EL TIPO DE CAMBIO DE HOY ES DE: Acting shocked by President Trump’s hardline immigration policies, policies he promised throughout his campaign and enforced during both of his presidential administrations, is like pretending Congress just discovered dysfunction, or that water is wet. Many immigrant Latinos for some reason seemed to believe, “Immigration enforcement for everyone – except for me.”
But immigration enforcement is happening nationwide, and it’s not targeting any particular ethnicity or race. It’s simply our federal laws finally being applied the way they were written and intended – both toward immigrants with illegal presence in the country and those with existing visas, green cards, or any other legal status – especially as national-security risks and potential terrorist threats continue to rise. In other words, unless you are a U.S.-born citizen or have been naturalized, no matter what part of the world you originally came from, your immigration status is a privilege – not a permanent right.
What Changed — and Why Enforcement Feels Sudden
From 2021 through 2024 under President Joe Biden, the number of people in the United States illegally rose to a record 14 million, up from roughly 10 million in 2021, according to Pew Research Center estimates. More than 4.2 million had arrived within the last five years, double the pre-2020 pattern, overwhelming the system with rapid inflows of poorly vetted individuals. This created massive backlogs in asylum claims, humanitarian parole cases and immigration courts, forcing the release of millions into the interior before full background checks could be completed.
When Trump returned to office, the approach shifted overnight. By September 2025, DHS announced more than 2 million illegal aliens had already left the country, through removals or self-deportations, within Trump’s first 250 days. ICE detention surged to roughly 66,000 detainees, the highest level ever recorded, signaling that enforcement was back.
The administration then rolled out major policy shifts aimed at tightening border security and pushing foreign governments to do their part, ensuring that those arriving at U.S. borders are the most qualified – not future burdens on the system.
Since early 2025, ICE and USCIS have sharply increased arrests and removals. DHS reports that a significant share of recent enforcement actions involve noncitizens with criminal charges, prior convictions or public-safety flags. Meanwhile, immigration applications, including green cards, asylum petitions and work permits, from nineteen “countries of concern” have been paused, including Afghanistan, Somalia, Iran, Venezuela and Haiti. Officials say the pause reflects a stricter vetting standard in response to recent events, including the deadly shooting in Washington, D.C., carried out by an Afghan national admitted under Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome.
Beyond enforcement, the administration is reshaping legal immigration to prioritize higher standards, national security and economic value. This year, Trump instituted a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas – a major shift meant to push companies to hire more selectively and invest in American-trained talent first. The naturalization process has also grown tougher: a more difficult civics test has been reinstated, social-media vetting has expanded and immigration officers must now consider “positive attributes” such as stable employment, caregiving responsibilities and long-term community contribution. In short, earning U.S. citizenship now requires deeper ties, higher accountability and a measurable net benefit to the country.
For voters who supported Trump on border security but did not expect strict follow-through, this rapid enforcement feels abrupt. In reality, it is exactly what he promised.
Security Failures that Led to the Crackdown
After the chaotic Afghanistan evacuation in 2021, tens of thousands of evacuees entered under Operation Allies Welcome with incomplete screening. DHS later reported missing biographic data, inconsistent records and limited oversight; several evacuees were later arrested on serious or terrorism-related charges. Last week’s attack on two National Guardsmen by one of them became a national wake-up call – rushed vetting isn’t a simple bureaucratic error, it’s a national security threat.
Meanwhile, in Minnesota, federal prosecutors uncovered what is now considered one of the largest welfare-fraud operations in U.S. history: nearly $1 billion in pandemic food-aid funds siphoned off through shell nonprofits tied to actors within the Somali community. To make matters worse, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced an official investigation into allegations that taxpayer dollars from the state of Minnesota may have been diverted to Al-Shabab, an islamist militant group within Somalia with ties to Al-Qaeda.
The sheer magnitude of this scheme exposed enormous gaps in documentation, identity verification and compliance enforcement. The system wasn’t just sloppy, it was wide open.
The murder of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley by a Venezuelan national who had crossed illegally and been repeatedly released became another flashpoint, reinforcing for many Americans, including Latinos, how weak vetting can lead to catastrophic outcomes.
