Six months of 'shock and awe' on immigration enforcement

0:00I got three words for him. Shock and awe. Shock and awe. I love it. You're going to see us take this country back. Shock and awe. That is how Tom Homan kicked off the Trump administration's second-term approach to deportations. This was on Donald Trump Jr.'s podcast the week after President Trump recaptured the White House. And since then, the Trump administration's aggressive moves on immigration enforcement have been pretty heavy on spectacle. Like with the migrant detention facility in Florida that the White House is calling alligator Alcatraz. We have a lot of bodyguards and a lot of cops that are in the form of alligators.

0:39You don't have to pay them so much. But I wouldn't want to run through the Everglades for long. We'll keep people where they're supposed to be. Then there are the reality TV-style ride-alongs with federal agents out on raids. Here's Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem back in January. You're in New York City this morning. We are getting the dirt bags off these streets. Dr. Phil went out on one, too. The administration seems to be signaling not only that it's cracking down on immigration, but also that it's enjoying it. Back in February, the White House ex-account posted a video with the caption ASMR.

1:19But while most ASMR videos feature pleasant, soothing sounds, this one showed immigrants being shackled and loaded onto a plane.

1:34Consider this. President Trump campaigned for office promising the largest deportation operation in U.S. history. Six months into his second term, how has immigration enforcement changed? From NPR, I'm Elsa Chang.

1:59It's Consider This from NPR. It's not just spectacle. Six months into his second term, President Trump is dramatically changing the way the federal government enforces immigration laws. And Congress just passed$170 billion for immigration enforcement,$75 billion for ICE. It is the largest domestic enforcement funding in U.S. history, and it will power Trump's mass deportation campaign. Here for a closer look at the biggest immigration changes so far are NPR correspondents Jasmine Garst and Sergio Martinez Beltran. Hello to both of you. Hello. Hey, Elsa. Okay, so, Jazz, let's start with you. I know that you're joining us from Florida where you're reporting on the so-called Alligator Alcatraz, which is this new migrant detention center in the Everglades.

2:49Can you just tell us what you're seeing on the ground there? Yeah, Florida officials have said they really want to be leading the charge when it comes to Trump's immigration crackdown. And so you're seeing things like giving Highway Patrol the power to do immigration enforcement and also this detention facility, Alligator Alcatraz, which was constructed in a matter of days in the Everglades. Glades. Now, I was out there for a protest, and I got to tell you, it was some of the most extreme heat I have ever worked in. And detainees have been telling their families about deplorable conditions, saying there are leaks when it rains, bug infestation, people developing skin conditions, no air conditioning for hours on end.

3:34Now, among the protesters, there was a doctor, Dr. Armand Henderson, and he spoke to the crowd. As a medical professional, I am concerned. People in my profession are concerned. It is inhumane to force people to live in these conditions. Shut it down. I reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Florida state government. I've received no response on these allegations of poor conditions in there. Well, Sergio, if we could just widen the lens beyond Florida, what are we seeing nationally on detentions and deportations at this point? So in general, the average daily arrests of migrants is up dramatically from last year during the Biden administration.

4:20And that's in part because this administration has targeted everyone in the country illegally, not just hardened criminals. The White House says that the vast majority of the people currently in immigration detention are dangerous criminals. The administration officials always say these are the worst of the worst and use adjectives like murderers, rapists and gang members to describe the migrants in detention. But also the data published by the government on its own websites show that is not the case for most attorneys. According to the latest numbers posted by the Department of Homeland Security, there are more than 56 ,000 people in detention.

4:56About 70 percent of them have not been convicted of any crimes. And that figure includes people without any non-criminal convictions and individuals with pending criminal charges. Some 16 ,000 people, or about 28%, held in immigration detention are convicted criminals. But those convictions include traffic violations and property crimes. So it seems clear from the data ICE is targeting any and all immigrants they believe are in the country illegally, including some with protections from deportation. I talked to David Beyer. He's the director of immigration studies at the libertarian think tank Cato Institute.

