PRESS CALL: Experts Warn Trump’s Immigration Surveillance and Registry Policies Will Turbocharge Mass Raids & Removals

Washington, D.C. – The Trump administration is ramping up its immigration surveillance apparatus, announcing a national immigrant registry alongside sweeping new policies that track both immigrants and U.S. citizens who are critical of Trump’s mass deportation agenda on social media. Meanwhile, new reporting reveals that DHS is seeking access to personal financial data through the IRS, raising serious concerns about unchecked government overreach.

In response to these measures, experts held a press call to discuss how these policies, compounded by Trump’s $350 billion request to congress, will enable Trump to carry out his own modern-day “Operation Wetback”—supercharging his existing mass deportation efforts through militarized enforcement, invasive surveillance, and government overreach, all at the expense of civil rights and working families.

See quotes from speakers below or access the recording here:

Beatriz Lopez, Co-Executive Director of the Immigration Hub:

“Trump’s immigration agenda is growing more dangerous by the day—not just ramping up enforcement, but expanding surveillance, targeting critics, and weaponizing government data to supercharge mass deportations. This isn’t about safety; it’s about fear, control, and a direct assault on civil rights and American democracy.”

Nayna Gupta, Policy Director at American Immigration Council:

“The Trump administration wants to create an America in which many people living here lawfully will always have to carry identity papers with them, to prove they are not deportable. This jeopardizes the rights and freedoms of millions of people. Mandating that every person who is undocumented register with the federal government and face deportation, or else face criminal charges, is not the way to fix our broken immigration system. We need to offer opportunities for pathways to legal status, not harshly punish those who’ve lived here for decades and contribute richly to our country.” 

Anthony Enriquez, VP of U.S. Advocacy and Litigation at RFK Human Rights:

“National registration attacks the rights of all Americans to freedom from unwanted surveillance, police harassment, and discrimination based on the color of your skin or the language you speak. It coerces reporting of sensitive and personally identifiable information and targets people who police think don’t look or sound American ‘enough.’ Whether citizen or immigrant, an attack on anyone’s human rights is an attack on everyone’s human rights.”

Gracie Willis, Raids Response Coordinator at the National Immigration Project: 

“With local law enforcement mandates, we expect to see what we’ve seen before under task force agreements: rampant racial discrimination, people being pulled over for Driving While Brown, and families torn apart with no regard for individualized considerations or public safety. Registration, surveilling social media, and dragging information from tax filings will add fuel to this fire, serving nothing but the invalid fear-mongering narratives that immigrants need to be ‘tracked.’”

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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.