Trump’s Crackdown on Immigration Sparks Clash Over Civil Rights

President Donald Trump has reinforced his hardline stance on immigration, stating in a recent CBS interview that current deportation efforts against undocumented immigrants "haven't gone far enough," as reported by

. During his appearance on 60 Minutes, Trump made these comments while his administration intensifies a contentious initiative that authorizes local police to participate in immigration raids. The expanded 287(g) program has deputized nearly 16,000 officers in 40 states, giving them the authority to enforce immigration laws, according to .

Trump justified the use of aggressive tactics by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), such as deploying tear gas and engaging in physical altercations, insisting that "you have to get the people out," as cited by

. He attributed delays in deportations to opposition from judges appointed by Joe Biden and Barack Obama. These statements follow recent incidents at a Halloween parade in Chicago, where ICE agents were accused of using tear gas, leading Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker to call for a halt to raids during the holiday weekend, according to . Pritzker described these actions as "traumatizing for children" and accused the administration of neglecting constitutional responsibilities.

The move to expand local police involvement in immigration enforcement has faced significant backlash. In Florida, for instance, more than 10,500 officers have been deputized, but many departments have encountered difficulties implementing the program. Some, such as Miami-Dade Sheriff Gregory Tony, have declined to focus on immigration arrests, prompting Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier to threaten legal action, Bloomberg reports. At the same time, the federal government has started a television campaign aimed at local officers dissatisfied with sanctuary city policies, offering them financial rewards to join ICE operations, according to

.

These initiatives are part of broader policy shifts designed to further restrict immigration. A new regulation that eliminates the automatic extension of employment authorization documents (EADs) has disrupted businesses, forcing employers to remove immigrant workers from their payrolls due to processing delays, as reported by

. The Trump administration has also introduced a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa recipients and changed wage requirements for skilled workers, potentially making it too costly for companies to hire them, according to .

Legal opposition has surfaced as well. A federal appeals court recently halted an order that required ICE to provide daily updates on immigration raids in Chicago, The Guardian noted. Critics warn that the expanded 287(g) program could lead to racial profiling and wrongful detentions, a concern previously highlighted by Bloomberg. Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez, a U.S. citizen who was mistakenly detained by Florida troopers under a disputed immigration law, is among those questioning the program's fairness, as Bloomberg has reported.

Despite mounting criticism, Trump remains resolute. "The liberal judges have held us back," he asserted, repeating his claim that most undocumented immigrants have criminal backgrounds, as mentioned in the Fortune report. His administration's policies have ignited a nationwide debate over the balance between immigration enforcement and civil rights, with states like Illinois and Florida at the forefront of the dispute.

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