition was approved in 2023 by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), but the existing removal order complicated the case.

On March 13, 2025, Guardado was asked to step outside her office by individuals identifying themselves as Department of Public Safety officers. She was instead detained by ICE and transported to a detention facility in Conroe, Texas. Correa was not immediately notified and only learned her location after three days, when Guardado contacted him from detention.

https://www.newsweek.com/ice-deports-army-sergeant-wife-shirly-guardado-2086564

Guardian: Trump orders Ice raids on farms and hotels after pausing them days earlier

Reversal comes days after president posted on Truth Social his ‘very aggressive’ raids were hurting farmers and hotels

Donald Trump has abandoned his brief immigration and customs enforcement (Ice) reprieve for farm and hotel workers, ordering the agency’s raids in those sectors to resume after hardliners crushed a pause that lasted just four days.

The whiplash reversal, first reported by the Washington Post, exposes the dysfunction gripping the president’s deportation agenda, where competing advisers battle over policy while Trump lurches between contradictory positions.

The flip-flop also follows Trump’s erratic pattern on major policies – from threatening then retreating on mass global tariffs to wavering on federal spending cuts – as different factions fight for his ear.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/17/ice-raids-farms-hotels-trump

Wall Street Journal: Trump’s Deportation Raids in L.A. Hit Longtime Workforce

He is one of the millions of immigrants who make up greater Los Angeles’s Hispanic community, one of the nation’s largest and oldest. Some crossed the border illegally, overstayed visas or were brought here illegally as children and are stuck in legal limbo. They assumed President Trump wouldn’t target them for deportation and that he would instead focus on criminals and more recent arrivals.

The raids that unfolded here this past week, triggering protests and Trump’s deployment of National Guard and active duty troops, shattered that belief and altered life for a community that underpins the economy of the nation’s second-largest metropolis.

Experts estimate the number of immigrants who entered illegally or are living illegally in Los Angeles County at close to one million people, or roughly 10% of the population.

So if King Donald and his Nazi Stephen Miller have their way, one out of every ten L.A. residents will be disappeared.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/trump-s-deportation-raids-in-l-a-hit-longtime-workforce/ar-AA1GIsGf