Beyond President Trump’s initial pledge to remove criminal migrants, detentions and deportations have expanded to affect legal residents, visa holders, and tourists.

In a media briefing on March 28, hosted by American Community Media, a panel of experts discussed the deportation onslaught and who is safe from this dragnet. 

With humanitarian protections such as parole and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) being revoked, green cards rescinded over political views, federal agencies like the IRS pressured to disclose immigrant applicants, and social media activity scrutinized in naturalization cases, it is evident that undocumented immigrants are not the only ones at risk.

Speakers

  • Zenobia Lai, Executive Director at Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative
  • David Leopold, American Immigration Lawyers Association Past President, Partner at UB Greensfelder LLP in Cleveland, OH
  • Todd Schulte, President of FWD.us
  • Martin Kim, Director of Immigration Advocacy at AAJC in DC

The administration has aggressively pursued immigration-related policies, issuing at least seven executive orders on the matter among 26 on its first day. It has not only intensified border security through the mass deputization of military, federal, state, and local law enforcement by declaring immigration a national emergency, but it is also utilizing historical legal precedents to expedite removals.

“They’re using antiquated war power to pick people out,” said Zenobia Lai, referring to the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. In mid-March, Trump invoked this rarely used law for the first time since World War II, enabling the deportation of migrants to countries other than their own, including El Salvador and Panama. While the policy was officially aimed at the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, no evidence has been provided regarding the identities of those deported or their alleged criminal affiliations.

As of March 31, the administration claimed to have deported 17 additional “violent criminals” from the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gangs, including individuals accused of murder and rape, to El Salvador’s maximum-security prison. This aligns with a February agreement between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, which mandates the incarceration of deported U.S. criminals regardless of nationality—a deal Rubio has called “the most unprecedented, extraordinary migratory agreement anywhere in the world.”

Other controversial measures include an executive order rescinding birthright citizenship, which is now before the Supreme Court; the elimination of the Biden-era “sensitive locations policy” that protected public spaces like churches, schools, hospitals, and funerals from immigration enforcement; and an order mandating data-sharing between states and federal agencies, including the IRS, alongside widespread federal layoffs and budget reductions.

“They have not been just going after criminals, like the administration said,” Lai continued. “Immigrants are being used to test the rule of law. U.S. residents are being snatched off the street, and green cards revoked without due process.”

In recent weeks, at least nine visa holders, including graduate students, have been detained by ICE—many accused of being “pro-Hamas.” Among the most high-profile cases are Tufts University graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk and Columbia University’s Mahmoud Khalil.

“We as a country, ask people to come in, and we are now stripping that status away,” said Todd Schulte. “In the next couple of years, we can be a country that not only keeps people in these statuses, but builds towards a permanent status, and if that’s not going to happen, we shouldn’t be throwing people into chaos.”

The Trump administration has also revoked work permits and deportation protections for 532,000 Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan individuals under the Biden-era CHNV parole sponsorship, effective late April—just 25 days after March 30. However, on March 31, a San Francisco District Judge blocked the deportation of approximately 348,000 Venezuelans covered under TPS.

“Parole authority has gone back seven decades. It’s been used by every president of every party, and it’s been a tremendous success,” Schulte argued, citing examples such as the 76,000 Afghan refugees who fled the Taliban in 2021 and over 280,000 Ukrainians escaping the war with Russia since 2022.

“People seeking refuge is not an invasion,” he emphasized. “Last November, the public was unhappy with what they saw as a chaotic border. Let’s build a secure pathway to citizenship … because if you create a situation where immigrants don’t have access to education, housing or basic health care, the chaos is a force multiplier for everyone.”

“If the administration is willing to violate principles of due process, when it comes to immigrants, there is no reason. There’s no reason to think that anybody is going to be exempt from that … including citizens and permanent residents,” warned Martin Kim. 

He further highlighted the impact of the administration’s January 27 decision to cut over $3 trillion in federal grants and loans, leaving community organizations struggling to maintain essential services like English education, citizenship workshops, and legal aid. “The weakening of rights for immigrant communities weakens rights for everyone.”

“The through line with all of this is a destruction of American due process,” said David Leopold.

“Immigrants are the tip of the spear, and what are being offended are core American values,” he cautioned. “Nobody wants dangerous gangs in the country, but people have a right to defend themselves. People have a right to be heard … This is something we have not ever seen, at least in my lifetime, and it’s a very, very dark moment in history.”

Reflecting on his own family’s history, Leopold added, “My grandfather, as a Jew, didn’t outsmart the Nazis to get the United States so that I could cower in fear. I have worked with people in totalitarian regimes, and the best protection is public honesty,”

He concluded with a quote from Rabbi Hillel: “‘If I am not for myself, who will be for me, and if I’m only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?’” He urged that this moment demands reflection and action, as future generations will ask what was done during this time of crisis.

 

All images provided by American Community Media