President of the United States, Donald Trump, has ordered federal immigration officers to ramp up arrests and deportations in what he described as the “largest mass deportation programme in history.”
Trump, in a post shared Monday on his Truth Social platform, directed the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other agencies to intensify efforts, particularly in Democrat-led cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York.
The latest directive has triggered widespread protests across several U.S. cities, as critics accuse the president of targeting immigrant communities and stoking fear among undocumented residents.
Tensions escalated further when Trump deployed National Guard troops and marines to Los Angeles, a move that has drawn strong criticism from California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat and a potential 2028 presidential candidate.
Mass deportation was one of Trump’s major campaign promises. Since assuming office, his administration has routinely carried out high-profile immigration raids, issuing press statements and photos to highlight the clampdown.
There are currently an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States, many of whom work in critical sectors such as agriculture, construction, and hospitality.
However, in a surprising shift, the president appeared to soften his stance last Thursday by suggesting that workers in the agriculture and hotel sectors may be exempted from the crackdown.
“Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace,” Trump wrote.
According to The New York Times, the adjustment followed a call from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who alerted the president to growing concern among farm owners over labour shortages.
Despite the backlash, Trump has insisted his administration will continue full-scale enforcement of immigration laws, while weighing possible exceptions for industries deemed vital to the U.S. economy.
