With President Donald Trump back with his policies in place, the U.S. has witnessed a sharp uptick in immigration enforcement reflected in mass deportation raids and reemphasis on national security. The administration explains that this is a response to what they consider to be failed policies from the past, especially those of the Biden administration.
Nevertheless, while headlines are filled with numbers and the administration’s narratives about security, many experts, educators, and civil rights advocates point to a growing sentiment that the mass deportations aimed at security may make the country even more vulnerable to acts of domestic terrorism and social unrest.
First troops arrive in Los Angeles as US President Trump vows to quell protests against immigration raids
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) June 8, 2025
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The Numbers: 655% Increase in Terrorist Arrests
Since President Trump took office in January 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have arrested 219 known/ alleged terrorists in mass deportation raids. This represents a 655% increase from the same time in 2024, when only 29 such arrests occurred during the Biden administration. Homeland Security data, widely reported in April 2025, highlights the administration’s aggressive approach and its focus on detaining individuals with suspected terrorist ties.
One high-profile case is Harpreet Singh, an Indian national considered one of his country’s “most wanted” for terrorist funding, recruitment, and planning attacks, including a grenade attack on a police station. Singh entered the U.S. illegally in January 2022 and, after being released by Border Patrol agents, remained in the country for over three years before his eventual arrest by ICE in Sacramento. This case has been repeatedly cited by Trump officials as evidence of the previous administration’s leniency and the necessity of the current crackdown.
Administration Rhetoric: Security or Scapegoating?
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin has been vocal in attributing the presence of suspected terrorists like Singh to the Biden administration’s policies:
“The Biden administration not only let a wanted terrorist into our country, but after he was arrested by Border Patrol agents, they released him into the interior of our country. While shocking, it’s not surprising given the Biden administration routinely released unvetted terrorists and criminals into American communities.”
McLaughlin further emphasized the Trump administration’s approach:
“Under President Trump and Secretary [of Homeland Security Kristi] Noem’s leadership, ICE is unleashed to remove these violent criminals from America’s streets and put an end to catch and release.”
This kind of rhetoric supports a larger narrative about mass deportation as a necessary solution to concerns about public safety and national security; or so the critics would argue. Critics will also argue that such an argument is reductive about complex threats and that mass deportation, in fact, sacrifices security for security.
The Extent of the Damage: The Collateral Damage of Mass Deportation and Community Terror
Disrupting Families and Communities
Mass deportation raids are never done in isolation. They send waves through families, schools, and communities. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has indicated to the Court for years the significant collateral damage inherent to deportation and removal, identifying mass deportation after 9/11 as a vehicle for tens of thousands of immigrants—most innocent—being either detained or deported, dismantling family and community support systems.
As Anthony Romero (Executive Director of the ACLU) noted:
“The U.S. government unfairly deported thousands of immigrants after the September 11 attacks—simply because they were from Muslim countries and were in the wrong place at the wrong time… For each man who was arrested, there was a network of children, parents, siblings, neighbors and community members who depended on him.”
Impact on Schools and Public Spaces
The National Education Association (NEA) has raised alarms about the effect of ICE raids and the removal of “sensitive locations” enforcement guidance, which previously limited immigration enforcement in schools. NEA Secretary-Treasurer Noel Candelaria stated:
“As educators, we have accepted the sacred responsibility to protect students—every single student, regardless of their immigration status—and to protect families and communities… We are fully committed to using the power and strength of the largest labor union in the country to ensure every public school is a safe space for every student.”
The anxiety and instability caused by raids in educational contexts are detrimental to student safety, learning, and trust in public institutions.
Legal and Human Rights Pushback
Legal challenges have quickly followed the administration’s actions. Federal judges intervened, ordering the Trump administration to stop deportation of some migrants and to return planes carrying migrants to the U.S. The courts highlight the continued concerns regarding due process, human rights, and the rule of law, involved in mass deportations.
The Security Paradox: Are Mass Deportations Making Us Safer?
The Alien Enemies Act: A Dangerous Precedent
President Trump made history when he used the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to remove Venezuelan migrants associated with the Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang, one of only four times in U.S. history that this statute from a time of war has been applied. Hundreds of Venezuelan migrants are being transferred to the CECOT mega-prison in El Salvador, the possibility of radicalization while in detention and subsequently reentry into the U.S. warranted concern from the security studies community.
The Soufan Center, one of the premier terrorism research organizations, has evidenced that mass detentions can create conditions that are conducive to radicalization and recruitment by extremists groups.
