The Larger Connections Between Trump’s Blizzard of Anti-Immigrant Announcements

Access online version of this press release HERE

Washington, DC — The sheer volume of immigration policy news is best viewed in the aggregate, taking into account the array of proposed and enacted policies and the larger through lines and implications. Below, America’s Voice highlights some of the key and related immigration developments from the week and the connective tissue between them.

Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice, reacting to the news:

“The Trump Administration’s anti-immigrant obsession comes at a high cost to all of us. Rather than viewing each executive action in isolation, we should take in totality: they are attempting to kick out and keep out as many immigrants as possible – whether here legally or not – and embark on a radical reshaping of America that tramples on both our interests and our values. It is particularly egregious that this administration is going yet again after children by preventing their access to legal representation. None of the actions taken are about public safety or our economic interests or even what’s best for the lives and futures of Trump voters, as their immigration agenda and plans for indiscriminate mass deportations will harm each of those measures. Instead, it’s part of a larger effort to remake the nation in MAGA’s preferred image.”

Among the many immigration developments this week:

• Revoking TPS for Haitians, making them deportable this summer. See the statement from Vanessa Cárdenas reacting to the “unconscionable” news here, including calling the news “the cruel policy complement to the way the Trump and Vance political campaign knowingly perpetuated dehumanizing and racist lies about Haitians in Springfield, Ohio.”

• Forcing children to navigate complexities of immigration system alone and without lawyers. This week, the Trump administration announced it would cease the funding of legal representation and screenings for unaccompanied children – a development that will force children to navigate the complexities of immigration law by themselves.

• Firing health inspectors at border stations … while asserting public health emergency as fig leaf justification for re-establishing Title 42. CNN reported this week that the Trump administration is “expected to issue a public health order as soon as this week labeling migrants at the US southern border as risks for spreading diseases.” That same day, the New York Times reported, “Trump Administration Has Fired Health Inspectors at Some Border Stations.” The disconnect and hypocrisy was a particularly stark reminder that the administration isn’t motivated by keeping the public safe as much as keeping out and kicking out immigrants as their top priority.

• Shifting DHS agents from drugs, weapons, and human trafficking toward deportations – a reminder the motivation isn’t public safety: See this USA Today story, “Thousands of DHS agents shift to deportation instead of drugs, weapons and human trafficking,” and the accompanying AV assessment here.

• Ending or readying the end of legal programs that offer a safe and lawful pathway to Ukrainians, Afghans, and others fleeing instability and violence. From the end of CHNV and Uniting for Ukraine programs to the impending end of resettlement for our Afghan allies, these developments are not only cruel, but will fuel chaos and pressures at the border instead of legal, safe, and lawful processes.