Since early 2025, the United States has witnessed a dramatic escalation in immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, with a series of policies and operations that have sent shockwaves through communities and ignited fierce debate across the political spectrum. What began as a partnership between federal agencies has evolved into a sprawling, hyper-militarized campaign that has touched nearly every corner of the country—and left many questioning the boundaries of law enforcement, civil liberties, and American values.
According to The New York Times and People magazine, a pivotal shift occurred in March 2025 when the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began supplying Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with the names of every air passenger, multiple times a week. This initiative, described by a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson as "nothing new," effectively reversed a Biden-era policy that had allowed undocumented immigrants to fly domestically without identification. The spokesperson stated, "Back in February, Secretary Noem reversed the horrendous Biden-era policy that allowed aliens in our country illegally to jet around our country and do so without identification. Under President Trump, TSA and DHS will no longer tolerate this."
This partnership has enabled ICE to cross-reference TSA-provided lists with its own databases, identifying individuals subject to deportation and detention. The impact has been swift and, for some, devastating. In November 2025, 19-year-old college student Any Lucía López Belloza was arrested at Boston’s Logan Airport and deported to Honduras. Her family, unaware she was subject to deportation, was left stunned. Weeks earlier, Marta Brizeyda Renderos Leiva, a woman from El Salvador, was similarly arrested at Salt Lake City airport. Both arrests were flagged by the Pacific Enforcement Response Center in California, which tips off ICE across the nation.
Critics argue this level of interagency cooperation marks a new era in immigration enforcement. Before this policy, TSA typically did not involve itself in immigration or domestic criminal cases. Now, with the machinery of federal law enforcement working in concert, the reach of ICE has expanded dramatically. The data-sharing efforts didn’t stop at airports; in April 2025, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agreed to provide tax data on undocumented immigrants to DHS, though a federal court blocked the proposal in November, as reported by CNN.
But the most visible—and controversial—manifestation of these policies has been the mass deportation operations carried out in cities across the country. The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security has documented what it describes as "hyper-militarized mass deportation operations" in October 2025, particularly in Chicago and Portland. According to their analysis, federal agents from ICE and other agencies have employed violent tactics: tackling individuals, using chokeholds, deploying pepper spray and tear gas, and often operating masked and unidentifiable in unmarked vehicles. In some cases, license plates on vehicles were swapped daily—an illegal practice in itself.
Operations have reportedly been conducted without warrants and, alarmingly, near schools, raising concerns among parents, educators, and local officials. The Broadview ICE processing center in Chicago became a flashpoint for sustained protests. Protestors attempted to block vehicles from entering or exiting the facility, and in response to the unrest, President Trump threatened to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson responded by signing an executive order that banned federal immigration officers from using any city-owned property for their operations. Meanwhile, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced the establishment of a commission to document "countless acts of harassment and intimidation and brutality and abuse of power" during these operations.
One particularly harrowing incident occurred on September 30, 2025, when federal agents—accompanied by a Black Hawk helicopter and military vehicles—raided an apartment complex in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood. Agents, masked and with weapons drawn, detained all residents, separating parents and children, and took 37 undocumented people from Venezuela, Mexico, Nigeria, and Colombia. Four children were also taken into custody. Similar scenes played out throughout October, with ICE raiding homeless shelters, workplaces, and even interrupting a children’s Halloween parade with tear gas.
Portland, Oregon, saw parallel tactics, with federal agents detaining individuals outside schools and workplaces, often without warrants or identification. The threat of deploying 200 members of the Oregon National Guard loomed, though a federal judge temporarily blocked such a move. According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, mass deportation operations ramped up in immigrant communities, with attorneys expressing concern that detainees were being transported out of state before they could contact legal counsel.
These operations have not been limited to noncitizens. Reports indicate that U.S. citizens have also been detained, sometimes violently, for "interfering" with federal operations. In one case, two city employees in Chicago were arrested during a raid, only to be released after protests and public outcry. The Lemkin Institute and other organizations have raised alarms about the lack of transparency, the use of excessive force, and the apparent disregard for due process.
The political fallout has been intense. In March 2025, the Trump administration deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia—a Maryland resident with legal protections and no criminal convictions—to a prison camp in El Salvador. The deportation, as reported by Strength In Numbers, was deeply unpopular with American voters. Democratic lawmakers split on how to respond: some, like Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, argued for highlighting the excesses of Trump’s policies, while others, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, cautioned against "raising the salience" of immigration. However, data showed that publicizing Abrego Garcia’s deportation significantly hurt Trump’s approval ratings on immigration, suggesting that transparency and advocacy can shift public opinion.
After months of public pressure, the Justice Department returned Abrego Garcia to the U.S., and a judge ordered his release from federal custody, barring further detention without lawful orders. But the episode underscored the sharp divisions within both parties over how best to address immigration—and the real human costs of current enforcement strategies.
As the year draws to a close, questions abound. How far can federal agencies go in the name of public safety? What safeguards exist for citizens and noncitizens alike? And, perhaps most urgently, what does it mean for the fabric of American society when military-style operations become the norm in cities from Chicago to Portland? For now, the answers remain as contested as the policies themselves, with communities, lawmakers, and advocacy groups locked in a struggle over the nation’s immigration future.
