Trump's first 100 days: President focuses on mass deportations
The promise of mass deportations was clear before President Donald Trump took office. But the flurry of actions and executive orders did take some by surprise.
"We've seen the administration go after people with student visas. We've seen the administration go after people who are permanent legal residents, and we've even seen the administration go after citizens," said Connie Chung Joe, CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL.)
In Southern California, immigrants' rights groups and local officials have sounded the alarm. This month, several day laborers were detained during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid at a Home Depot in Pomona. Meantime, LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho condemned federal agents he said lied to gain access to students. The Department of Homeland Security said it was conducting a welfare check.
Chung Joe said she was not prepared to see the administration send Asian immigrants to immigration detention in countries like Panama and Costa Rica.
"You're talking about Asian Indians and Vietnamese and Chinese immigrants who do not speak Spanish," she stressed.
DHS has touted what it is describing as "deportations."
"In just a few short weeks, we have arrested and deported over 150,000 individuals," said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in a recent X post. However, some have cast doubt on that number arguing it likely includes other types of immigration interactions that are not considered removals.
On Tuesday, ICE released a statement saying its agency has arrested more than 66,000 people and arrested 65,000. Eyewitness News sought clarification from both agencies and has not heard back..
Eyewitness News also requested detention, arrest, and removal data for the Los Angeles region. In a statement the agency said in part that it has significantly increased immigration enforcement and that it is compiling and validating data it plans to publish monthly.
