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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Issues: Immigration and Customs Enforcement

The Disagreement over Judicial and Administrative Warrants for ICE

The Disagreement over Judicial and Administrative Warrants for ICE
February 17, 2026

One of the sticking points in the standoff between Democrats and Republicans over funding for the Department of Homeland Security has been the Trump administration’s expanded use of administrative warrants to forcibly enter people’s homes to make immigration arrests. Democrats argue the new DHS policy runs afoul of the Constitution and have demanded immigration officers obtain judicial warrants — a higher legal bar that requires a judge’s approval — to forcibly enter a home.

As ICE Arrests Increased, a Higher Portion Had No U.S. Criminal Record

As ICE Arrests Increased, a Higher Portion Had No U.S. Criminal Record
January 28, 2026

While the Trump administration insists that it is targeting the “worst of the worst” in its immigration enforcement, it has not provided information to substantiate that, and the data that is available suggests the claim has become less accurate over time.

The Threat of the Insurrection Act in Minnesota

The Threat of the Insurrection Act in Minnesota
January 15, 2026

President Donald Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to send federal military forces to Minneapolis in response to protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in the city. We’ll explain what the law says about the president’s authority to do so.

Q&A on Trump’s Attempt to Deploy National Guard to Portland and Chicago

Q&A on Trump’s Attempt to Deploy National Guard to Portland and Chicago
October 17, 2025

While President Donald Trump’s rhetoric regarding Portland and Chicago has largely focused on overall crime, National Guard deployments are specifically targeted at protecting federal immigration operations and facilities. Here, we’ll unravel some of the rhetoric about what’s happening in those cities, what the Trump administration is doing and under what authority, and what the courts have had to say about it so far.

Q&A on Federalizing the National Guard in Los Angeles

Q&A on Federalizing the National Guard in Los Angeles
June 13, 2025

The disagreement between President Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom over Trump deploying state National Guard troops to Los Angeles is now being debated in court. We’ll explain how the situation developed and answer some common questions.

FactChecking Vance’s Attacks on Harris

FactChecking Vance’s Attacks on Harris
July 25, 2024

In his first two solo rallies as the Republicans’ vice presidential nominee, Sen. JD Vance took aim at Vice President Kamala Harris. But in several instances, Vance twisted Harris’ words or her record.

FactChecking Trump’s CPAC Speech

FactChecking Trump’s CPAC Speech
March 1, 2021

In his first public speech since leaving office, former President Donald Trump delighted his audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference with numerous false and misleading claims, many of them criticisms of his successor. 

O’Rourke on Jobs ‘No One Else Will Do’

O’Rourke on Jobs ‘No One Else Will Do’
August 21, 2019

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke said workers living in the U.S. illegally who were swept up in immigration raids at chicken processing plants in Mississippi are “doing a job that no one else will do.” The jobs are hard and don’t pay well, but they are in demand at one of the plants.

Calls to Abolish ICE Not ‘Open Borders’

Calls to Abolish ICE Not ‘Open Borders’
July 3, 2018

Despite President Donald Trump’s repeated claims, Democrats are not advocating open borders, not even the ones who are calling to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement.