Trump's Immigration Crackdown to Intensify Next Year

Plans to Strengthen Workplace Raids Despite Political Backlash

Reuters reported on the 21st (local time) that the Donald Trump administration is preparing to implement even stronger immigration crackdowns, despite growing backlash ahead of next year's midterm elections.

President Trump previously deployed agents to major cities this year to conduct large-scale crackdowns on illegal immigration. However, workplaces with significant economic importance, such as farms and factories, were generally excluded from these operations even if there were suspicions of employing undocumented immigrants.

Last November, citizens held protests in North Carolina, USA, opposing the expansion of illegal immigration crackdowns. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

The immigration crackdown is expected to intensify further next year. In particular, Reuters projected that workplace raids will also be strengthened.

According to a massive budget bill passed by the US Congress last July, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol will receive an additional $170 billion in funding through 2029. This is a significant increase compared to their previous annual budget of about $19 billion. Trump administration officials stated that they plan to hire thousands of additional agents, open new detention facilities, detain more immigrants in local jails, and collaborate with external companies to track undocumented immigrants.

Despite growing political backlash ahead of next year's election, the Trump administration is ramping up efforts to deport undocumented immigrants. Reuters noted that support for President Trump's immigration policies reached 50% in March, but dropped to 41% by mid-December after crackdowns began in major cities, marking a significant decline.

Tom Homan, the US White House Border Czar, told Reuters that with the new budget, ICE will hire more agents and expand detention capacity, leading to a sharp increase in the number of arrests. He stated, "Next year, you will see the numbers skyrocket," and added, "These plans definitely include strengthened workplace enforcement."

Reuters predicted that as the Trump administration plans to focus on workplace enforcement next year, the number of arrests of undocumented immigrants could rise further, which may impact the US economy and Republican-leaning business owners. The arrest of immigrants could lead to higher labor costs and become an obstacle to the Trump administration's inflation control policies, which are expected to be a major issue in next year's election.

If the Trump administration expands its crackdowns to workplaces, employers are expected to push back significantly. Sarah Pierce, Director of Social Policy at the centrist-left group Third Way, predicted that while American companies have been reluctant to publicly oppose the Trump administration's immigration crackdowns over the past year, they may raise their voices if enforcement shifts its focus to employers.