ICE as Trump’s Political Revenge: The Raids on Blue Cities & Legal Immigrants

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council discusses the “unprecedented” deployment of ICE, Border Patrol, and DHS forces into U.S. cities, revealing how the Trump administration is using these surges into “blue” cities like Minneapolis as a direct form of political retribution.

He cites new data showing that the majority of people arrested by ICE have no criminal record, directly contradicting Trump administration claims that enforcement targets “dangerous criminals.”

Reichlin-Melnick also details how attacks on TPS and visa programs are stripping legal status from hundreds of thousands, fueling what he describes as a deepening civil rights and humanitarian crisis.

The ICE detention system is “fully breaking down,” says @ReichlinMelnick .
Rapid expansion is making conditions “appalling.” Six people have already died in 2026.
A “ramshackle tent camp” in El Paso holding 3,000+ has seen three deaths since August.