These examples illustrate why the administration insists its policies are not targeting Latinos or any specific community. Enforcement applies to immigrants from Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Caribbean who lack lawful status, have criminal records or pose elevated security risks. Trump is not inventing new laws; he is enforcing laws that prior administrations chose to ignore.
Accountability is Compassion
None of this erases compassion. Millions of immigrants, including countless Hispanics, contribute enormously to this country, follow the rules and build better lives for their families. Families escaping real violence deserve empathy and a fair process. But empathy does not mean turning a blind eye to national-security red flags or systemic fraud. It does not mean tolerating violent offenders who should have been removed years ago. And it certainly does not justify allowing individuals with decade-old deportation orders to stay indefinitely while millions of others wait patiently to immigrate legally.
For Hispanics feeling uneasy or confused about what this new enforcement climate means, the reality is simple: disappearing from the system is the worst thing you can do. Skipping check-ins or ignoring immigration notices will only make outcomes harsher. The smartest move is to consult a qualified immigration attorney who understands the current environment and can provide clear, realistic guidance on your case.
Why Some Latino Supporters Are Surprised — And Why They Shouldn’t Be
Many Latino voters supported Trump expecting stronger border enforcement, but quietly hoped it would not touch their own families or communities. They imagined “immigration reform” meant amnesty (like Ronald Reagan did). It didn’t. Trump’s message has always been the same: enforce the law, remove dangerous criminals, reduce illegal flows, and protect American citizens.
Trump is accomplishing the “America First” framework that prioritizes public safety, national security and restoring basic order to an overwhelmed immigration system – the same framework that millions of Americans, including Latinos, voted for.
This is not “cruelty”. This is not “racism”. This is not “xenophobia”. This is true sovereignty. If America expects to remain a functioning, safe and respected nation, immigration cannot be treated as a moral suggestion with exceptions to the norm. It must be enforced equally, consistently, and unapologetically.
A country that enforces its laws, secures its borders and vets entrants properly is a safer and more stable country for everyone, including immigrants who follow the rules. This reset is necessary. And ultimately, we will all be better off because of it.
No one should be surprised.
Acting shocked by President Trump’s hardline immigration policies, policies he promised throughout his campaign and enforced during both of his presidential administrations, is like pretending Congress just discovered dysfunction, or that water is wet. Many immigrant Latinos for some reason seemed to believe, “Immigration enforcement for everyone – except for me.”
But immigration enforcement is happening nationwide, and it’s not targeting any particular ethnicity or race. It’s simply our federal laws finally being applied the way they were written and intended – both toward immigrants with illegal presence in the country and those with existing visas, green cards, or any other legal status – especially as national-security risks and potential terrorist threats continue to rise. In other words, unless you are a U.S.-born citizen or have been naturalized, no matter what part of the world you originally came from, your immigration status is a privilege – not a permanent right.
What Changed — and Why Enforcement Feels Sudden
From 2021 through 2024 under President Joe Biden, the number of people in the United States illegally rose to a record 14 million, up from roughly 10 million in 2021, according to Pew Research Center estimates. More than 4.2 million had arrived within the last five years, double the pre-2020 pattern, overwhelming the system with rapid inflows of poorly vetted individuals. This created massive backlogs in asylum claims, humanitarian parole cases and immigration courts, forcing the release of millions into the interior before full background checks could be completed.
When Trump returned to office, the approach shifted overnight. By September 2025, DHS announced more than 2 million illegal aliens had already left the country, through removals or self-deportations, within Trump’s first 250 days. ICE detention surged to roughly 66,000 detainees, the highest level ever recorded, signaling that enforcement was back.
The administration then rolled out major policy shifts aimed at tightening border security and pushing foreign governments to do their part, ensuring that those arriving at U.S. borders are the most qualified – not future burdens on the system.
Since early 2025, ICE and USCIS have sharply increased arrests and removals. DHS reports that a significant share of recent enforcement actions involve noncitizens with criminal charges, prior convictions or public-safety flags. Meanwhile, immigration applications, including green cards, asylum petitions and work permits, from nineteen “countries of concern” have been paused, including Afghanistan, Somalia, Iran, Venezuela and Haiti. Officials say the pause reflects a stricter vetting standard in response to recent events, including the deadly shooting in Washington, D.C., carried out by an Afghan national admitted under Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome.
