President Donald Trump promised the biggest deportation sweep in American history. But once the protests exploded, he blinked.
In June, massive protests broke out across the country after immigration agents began making thousands of arrests each day. It all started with a push from Trump’s top aide, Stephen Miller, who set a goal of “3,000 immigration arrests per day.” The plan was part of Trump’s promise to clean up the country. But the move quickly backfired.
Protests kicked off in Los Angeles, where Trump sent 4,000 National Guard troops, even though California Governor Gavin Newsom objected. It got worse from there. As the streets filled with angry crowds and Trump’s approval numbers dropped, the president picked up the phone and made a call.
He rang up Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, known inside Washington as “ICE Barbie” for her flashy media stunts during immigration raids. According to a former official who heard the call, Trump said, “We’re going to do this targeted.” He was suddenly worried that arresting farmhands and hotel maids was making things look bad politically.
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That phone call triggered a quiet freeze in ICE operations. Within hours, raids at farms, restaurants, and meat plants were paused. Senior ICE official Tatum King even told agents in the field to ease up.
But the pause did not last.
Just a few days later, Miller and Noem reversed the freeze. The order was pulled back, and agents were once again sent out to make arrests, according to Reuters. Activists were left scrambling, unsure of what to expect next.
The chaos showed a rare crack between Trump and Miller. Normally, the two are always in step. But even inside the Department of Homeland Security, people say Miller’s obsession with deportations has gone too far. One former staffer told Reuters that Miller’s constant demands were so exhausting, the department assigned one unlucky person just to handle his calls.
Despite Trump’s hesitation, Miller’s crackdown has continued.
The administration doubled the number of arrests, banned travelers from 19 countries, and pushed through the “One Big Beautiful Bill” in July, which included $170 billion for immigration enforcement.
But now, the courts are stepping in.
U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, appointed by former President Joe Biden, issued two emergency restraining orders. One stops ICE and Border Patrol from making random arrests on the streets and at job sites in Los Angeles County. The other makes sure detainees can speak to lawyers right away.
The judge said the government’s evidence was “very general” and warned she will give a final decision soon.
The lawsuit, brought by the ACLU and others, says federal agents have been terrorizing Latino neighborhoods. Since June 6, there have been 2,700 arrests. Even two U.S. citizens who showed ID say they were held anyway.
Eight cities and Los Angeles County are joining the legal fight. They claim the raids are nothing more than a political stunt aimed at Democratic areas.
A White House official told Reuters there is “no daylight between Miller and Trump,” and said Miller had not made farms a priority target. They also claimed the original pause was “not authorized by top administration leaders.”
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
