With deportations from the United States on the rise since Donald Trump's return to the White House, our reporters hear from those caught up in these new procedures, deployed in the name of national security.
Under the Trump administration, deportations have surged as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ramps up aggressive nationwide raids. Agents have begun arresting immigrants not just with pending deportation cases, but even those whose cases were dismissed or who lack legal representation – regardless of any criminal record. Courthouses have become hotspots for these operations.
The Trump administration has also resumed deporting migrants to third countries, such as El Salvador, with which they have no ties.
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At the same time, the administration is rapidly expanding detention centres and onboarding thousands of new ICE agents, framing the crackdown as a move to bolster national security.
But critics see a different agenda. Civil rights groups argue that immigration itself is being criminalised, and concerns are growing over the targeting of students voicing support for Palestinians. Human rights advocates warn that due process is being sidestepped, freedom of speech is under threat and a new era of AI-driven deportation is on the horizon – where automation could accelerate removals with little oversight or accountability.
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FRANCE 24's Jessica Le Masurier, Yves Schaeffner and Omar Garcia bring you the stories of immigrants who are caught up in Trump's deportation dragnet. Neri Alvarado, a Venezuelan asylum seeker, finds himself stuck in a prison far from his family. Momodou Taal, a student inspired by Nelson Mandela and Malcolm X, has been forced to leave the United States for speaking out in defence of Palestinians. Veronica Cardenas, a former ICE prosecutor-turned-migrant defender, is struggling to protect her clients. Finally, Juan Manuel Pinto, a former employee of the data-mining firm Palantir, expresses his concerns about an ever-growing surveillance dragnet supercharging deportations.
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