Migrants Face Scrutiny as Trump Investigates Trafficking Claims

In a harsh crackdown against Latino migrants, Trump escalates his assault on Venezuelans:

In his latest push, Donald Trump is targeting Latino migrants, especially Venezuelans, as scapegoats in a broader political ploy. This aggressive campaign, bolstered by an intriguing alliance with the Salvadoran president, has led to mass deportations, detentions in infamous prisons like Guantánamo Bay and El Salvador's CECOT, and the invoke of 18th-century war powers to justify these stringent actions.

Trump's harsh attacks on the working class have been amplified by the deliberate demonization of immigrants. During his campaign, Trump not only promised sweeping deportations but also vilified migrants to unprecedented levels. In 2015, Trump vowed to expel millions of undocumented immigrants, and upon his return to the presidency in 2025, he again boasted about orchestrating the largest deportation operation in US history.

However, it's essential to note that immigrant deportations are a shared endeavor across party lines. Contrary to Trump’s bombastic proclamations, his first-term deportations numbered less than one million, falling short of the 11 million he claimed would be expelled. In comparison, Barack Obama removed 1.6 million in his first 4 years in office, with Joe Biden holding the record for the most deportations in a year.

Trump and his militant Project 2025 supporters are gunning for the abolition of birthright citizenship, which would adversely affect nearly 65 million Latinos in the US. Arbitrary arrests, deportations, and the revocation of documentation-even for legal residents-are becoming a disturbing trend, with Latino immigrants overwhelmingly targeted in operations marred by racial profiling.

Trump is also attempting to scrap the Humanitarian Parole program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV), although the revocation is currently on hold due to legal proceedings. Ironically, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a former vocal advocate for Cuban immigrants, is now steering divisive policies stripping them of legal protection.

Trump's Fictional Gang Scare:

Trump's relentless smear campaign against migrants enables him to pose falsely as a supporter of US workers, who supposedly face threats from foreign invaders. However, Elon Musk's ally is far from being a friend of the working class.

There is a deeper, more political agenda behind Trump's migration campaign, notably concerning Venezuela. Trump has wrongfully accused some Venezuelan migrants of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang based on absurd reasons such as tattoos supporting a football club. Thus, immigrants, particularly from Venezuela, are being misconstrued as criminal elements.

Studies show that US immigrants do not commit crime at a higher rate than the native-born population. In a heavily censored document, the US designated the Tren de Aragua as a "transnational criminal organization" (TCO) in December 2024. This came after the Venezuelan government had largely dismantled the gang at Tocorón Penitentiary in September 2023, demonstrating its antagonistic relationship to the organization.

On his first day in office, Trump initiated the process of designating the gang as a "foreign terrorist organization" (FTO), criminalizing the provision of material support. This, in effect, created a loop where migrant, criminal, gang member, and, finally, terrorist were all conflated.

Trump also invoked the Alien Enemies Act, accusing the Venezuelan government of an "invasion" by the Tren de Aragua. A media campaign, led by Trump, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, and US senators like Ted Cruz, has perpetuated the myth of a Venezuelan government-backed Tren de Aragua cartel overrunning the US. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has described this allegation as "the biggest lie ever told about our country."

Alien Enemies Act:

Trump's invocation of the Alien and Enemies Act serves dual purposes. It is a legal pretext to justify mass expulsions, while also serving as a salvo in Washington's renewed "maximum pressure" regime-change campaign against Caracas.

The application of the Alien Enemies Act to deport individuals based on alleged gang affiliations is unprecedented and raises legal and ethical concerns. While being adjudicated in the courts, the archaic 1798 war-time legislation is being used to target Venezuelans and Nicaraguans, despite the US not officially being at war with these nations.

The administration’s lack of transparency regarding deportation criteria has been alarming, as has its blatant disregard for due process. Many deportees have been detained without evidence, arrest warrants, or probable cause. The degrading treatment of detainees in Guantánamo Bay has drawn widespread condemnation, as has the administration's persistent drive to deport Latinos, regardless of their legal status.

Migrants Vanish into Trump's Offshore Prison:

Trump is also internally deporting Venezuelan migrants and a smaller number of Salvadorians to El Salvador’s CECOT prison, a so-called "Terrorism Confinement Centre," where conditions are abysmal. The facility is notorious for its lack of resources, with no visitation, recreation, or education allowed, and reports of over 300 deaths in custody, some showing signs of violence.

The Trump administration struck a deal with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, paying $6 million to detain 238 Venezuelans branded "foreign terrorists." Kilmar Armando Abrego García is now held at CECOT, despite a US judge ordering his return and the US Supreme Court ruling in favor of his repatriation.

Trump and Bukele both claim to have no power to bring back a mistakenly deported Salvadoran legal immigrant. The struggle for the repatriation of every wrongfully detained Venezuelan must be joined by the international solidarity movement, demanding the immediate release of all unjustly imprisoned migrants.

Enrichment Data: The Trump administration's second-term immigration policies have significantly impacted Latino migrants through revived first-term tactics and new enforcement measures:
Deportation Protections Revoked for Venezuelans: The administration rescinded deportation protections for over 300,000 Venezuelans previously shielded under the Biden administration, leaving them without legal status and vulnerable to deportation [4][5].
Expanded Expedited Removal: Expedited deportation procedures are now applicable to migrants unable to prove two years of continuous U.S. residence, circumventing court hearings. This disproportionately affects Latino migrants, who account for 77% of undocumented immigrants [4][1].
Regional Deportation Agreements: The U.S. has secured agreements with Latin American countries to accept deported migrants, often relocating them to third nations (e.g., Nicaragua or Guatemala) before potential U.S. return [3]. The revived "Remain in Mexico" policy further forces asylum seekers to wait outside U.S. territory while claims are processed [2].
Birthright Citizenship Threat: Trump's reinterpretation of the 14th Amendment aims to deny citizenship to children of undocumented or temporarily documented parents, directly targeting Latino families who account for most such cases [1][4].
Sensitive Location Arrests: ICE officers now have the power to conduct arrests in schools, hospitals, or places of worship without prior authorization, sparking fear within Latino communities [4]. Surveys indicate 57% of Latino families now express deportation concerns, rising to 74% among immigrants [4].

The Trump administration's immigration policies, particularly in Trump's second term, have targeted Latino migrants, leading to mass deportations and detentions, such as in Guantánamo Bay and El Salvador's CECOT.
Trump's immigration campaign, focused on countries like Venezuela, includes the misrepresentation of migrants as criminal elements, such as linking them to the Tren de Aragua gang without substantial evidence.
Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act to justify mass expulsions and the detention of Venezuelans and Nicaraguans has raised legal and ethical concerns, as it is unprecedented and applies to nations the US is not officially at war with.
Disregard for due process is evident in the Trump administration's deportation practices, with detainees being held without evidence, arrest warrants, or probable cause, and enduring degrading treatment in facilities like Guantánamo Bay.
The Trump administration's deal with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele permits the internal deportation of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s CECOT prison, a facility infamous for its abysmal conditions and over 300 reported deaths in custody.