On June 15, president Donald Trump announced the launch of an extended deportation program, which he described as "the largest in United States history".
In a peculiar message published on fact Social, he announced that immigration services would be directed mainly against alleged asylum cities – specified as Los Angeles, fresh York or Chicago – which have been refusing full cooperation with national immigration agencies for years. According to the president, these cities are liable for the chaos, illegal immigration and threat to public security.
Importantly, all 3 cities belong to the Democratic Party's bastions. Los Angeles is 1 of the most reliable in blue states in the country, where Democratic candidates usually win over 70% of the vote. The town is headed by Karen Bass, a erstwhile congresswoman, activist and associate of the Democratic Party. In fresh York City, the situation is more complex: Mayor Eric Adams was elected as a Democrat, although in 2025 he campaigned independently for re-election. However, it is politically and ideologically associated with the centre current of the Democratic Party. Chicago, in turn, has continuously been under the regulation of Democrats for decades. The current mayor Brandon Johnson is simply a progressive left-wing politician, clearly declaring his support for inclusive policy and critical of ICE's hard work.
The Immigration and Customs Office (ICE) was ordered to radically increase the number of regular detentions – from about 800 to up to 3,000 a day. Deportees are to be primarily affected by persons residing in the United States illegally, regardless of their criminal history. This announcement sparked an avalanche of comments and exacerbated social tensions, especially in cities that had already experienced mass protests and clashes with order forces.
In Los Angeles, where demonstrations broke out in June against the presence of national troops and police brutality, many arrests took place. After the intervention of the National Guard, the situation calmed for a while, but the presence of troops in the urban space met with criticism of both local authorities and human rights organizations. However, president Trump does not retreat from his strategy. He stresses that the "real Americans" are demanding order and protection from the dangers posed by uncontrolled immigration, in his opinion.
Although the speech of presidential rhetoric is firm, the administration's actions show any signs of pragmatism. ICE has received guidelines to avoid raids on farms, restaurants and hotels unless there is any suspicion of criminal presence. This caution was forced by force from the economical industries heavy dependent on immigrant labour. Employers' organisations warned that mass deportations could lead to staff shortages, drop in production and price increases.
Trump's administration besides proposed an alternate "voluntary return" programme, whereby immigrants without legal position could receive $1,000 and a return ticket to their country in exchange for approval to leave without legal proceedings. The program is to be managed digitally by the CBP Home application and, according to the White home calculations, can reduce the deportation costs by up to 70%.
In consequence to the scale of the planned action, the government prepared a budget proposal of $168 billion. This appropriation is intended to cover the improvement of deportation infrastructure, the hiring of additional ICE and CBP officers, the capacity increase of detention centres and deportation logistics, including air and land transport.
The project, unofficially called "Big Beautiful Bill", provides for the employment of 10,000 fresh ICE agents, 5,000 customs officers and 3,000 border guards. The plan besides involves expanding the capacity of detention to 100,000 seats and investing in fresh surveillance technologies and identifying illegal residents.
All these activities have legal basis in Implementing Regulation No 14159, signed by Trump just after taking office in early 2025. The Regulation extends the powers of the ICE for fast deportation, restricts access to national funds for cities not cooperating with the national government and accelerates administrative processes for the removal of immigrants.
Asylum cities, which have refused to transmit data to national services for years, have been at the centre of political conflict. San Francisco, fresh York and Los Angeles authorities announced lawsuits against the national government, accusing him of overriding his powers and violating the constitutional rights of residents.
According to ICE data, more than 207 000 deportation decisions were issued by the end of April 2025, an increase of 25% compared to the erstwhile year. Since January, more than 142,000 people have been deported and 158,000 have been detained, including hundreds of criminal gang members specified as Venezuelan "Tren de Aragua".
At the same time, reports from detention centres indicate deteriorating surviving conditions. In the first 100 days of Trump's presidency, 7 deaths were recorded in ICE detentions and 9 by mid-May. Organisations monitoring the situation of immigrants study overflow, deficiency of primary medical care, dirt and limited access to water and food.
Critics point out that the expansion of the deportation apparatus takes place without appropriate supervision. There are no control mechanisms, procedures are accelerated at the expense of the detainees, and the financing of the actions takes place without local public consultation.
Trump's supporters say that national safety requires decisive steps and that the state is required to enforce the law. In their view, the Liberal politician policy has led to a mass influx of illegal immigrants, which has damaged welfare, education and wellness systems.
The dispute around deportation besides becomes a political issue of global scope. During the G7 summit in Alberta, president Trump utilized the chance to present his tough migration policy as a model to follow. The United States, as he stated, "must regain control of their borders before they lose control of their future".
The coming months will show whether Trump's plan will gain real public and political support or become a catalyst for further protests. Much depends on the decisions of the national courts, the resilience of the economical sectors and the effectiveness of local governments in countering ICE's actions.
President Trump's deportation programme is 1 of the most ambitious and controversial efforts of his second term. Its effects will be felt not only for hundreds of thousands of immigrants, but besides for the full American society – the economy, the legal system, public services and interior national cohesion.
