As President Trump’s ICE raids ramp up, here’s how immigration enforcement has changed
Among new President Donald Trump’s many immigration policies implemented since he took office on Jan. 20, his plan for mass deportations has rattled migrant communities in Colorado and beyond.
Large-scale raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement hadn’t happened in metro Denver yet, as of early Thursday, but many immigrants who lack legal status still fear they’ll be targeted in the coming days.
So far, through a series of executive orders, Trump has declared a national emergency on the southern border; has controversially put limitations — now frozen by a judge — on birthright citizenship, which is granted to babies born on American soil; and has directed ICE to step up detainments of undocumented immigrants, pending removal.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security also announced that ICE officers are now allowed to arrest migrants at “sensitive locations,” including schools and churches. And the Associated Press reported this week that ICE has more leeway during arrests of people on their radar for criminal activity to detain other immigrants they encounter.
Even in the early days of his second term, Trump is limiting the pathways for foreigners to enter the country legally.
Here’s what we know about the shifts in immigration enforcement that are playing out.
How are Trump’s plans affecting Coloradans?
Trump’s so-called “Operation Aurora” — part of his immigration enforcement plan — wasn’t executed locally as of Wednesday, though NBC News reported this week, based on information from unnamed sources, that an enforcement operation could occur in Aurora early Thursday morning. Later, NBC reported that “the Aurora operation was called off temporarily due to media leaks.”
However, in Adams County, a monthslong federal investigation resulted early Sunday in the detainment of 41 migrants without legal status — including associates tied to Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang. The action involved agents with ICE, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations.
Since Trump took office, ICE raids have escalated nationwide, particularly after his administration set daily arrest quotas, the Washington Post reported. While some have targeted large numbers, others publicized in recent days have appeared to be in line with past ICE operations.
Immigration approach under Biden
Under former President Joe Biden’s administration, foreigners typically entered the country through four avenues: by obtaining an immigrant visa, seeking a nonimmigrant visa, scheduling an appointment at a port of entry through U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s mobile app, CBP One, or by circumventing those formal channels.
The latter option meant the noncitizen either approached an immigration official for asylum or illegally crossed the border undetected.
A person who entered the country with an immigrant visa could generally apply for legal permanent residency, then citizenship. Someone who entered with a nonimmigrant visa could remain in the U.S. for the duration of their visa.
A person who entered with a CBP One appointment was permitted into the U.S. and given a court date, then was “almost always” granted non-detained immigration court proceedings, said Ashley Cuber, an Aurora immigration attorney. That process can span several hearings spread out over years. The end result was usually either receiving a removal order — deportation — or winning asylum, although that person could also marry an American citizen or obtain a visa during that time.
And a person who entered the U.S. without a CBP One appointment could face several outcomes, according to Cuber: They could be caught and released back to Mexico. They could be placed in the expedited removal process, in which officials can deport a migrant without legal status by bypassing normal proceedings. They could apply for asylum and be placed in either detained or non-detained immigration court proceedings.
They could also take a chance at living without legal status in the U.S. and avoiding detection.
Over the last three years, Cuber estimates, 90% of her clients at El Refugio Immigration Law entered without a CBP One appointment. Instead, they approached border agents to apply for asylum.
“That is supposed to be legal under international law,” Cuber said, “and it was legal for a long time in the U.S.”
How have things changed under Trump?
Trump curbed the options available to foreigners planning to enter the U.S. by making the CBP One app nonfunctional on Inauguration Day. All existing appointments were canceled at that time.
The change broadly leaves noncitizens with few options: securing a visa or taking a risk without the CBP One appointment. But tourist visas are largely difficult for Latin Americans to obtain, Cuber said.
“People’s really only option is to try to enter the United States and not approach CBP and remain under the radar,” Cuber said.
However, people who enter illegally are immediately prioritized for expedited removal under Trump.
“They do have a carve-out exception for humanitarian cases, but we expect that will be not granted very often,” Cuber says.
How have other countries reacted?
Trump has faced international pushback as he begins implementing his deportation plans, though he’s also secured some wins.
On Sunday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro initially declined to accept two American military planes transporting Colombian nationals deported from the U.S. Then, Trump countered by proposing potential tariffs and visa constraints, according to the AP. Petro threatened tariffs of his own, but he acceded to Trump’s demands and vowed to take in deported Colombians into the future.
Both Guatemala and Honduras permitted flights with deported migrants into their countries last Friday, the AP reported. Brazil also accepted a flight that day, although the nation’s Foreign Ministry was pressing to look into allegations of “degrading treatment” of the passengers, according to the Washington Post.
And Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has opposed several of Trump’s orders, has started to bend to them. Trump announced a return of the “Remain in Mexico” policy — a program that forces U.S. asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases are processed — and Sheinbaum recently said that her administration hadn’t reached an agreement with Trump to host asylum hopefuls who aren’t Mexican.
But according to an X post by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, “Mexico accepted a record 4 deportation flights in 1 day” last Thursday.
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