Enhanced immigration policy, actions demand scrutiny
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Although it has largely been out of the spotlight in recent months, the Trump administration’s enhanced immigration enforcement warrants continued scrutiny.
The latest information reflects a sharp upturn in arrests of purported undocumented immigrants. According to the Deportation Data Project, based at the University of California, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested approximately 700 people in Washington during July.
That is a sharp increase from 230 arrests in Washington during February. For another comparison, there were 530 arrests in the state in December 2025, which marked a contrast from 50 arrests in the previous December under the Biden administration.
National data show a similar increase in arrests, according to the Deportation Data Project, which obtains ICE data through Freedom of Information Act requests.
By itself, the number of arrests is not cause for alarm. President Donald Trump was reelected in 2024 largely behind a promise of improved immigration enforcement and a vow to arrest and deport people who are in the United States illegally and have committed additional crimes.
“On Day 1, I will launch the largest deportation program of criminals in American history,” Trump said at a 2024 rally, echoing numerous proclamations throughout the campaign.
It is reasonable to expect people entering this country to follow the legal immigration process; it also is reasonable to point out that those here illegally have broken the law, whether or not they have committed additional crimes while in the United States.
But the actions of ICE since Trump returned to office have routinely violated his campaign promises and the law while skirting the boundaries of the U.S. Constitution:
Multiple U.S. citizens have been shot and killed by ICE agents during enforcement actions. To this point, agents have not been held accountable for what appear to be extrajudicial killings.
During the first nine months of the second Trump administration, media outlet ProPublica confirmed the detention of 170 U.S. citizens for alleged immigration violations. By definition, such arrests are unwarranted.
Approximately 70 percent of Washington arrests in June and July did not involve people with criminal convictions or pending charges, according to the Deportation Data Project. This belies Trump’s vow to detain only the most dangerous immigrants.
Most detained Washington residents are sent to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma. Administrators at the privately run facility have routinely refused health inspections from state officials — a violation of state law that is in defiance of court orders. The Seattle Times has reported that last week, ICE officials flew 360 detainees from the facility to out-of-state locations; advocates worry that the move will reduce the detainees’ access to lawyers and family members. It also reflects the administration’s subterfuge and desire for secrecy.
Despite negative economic impacts from vast arrests and deportations, many Americans support the administration’s immigration crackdown. Yet while there is a need to enforce immigration law and secure our nation’s borders, the process has been marked by cruelty, incompetence and questionable legality.
That demands continued scrutiny from elected officials, media outlets and the American people. Holding government accountable, after all, is one of the fundamental traits of a representative democracy.