The protest movements against ICE’s operational methods under the Trump administration 2.0 appear to be yielding positive results.
Caught off guard by the scale of demonstrations against his immigration policies, Donald Trump reportedly attempted to quietly halt the massive arrest campaign he had personally ordered. This is revealed in a Reuters investigation, based on internal testimonies and confidential documents.
According to these revelations, also reported by Raw Story, the president urgently called Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem in mid-June, requesting a suspension of the most visible raids. The goal: to minimize the political impact of images showing farm workers, housekeepers, and cooks being detained across the country.
“We’re going to target more precisely,” Trump reportedly declared during this call, according to an official present during the conversation, quoted by Reuters.
Since late May, the White House, under Stephen Miller’s influence, had imposed a numerical target of 3,000 arrests per day, as part of a program described as the “largest interior deportation operation in history.” This policy was an integral part of the One Big Beautiful Bill immigration law, enacted in July.
However, the massive deployment of federal agents, particularly in Los Angeles, quickly sparked widespread public mobilization, exacerbated by the controversial deployment of 4,000 National Guard members, according to data reviewed by Reuters.
Facing this mounting pressure, Trump reportedly ordered a temporary freeze on raids, particularly in strategic economic sectors like agriculture and hospitality. ICE actually slowed operations for several days, Reuters journalists report, citing multiple internal sources.
This pause, however, was short-lived. According to Reuters, Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem quickly had the suspension canceled, fearing it would signal weakness. Tatum King, a senior ICE official, had already transmitted the order to ease off to his field teams.
“There was a moment of political panic,” confides an administrative source, adding that the decision hadn’t been coordinated with the entire executive chain.
Officially, the White House denies any disagreement. A spokesperson told Reuters that “there is no divergence between Miller and Trump,” while denying that the pause in raids was approved at the highest levels.
Despite this attempt at defusing the situation, the overall strategy remains unchanged: over $170 billion is allocated to immigration policy, 19 countries face new visa restrictions, and arrests have doubled since May, according to figures obtained by Reuters.
But this approach now faces legal challenges. Several court decisions have temporarily blocked certain deportations, and in Los Angeles, a federal judge ordered the suspension of racial profiling arrests and detentions without access to legal counsel.
By Emmanuel Paul | Based on information reported by Reuters and Raw Story
