February 3 Updates

National

• So much has been happening on the federal level that we can’t fit it all into the agenda. The following page goes over all the changes under the new administration if you’d like the summary all in one place: https://usahello.org/2025-immigration-policies/ 

  • You can also track immigration policy changes on this page as well: https://immpolicytracking.org/ 

• Texas Gov Abbott has authorized the TX National Guard to carry out immigration arrests under a new agreement with the federal government. More from CBS News here.

• Over the past six months, there have been an average of 126 removal flights carried out by ICE per month, with around 115 people on each plane, meaning around 3,500 people were deported monthly. On top of that, between 15,000 and 17,000 people were returned to Mexico by land.

  • In its annual report for 2024, the last full year of the Biden presidency, ICE said it had removed 271,484 people, the most since 2019

  • See the numbers of people detained in the last week under Trump from Newsweek here.

Chicago

• During an interview on CNN this week, Tom Homan, Donald Trump’s so-called “border czar,” made a big admission. Apparently, the residents of Chicago are making it too damn hard for ICE to enact Trump’s mass deportation plan. “Chicago, very well educated,” Homan whined. “They’ve been educated how to defy ICE, on how to hide from ICE. They call it ‘Know Your Rights.’ I call it how to escape from ICE.” (From The Nation)

• Tribune article from Nell Salzman published on Sunday, Feb 2: Chicago becomes an epicenter of resistance amid Trump’s immigration crackdown.

• To read more about the impact of ICE Raids in Chicago see below:
  https://immigrationimpact.com/2025/01/31/ice-arrests-in-chicago-endangering-citys-livelihood/