The new president is now in office ready to follow through with his plan on mass deportation of immigrants that have criminal records. Many immigrants are getting ready to face this issue although they have no criminal record because ICE agents are going to be in the streets stopping them and asking for documentation.
ICE, which stands for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is a federal agency that enforces immigration laws and investigates cross-border crime. They are part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). ICE’s mission is to protect the United States through criminal investigations and immigration law enforcement. According to their website, they have more than 20,000 law enforcement and support personnel in more than 400 offices in the United States.
At the end of January, 2025, my Tio, who is in Bakersfield, California, was stopped by normal looking people, but it was undercover agents, when he was heading home. They asked him so many questions. Even though he showed his ID and proof that he was a citizen, they still were just trying to escalate the situation because they didn’t believe him. Finally, they looked him up in their system, proving his point, so they let him go.
While my Tio stopped and answered all the questions, he didn’t know he also had his own rights as he could have pleaded the Fifth Amendment and exercised his constitutional rights to incriminate himself.
To prevent injustices, the Immigrant Resource Center is dedicated to immigration legal training, technical assistance, educational materials, and engages in advocacy and immigrant civic engagement to advance immigrant rights. They have created red cards for individuals to use when encountering ICE agents because it can be an alarming situation when you don’t know what to do. These cards remind you what rights you have and what to do.
The American Civil Liberties Union, an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920, made a YouTube video called “WE HAVE RIGHTS: When ICE Is Outside Our Doors (English)” which shows how a red card is used.
News stations in Spanish and English provide more information as well, like inviting immigration lawyers to answer the public’s questions they might have on such topics.
The effects on the economy
Deportations not only affect undocumented people but also restaurants, field owners, and construction businesses that are losing many of their workers. A lot of immigrants are scared to go to work so they wait until everything gets calm. Like my Tia’s husband in Texas works in the agricultural fields and has seen how much it has affected them because he oversees if the workers are doing their job properly. He noticed that a lot of the workers no longer show up to work anymore like they used to. He is worried because there is a shortage of workers and there are no replacements.
The American Business Immigration Coalition states, “America currently faces a workforce shortage of 1.7 million people. We simply don’t have enough workers to fill the current job openings, and mass deportations could exacerbate this shortage and put further pressure on businesses.”
Hardships faced by immigrants
Now ICE can enter places where immigrants felt comfortable in. According to The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, “On January 21, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security announced a new policy allowing immigration officers and agents to carry out enforcement actions—including arrests and searches—of undocumented immigrants in sensitive locations including schools and churches.”
My aunt who lives in Homestead, has noticed that there haven’t been a lot of people in church when the priest is doing masses. She remembers the people would go there because it felt like a second home, but now it no longer is. 
