Art by Sadie Irby
The new Trump administration’s immigration policies have created fear across the United States and here in the Durham community.
When Trump last took office in 2017 one of his main focuses had been to deport all immigrants.
“They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists,” Trump stated during his first campaign speech in June 2015.
He again promised mass deportations while campaigning in 2024, and since returning to office on Jan. 20 he has rolled out numerous policies and executive orders.
“My Administration will marshal all available resources and authorities to stop this unprecedented flood of illegal aliens into the United States,” he wrote in a Jan. 20 executive order titled “Securing Our Borders.”
Some of the policies that could directly impact members of Durham’s immigrant community include ending birthright citizenship, hiring more Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, and allowing ICE to make arrests in schools and churches.
In addition to policy changes, the Trump administration has doubled down on anti-immigrant and nationalistic language. On Feb. 9, he changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and also established “The Gulf of America Day.”
The Trump administration isn’t targeting all immigrant communities equally. In fact, the president is easing the path to citizenship for wealthy immigrants.
On February 25, 2025 Trump announced his new creation, the “Gold Card.” This card gives permanent residency in the United States with the cost of $5 million each.
“For $5 million, we will allow the most successful job-creating people from all over the world to buy a path to U.S. citizenship,” Trump said in a March 4 speech to Congress. “It’s going to be a route to citizenship, and wealthy people will be coming into our country by buying this card, they’ll be wealthy, and they’ll be successful and they’ll be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes and employing a lot of people.”
In the wake of Trump’s orders and declarations, immigrants and advocates around the country pushed back.
“People are mentally and emotionally impacted,” said Ivan Almonte, a mental health promoter and community organizer based in Durham. “People are very afraid. Many people have lost their jobs and stopped doing many things, activities they would normally do, they are afraid of family separation.”
That fear was evident on Jan. 24, when a pickup truck that resembled a US Border Patrol vehicle driven by a person in a uniform appeared in the parking lot of the Super Compare Foods in downtown Durham. It turned out to be a prank, but the grocery store posted about it on social media and said the act was “deeply irresponsible and has caused unnecessary fear in our community.”
A nationwide protest called “A Day Without Immigrants” was held on Feb. 3. Many immigrants did not attend work or school and local Hispanic businesses were closed, such as restaurants and grocery stores.
The first deportations made in Durham, NC occurred on Feb. 13. 11 people were detained, three of whom were from India and lived in Northgate Park. ICE officers were seen wearing masks by neighbors.
It is still unknown why the men were detained. Neither mayor Leonardo Williams nor County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead were notified about the arrest. A Customs and Border spokesman said federal officers tried to call the nearest Durham police station, but no one answered the phone according to an April 14 article published by The Assembly.
Local college students have also been impacted. On March 25 The US Department of State revoked the visas of two NC State students from Saudi Arabia. Both students chose to return to their home country.
On April 7 the federal government terminated the visas of two Duke graduate students and one recent graduate. Duke received no explanation.
Two days later, six UNC-Chapel Hill students also had their visas terminated. The Daily Tar Heel, UNC’s student newspaper, reported that the federal government did not notify UNC officials.
The new immigration policies have also affected the Riverside community.
“A lot of the students that I work with have expressed discouragement “said ESL graduation coach Karen Keim. “Students wonder if there’s a purpose to a High school diploma”
Reductions in federal aid to numerous foreign aid programs has also impacted Riverside students and families.
“We had an agreement with the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI),”said Keim. “We have lost their funding and help since then.”
Many families are reluctant to send their kids to school because Trump signed another executive order that allows ICE officers to enter sensitive places such as schools and churches.
Durham Publics Schools has made it clear that all students are in a safe environment here in school.
“It is our responsibility to ensure that all students continue to learn in an environment free from discord, divisiveness, or fear,” district leaders wrote in an email sent to all staff on January 30, 2025.
Still, some immigrant families felt a lot of fear and decided to take action
“Some students and families have actually decided to move out of the country,” said Keim.
“People on social media inform others, but the information they give is not always right,” said Almonte. “People take incorrect information and pass it on to others, and it’s like a chain. We need to inform ourselves from reliable sources, not TikTok or influencers. They do nothing but scare the community just to have followers.”
Riverside has cards that list immigrants’ rights available at the main desk in the school’s front office. The cards include information in multiple languages about what individuals can say and do if ICE officers approach them.
Siembra NC is an organization that was established in 2017 that focuses on defending immigrants from people around us such as ICE officers, landlords and abusive employers. This organization is located all around North Carolina, mainly operating in Alamance, Durham, Forsyth, Guilford, Orange, Wake, Randolph and Rockingham counties.
In a video posted on the Siembra NC facebook page, the organization also shared information about individuals’ rights.
“If ICE pulls you over, lock your door,” a person in the video says. “Sometimes ICE agents try to open the door. You are allowed to film, stream it to facebook, Crack the window and ask to see the warrant. If they pass it to you, take a photo with your phone and send it to someone you trust.”
The video explains that If it is a judicial warrant, it will say state or district court. If it is an administrative warrant, it will say Department of Homeland Security. If it is a judicial warrant with your name on it, signed by a judge, they have the right to enter your vehicle to take you into custody.
Siembra advises individuals concerned about arrest to plan ahead.
“Save an attorney or community organization’s number in your phone ahead of time, so that you can tell them (or a friend) and let them know what’s happening,” the video explains.