5:32This is what he told me about those size numbers. If you look at the numbers of people who are arrested without a criminal conviction, you're already in a situation where it's six times what it was in 2017 under the first Trump administration. There has been a radical shift in ICE enforcement policy in the interior of the United States. Now, it's important to note that Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary of public affairs at DHS, disputes the numbers. She tells NPR in an email that the vast majority, about 70 percent of the people arrested currently in immigration detention, have either been convicted or have pending criminal charges.

6:14Now, I asked her three times to provide the evidence, and McLaughlin replied, quote, we'll let you know when possible. We've heard nothing further. And to be clear, the numbers THS published on its website are in direct contradiction of what their spokesperson told NPR. Well, can we talk about ICE more specifically? Because, yes, a recent NPR poll shows that 43 % of Americans feel the administration's immigration policies are making the country safer. But as far as ICE goes, a majority think that ICE has gone too far in enforcing immigration laws. So, Jaz, what are people telling you about how they're feeling about all these sweeps that we've been seeing?

6:53Well, I've been speaking with farmers and Trump supporters in general in the central Florida region. Many Trump supporters I spoke to say they very much continue to love and support the president, but they're concerned. They voted for an immigration crackdown on serious criminals, and all of a sudden, their next-door neighbor, you know, a hardworking person who's been here for decades, is abruptly being taken away. Now, from farmers in particular, I've heard a deep anxiety over labor shortages. One strawberry farmer I spoke to said this could prove disastrous. He asked that we withhold his name because he owns a small business in a red area.

7:32He's worried about being retaliated against. but he called for Trump to help create a pathway to citizenship. There's been families here for 20 years, 15. I know them that grew up here. Some got kids that graduated here. I think what they really need to do, I know my opinion don't matter, they need to come up with like having a hub somewhere and letting these ones that's been here 15, 20 years go in there and do their paper right. He's asking for help for farmers, which President Trump has promised but has yet to deliver. OK, well, to be fair, Sergio, many Trump supporters are applauding the crackdown on immigration, right?

8:09They're pointing to the southern border, which is a lot quieter today than it was under President Biden. So that's a big win for Trump, isn't it? Yeah, I mean, the numbers of unauthorized crossings at the southern border have dropped massively since Trump took office. In January, Elsa, for example, Border Patrol agents made about 29 ,000 arrests there. Last month, in June, that number dropped to 6 ,000. A huge drop, right? So yes, it is a big win for President Trump, who campaigned on this promise. Here's Borders Art, Tom Homan speaking to Turning Point USA, an organization of young conservatives, earlier this month.

8:44Illegal immigration down 96%. That means 96 % less people are coming. When 96 % less people are coming, how many women aren't being raped by the cartels? How many children aren't dying making that journey? How many pounds of fat and all is it getting to the country to kill Americans? Okay, there's a lot to fact check there, including that last line about fentanyl. According to data from the U.S. government, about 86 % of those convicted of trafficking fentanyl through the U.S. borders are U.S. citizens. Okay, well, in the last minute we have left, I just want to ask both of you, what stands out the most about immigration enforcement during Trump's second term?

9:22Jaz, you go first. To me, it's the level of fear. I have never seen such fear. I'm like doing interviews with immigrants in their homes with the curtains drawn. And they are telling me they haven't gone outside for weeks, that their kids are going out to do the groceries and that when they do dare drive out, it is with extreme caution. Sergio? For me, it has been how the Trump administration has been pushing and testing the judiciary with some of these executive orders. Many of them are before the court, including efforts to end birthright citizenship. And we knew he was going to be very aggressive in terms of immigration enforcement.

9:59But at times that has meant stonewalling federal court orders, like the administration did over flights carrying Venezuelans to El Salvador. So that has been very surprising to me. That is Ampere Sergio Martinez Beltran and Jasmine Garz. Thank you to both of you. Thanks for having us. You're welcome. This episode is one of a series that we're doing, looking at how the Trump administration is changing the government just six months in. Later this week, education. This episode was produced by Connor Donovan. It was edited by Eric Westervelt and Courtney Dorney. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigan.

10:38It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Elsa Chang.