A year after ICE swept L.A., fewer raids but harsher rules squeeze immigrants nationwide
WASHINGTON — A year after the Trump administration kicked off its aggressive immigration enforcement tour with military-style raids across greater Los Angeles, federal officials have veered toward a less flashy but broader strategy: making immigrants’ lives harder so they will leave.The changes range in scale and scope, from disqualifying immigrants from certain jobs to indefinitely pausing the processing of visa applications.
They target those lawfully present as well as the undocumented.Since President Trump’s second term began, the administration has used executive orders and federal regulations to chip away at services or benefits, such as work permits and small business loans, that immigrants could obtain in the past.
Politics A government agency says that, under the plan, new work permit applications for asylum seekers ‘would be paused for an extended period, possibly many years.’Now, immigrants are finding that freedoms — the ones that once made the U.S.a desirable place to start over — are disappearing.
Many are retreating back into the shadows as they fear previously routine tasks, such as traveling across states, filing taxes and seeking medical care.“The priority is to force people to leave the country or not come, regardless of legal status or really any other criteria,” said David Bier, immigration studies director at the Libertarian think tank the Cato Institute.
“They’re taking a sledgehammer to the system.” Trump won the White House in part on his promise to clamp down on illegal immigration, but recent polling shows support for his agenda has waned, especially after immigration agents shot and killed two U.S.citizens in Minneapolis.In a statement, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said Trump’s highest priority has always been the deportation of immigrants with criminal records.
The Department of Homeland Security said Trump also prioritizes immigration that strengthens the country financially, socially and cul...