Terrorism Events in 2025
In just the first few months of 2025, there have already been several terrorism-related events, both thwarted and completed, revealing an ongoing threat landscape:
- April, 2025: The FBI halted a domestic extremist organization that was working to attack a federal building in Texas, some of the suspects had prior online association with the radicalization forum.
- March, 2025: A community cooperative gave a tip that prevented a bomb at a transit hub in New York City, evidence of how immigrant attitudes toward enforcement can impact parolees.
- February 2025: A lone wolf attacked during a public event in California inspired by foreign terrorist propaganda and used a knife injuring several before being subdued.
The problem of terrorism as illustrated by these cases is complex and will not be exclusively solved by foreign nationals or recent migrants. The examples emphasize the need to develop targeted, intelligence-driven approaches, rather than applying blunt-force enforcement.
The Danger of Radicalization and Blowback
Security experts warn that mass deportations and mass detentions may create new risks of domestic radicalizations. Refugees in detention facilities, especially massive facilities such as CECOT, have historically become focal points of extremist recruitment. The Soufan Center, an NGO that investigates radicalization, has said that by sending hundreds of migrants into environments like these, the U.S. is potentially “planting the seeds for tomorrow’s security threats” without due process.
Stakeholder Critiques: Chaos, Fairness, and Efficacy
Immigration Lawyers and Policy Experts
Greg Chen, Senior Director at the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), criticized the administration’s tactics:
“The President is sowing chaos with orders and memos that actually erode public safety and are dismantling the federal immigration system. Chaos is not what Americans want. American families and businesses want a system that is orderly, fair and efficient.”
The concern is that mass deportations, rather than creating order, generate confusion, fear, and unpredictability—conditions that can be exploited by both criminal and extremist actors.
The Trump Administration’s Defense
President Trump and his officials maintain that these measures are necessary to combat terrorism and restore the rule of law. In a 2017 statement, Trump declared:
“We will continue to fight to take all necessary and legal action to keep terrorists, radicals and dangerous extremists from ever entering our country. We will not allow our general system of immigration to be turned against us as a tool for terrorism and truly bad people.”
The administration views growing numbers of terrorist arrests as evidence of success, although critics believe that except for the headlines, such figures distract from the real and complex issues of security and societal cohesion.
The Unintended Consequences: From Security to Vulnerability
The Trust Erosion & Intelligence Collection
Strong bonds between law enforcement and immigrant communities is essential for deploying effective counterterrorism operations. When populations are faced with the threat of mass deportation and a lack of trust forms, communities will become less visible and surreptitious, further reducing cooperation and increasing the difficulty of identifying real threats. The disruption of families and networks also removes vital sources of intelligence and early warning.
Dilution of the Terrorism Label
Analysts are increasingly worried that by broadening the definition of terrorism to encompass a broad range of crimes, including criminal behavior that the criminal justice system already has and appropriates resources from, may unintentionally cause the word to lose its meaning. For instance, actions against gang members, while growing in need, shouldn’t equate to international terrorism because out of extreme caution, police and politicians may go overboard with police-enforcement actions with unintended consequences.
Blowback and Violent Retaliation
The protective phrase “Friendly Fire” is a euphemism for a cry from tactical police officers that do not protect their public, because often criminals and their organizations strike back with even more gruesome measures when feasible arrests are not possible. If too many people of an economic class (crimes don’t just exist, they’re a choice of the affluent), were arrested or subjected to some outrageously collective punishment instead of the crimes they committed, it applies to many crimes and organizations.
Rethinking Security in the Era of Mass Deportations
At face value, Trump’s deportation raids have undeniably led to an extraordinary increase in the apprehension of known or suspected terrorists—a 655 percent increase that the administration celebrates as a significant accomplishment; however, there is a much larger picture at play. The family disruption, distrust in public institutions, legal ramifications, and potential for radicalization of the country can be likened to a paradox: policies that are designed to improve security may actually be making the United States more susceptible to domestic homelessness and terrorism.
While the U.S. is presented with an evolving threat landscape as we now enter 2025, policymakers will be tasked with weighing the political need to enforce laws versus the socio-political implications of denying and displacing groups of drugs, the need for civil liberties, and stressing the need for public trust within communities, and avoid creating conditions that contribute, foster, and breed extremism. The lesson from history and recent events is clear: there is no real security that can be established in chaos and fear, only in policy that is thoughtful, just, and effective.
