Trump immigration policies targeting Democratic cities energize organizers, leave others confused
June 16, 2025
Jose Abel Garcia is a Guatemalan immigrant who says President Donald Trump’s latest promise to expand deportations in Democratic-led cities doesn’t change much. The 38-year-old garment worker says targeting Democratic strongholds while pausing immigration arrests at restaurants, hotels and farms doesn’t spare workers who are simply trying to make rent. In recent days Trump has vowed to shift immigration enforcement away from political allies and toward political foes, prioritizing deportations in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and cities at “the core of the Democrat Power Center.” At the same time, he’s reversed course and paused arrests in industries that heavily rely on a foreign-born workforce.
