WICHITA — The United States has always been a nation shaped by waves of immigrants, but in 2025, the landscape for newcomers and long-settled families alike is shifting in ways that have left many feeling anxious, uncertain, and—above all—afraid. The Trump administration’s renewed crackdown on immigration, marked by aggressive enforcement tactics, sweeping policy changes, and a shake-up of federal agencies, is reverberating from the streets of Kansas to the financial systems of countries thousands of miles away.
At a recent gathering of Kansas Democrats in Wichita, Yeni Silva-Renteria, cofounder of the Kansas Immigration Coalition and executive director of the International Rescue Committee in Wichita, painted a stark picture of the current climate. “It’s very, very difficult to just see how separation is happening, the cruelty that is happening,” Silva-Renteria said, according to the Kansas Reflector. “There’s just this fear that is happening across the board. The fear that we’re facing … it’s not only for the undocumented population.”
Silva-Renteria’s personal story is emblematic of the American immigrant experience: she crossed the border from Mexico with her mother at age 10, later earned permanent resident status, and eventually became a U.S. citizen. Yet, she confided, even after more than 20 years as a naturalized citizen, she feels a new sense of vulnerability. “I think what I’m doing right now, it can be seen as me fighting against the government,” she said. “It is a fear, even for someone like me who has been a naturalized citizen for more than 20 years. Before, it was never a question. I could share my story all over the place and I could feel safe. But now, I don’t.”
This anxiety isn’t limited to those without legal status. Holders of green cards and even citizenship papers report a growing sense of unease, a sentiment echoed by Sarah Balderas, an immigration attorney, Washburn University professor, and cofounder of the Kansas Immigration Coalition. Balderas highlighted how widespread misconceptions and a lack of public education about immigration law have created an environment ripe for misunderstanding and, at times, vigilantism. “You see someone who is from another country speaking a different language, you can’t automatically assume they don’t have status,” Balderas warned. She noted that many Americans don’t realize the complexity of immigration status and the hurdles that prevent millions from ever qualifying for permanent residency or citizenship. “There are so many misconceptions about immigration, and it’s simply because of a lack of education. Nobody talks about this stuff. We just hear what we hear in the news or we hear what we hear from friends, and it’s really complicated,” she said.
Amid this confusion, the Trump administration has doubled down on enforcement. According to NBC News, plans are underway to replace a significant number of regional leaders at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with officials from the Border Patrol, a move designed to intensify mass deportations. President Trump’s aides have praised Border Patrol’s aggressive tactics, which have included rappelling from Black Hawk helicopters into apartment buildings and conducting large-scale sweeps in cities like Chicago. “The mentality is CBP does what they’re told, and the administration thinks ICE isn’t getting the job done,” a Department of Homeland Security official told the outlet. “So CBP will do it.”
These changes could affect nearly half of ICE’s 25 field offices, with at least a dozen directors slated for reassignment, many to be replaced by Border Patrol officials. The shift marks a new phase in Trump’s deportation efforts, with Border Patrol’s more forceful approach drawing sharp backlash from protesters and prompting lawsuits—particularly after incidents in Chicago involving the use of tear gas and aggressive arrests. Greg Bovino, a Border Patrol sector chief, has become the public face of these efforts in Chicago and was recently ordered to appear before a federal judge regarding potential violations of a restraining order on the use of excessive force.
Frustration with ICE’s performance has been building in the White House for months. As reported by NBC News, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller set an ambitious target of 3,000 arrests per day, far above the 1,178 daily average reported in late September. When ICE leaders balked at the pressure, threats of removal followed. The administration’s impatience is evident: “The president’s entire team is working in lockstep to implement the President’s policy agenda, and the tremendous results from securing the border to deporting criminal illegal aliens speak for themselves,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson stated.
On the ground, the numbers are stark. U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, a Republican representing the Wichita area, lauded the administration’s results, noting that in fiscal year 2025, Border Patrol captured 238,000 illegal immigrants—a dramatic drop from the 2.2 million apprehended during Joe Biden’s presidency. In September alone, the Trump administration reported deporting 400,000 people and estimated that 1.6 million had left the country voluntarily.
The impact of these policies doesn’t stop at the border. According to NPR, the crackdown is disrupting the global remittance market—a lifeline for millions of families in developing nations. Economist Dean Yang of the University of Michigan argues that the administration’s anti-immigration actions may have an even greater negative effect on the world’s poor than cuts to foreign aid. Remittances sent by immigrants in the United States to their home countries totaled nearly $80 billion in 2022, far exceeding official U.S. foreign aid. For countries like Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala, these funds account for up to 27% of GDP. Yang warns that the current surge in remittances is likely temporary, and as deportations rise and immigration falls, these critical financial flows will drop precipitously—potentially destabilizing fragile economies and fueling further migration.
Back in Kansas, the stakes are deeply personal. Silva-Renteria works with immigrants from Mexico, India, Vietnam, China, the Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, and across Latin America. In Kansas alone, about 116,000 people have at least one immigrant parent, and 74,000 are eligible to vote. “Something very important, especially for those that are elected officials, pay attention to the number of immigrants that now have voting rights,” she urged.
As the Trump administration’s policies ripple outward, the consequences are being felt not only in border communities and urban centers but across the world’s poorest nations. The debate over immigration has become a crucible for broader questions about America’s identity, its responsibilities, and its future—both at home and abroad. For now, families in Kansas and beyond are left to navigate a landscape where legal status offers less certainty than ever, and where the fate of millions hangs in the balance.