Beyond enforcement, the administration is reshaping legal immigration to prioritize higher standards, national security and economic value. This year, Trump instituted a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas – a major shift meant to push companies to hire more selectively and invest in American-trained talent first. The naturalization process has also grown tougher: a more difficult civics test has been reinstated, social-media vetting has expanded and immigration officers must now consider “positive attributes” such as stable employment, caregiving responsibilities and long-term community contribution. In short, earning U.S. citizenship now requires deeper ties, higher accountability and a measurable net benefit to the country.
For voters who supported Trump on border security but did not expect strict follow-through, this rapid enforcement feels abrupt. In reality, it is exactly what he promised.
Security Failures that Led to the Crackdown
After the chaotic Afghanistan evacuation in 2021, tens of thousands of evacuees entered under Operation Allies Welcome with incomplete screening. DHS later reported missing biographic data, inconsistent records and limited oversight; several evacuees were later arrested on serious or terrorism-related charges. Last week’s attack on two National Guardsmen by one of them became a national wake-up call – rushed vetting isn’t a simple bureaucratic error, it’s a national security threat.
Meanwhile, in Minnesota, federal prosecutors uncovered what is now considered one of the largest welfare-fraud operations in U.S. history: nearly $1 billion in pandemic food-aid funds siphoned off through shell nonprofits tied to actors within the Somali community. To make matters worse, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced an official investigation into allegations that taxpayer dollars from the state of Minnesota may have been diverted to Al-Shabab, an islamist militant group within Somalia with ties to Al-Qaeda.
The sheer magnitude of this scheme exposed enormous gaps in documentation, identity verification and compliance enforcement. The system wasn’t just sloppy, it was wide open.
The murder of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley by a Venezuelan national who had crossed illegally and been repeatedly released became another flashpoint, reinforcing for many Americans, including Latinos, how weak vetting can lead to catastrophic outcomes.
These examples illustrate why the administration insists its policies are not targeting Latinos or any specific community. Enforcement applies to immigrants from Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Caribbean who lack lawful status, have criminal records or pose elevated security risks. Trump is not inventing new laws; he is enforcing laws that prior administrations chose to ignore.
Accountability is Compassion
None of this erases compassion. Millions of immigrants, including countless Hispanics, contribute enormously to this country, follow the rules and build better lives for their families. Families escaping real violence deserve empathy and a fair process. But empathy does not mean turning a blind eye to national-security red flags or systemic fraud. It does not mean tolerating violent offenders who should have been removed years ago. And it certainly does not justify allowing individuals with decade-old deportation orders to stay indefinitely while millions of others wait patiently to immigrate legally.
For Hispanics feeling uneasy or confused about what this new enforcement climate means, the reality is simple: disappearing from the system is the worst thing you can do. Skipping check-ins or ignoring immigration notices will only make outcomes harsher. The smartest move is to consult a qualified immigration attorney who understands the current environment and can provide clear, realistic guidance on your case.
Why Some Latino Supporters Are Surprised — And Why They Shouldn’t Be
Many Latino voters supported Trump expecting stronger border enforcement, but quietly hoped it would not touch their own families or communities. They imagined “immigration reform” meant amnesty (like Ronald Reagan did). It didn’t. Trump’s message has always been the same: enforce the law, remove dangerous criminals, reduce illegal flows, and protect American citizens.
Trump is accomplishing the “America First” framework that prioritizes public safety, national security and restoring basic order to an overwhelmed immigration system – the same framework that millions of Americans, including Latinos, voted for.
This is not “cruelty”. This is not “racism”. This is not “xenophobia”. This is true sovereignty. If America expects to remain a functioning, safe and respected nation, immigration cannot be treated as a moral suggestion with exceptions to the norm. It must be enforced equally, consistently, and unapologetically.
A country that enforces its laws, secures its borders and vets entrants properly is a safer and more stable country for everyone, including immigrants who follow the rules. This reset is necessary. And ultimately, we will all be better off because of it.
No one should be surprised.
