President Trump’s Executive Orders Undermine Public Safety To Expand His Mass Deportation Dragnet

Washington, D.C. – Today, President Trump signed two executive orders aimed at defunding sanctuary cities and deputizing local police forces with immigration enforcement powers to expand his mass deportation and disappearance force. These actions threaten the constitutional rights of local jurisdictions, undermine public safety, and sow fear within immigrant communities across the nation. 

Specifically, these executive orders direct the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security to compile a list of jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The administration is threatening to withhold federal funding for critical programs from these jurisdictions if they refuse to change their practice. The other executive order would “unleash” law enforcement agencies to deploy and intensify deportation efforts, including expedited removals without due process. These latest enforcement announcements come just days after the Trump administration reportedly deported several American citizen children. 

Kerri Talbot, Co-Executive Director of the Immigration Hub, released the following statement in response: 

“These orders represent a dangerous overreach of executive power and a blatant attack on the autonomy of local governments. By coercing cities into enforcing federal immigration policies that they neither have the funding, training, nor capacity to carry out, the Trump administration is deliberately sowing chaos, confusion, and fear in communities across America. Let’s be clear: These actions are not about public safety. They are about accelerating Trump’s relentless agenda to tear families apart –  detaining, deporting and disappearing members of our communities. These scare tactics erode trust that underpins community well-being, undermine public safety, and force localities to become complicit in his mass deportation agenda – an agenda that most Americans reject.”  

Background: Contrary to Trump’s fear-mongering, sanctuary policies are rooted in principles of public safety and community trust. These policies limit local law enforcement’s involvement in federal immigration enforcement, ensuring that residents—regardless of immigration status—feel safe reporting crimes and cooperating with police. Research consistently shows that sanctuary cities are safer and more prosperous. Studies have found that immigrants, including those without legal status, are less likely to commit serious crimes than native-born citizens, and that sanctuary counties experience fewer crimes compared to non-sanctuary counties.

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The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.