By — Tim Sullivan, Associated Press Tim Sullivan, Associated Press By — Nicholas Riccardi, Associated Press Nicholas Riccardi, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/how-trumps-immigration-crackdown-sparked-a-backlash-that-could-undermine-republicans-campaigns Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter How Trump's immigration crackdown sparked a backlash that could undermine Republicans' campaigns Politics Oct 29, 2026 3:23 PM EDT MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — When Donald Trump was running for president two years ago, Americans' television screens were filled with images of migrant chaos. There were tent camps on both sides of the border, caravans of people trudging through Central America and concerns about newcomers overwhelming social services. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. That turmoil faded as President Joe Biden tightened immigration enforcement after Trump clamped down even more. Now any chaos is on American streets, where violent and even deadly clashes have defined a deportation campaign that's designed to fulfill hardliners'…
How Trump's immigration crackdown sparked a backlash that could undermine Republicans' campaigns
In short
Federal agencies have sharply expanded enforcement sweeps under a presidential mandate to remove anyone residing in the country illegally. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement dramatically increased operations over the summer, arresting nearly 51,000 people in August alone. Despite this ramp-up, the administration failed to achieve its targeted goal of one million deportations for the fiscal year. Opponents like Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen argue the aggressive tactics spark street-level violence, while conservative allies maintain that securing the border merely refocused voter scrutiny on interior enforcement.
Key points
- Widespread voter disapproval of mass interior deportations threatens Republican control o…: Widespread voter disapproval of mass interior deportations threatens Republican control of Congress in the midterm elections.
- The aggressive federal sweeps have sparked deadly clashes in cities that overshadow the a…: The aggressive federal sweeps have sparked deadly clashes in cities that overshadow the administration's border management achievements.
- Federal authorities continue to accelerate enforcement actions even after missing their a…: Federal authorities continue to accelerate enforcement actions even after missing their annual goal of one million total deportations.