Open Navigation
Request a callback
Global Immigration

Raids, TPS Revocation, and the Laken Riley Act

3 mins read 03/02/2025

U.S. Immigration Weekly Recap: Raids, TPS Revocation, and the Laken Riley Act

We are now past the second week of the second Trump administration, and attacks on immigration have continued. Over the last week, we have seen the following actions:

  • President Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into Law:

    • On January 29, 2025, the Laken Riley Act was signed into law, introducing strong measures aimed at enhancing public safety while strictly enforcing immigration laws. The Act was named after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia university student killed by an undocumented immigrant with a criminal records with multiple charges. The Act received broad bipartisan support, while critics have questioned the potential for due process violations. Some specific measures include:

      • Mandatory Detention by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain individuals in the US who are unlawfully present or who lacked required documentation at entry, and those charged with, arrested for, or convicted of non-violent crimes like shoplifting or burglary (in addition to more serious offenses resulting in death or serious bodily injury).

      • States can pursue injunctive relief against the federal government for a range of immigration related reasons- including failing to detain individuals ordered to be removed from the US, issuing visas to nationals from countries that deny or delay accepting their citizens back, or failures to thoroughly inspect individuals seeking admission to the US.

    • Guantanamo Bay preparations for Migrants with Criminal Records:

      • On January 29, 2025, the Trump Administration announced plans to instruct the Pentagon and DHS to prepare Guantanamo Bay to detain migrants with criminal records. The instruction calls for migrants to be transported to a detention facility capable of holding up to 30,000 individuals. The facility will now undergo preparations for arrivals- specifically arrivals of those intercepted at sea by the US Coast Guard. The existing facility is known as the Guantanamo Migrant Operations Center (GMOC) and has been used for decades through many administrations. Critics (from refugee organizations to international leaders) have long argued the controversial use of Guantanamo as a site of indefinite detention and serious human rights concerns.

    • Revocation of Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans:

      • On February 2, 2025, the Trump Administration announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans in the US. TPS was created in the 1990s to assist nationals of specified countries encountering ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or extraordinary conditions. The nationals receive temporary legal protection from deportation and work authorization in the US until conditions in their home countries stabilize.  Trump’s revocation affects more than 300,000 Venezuelans in the US, and they will face deportation, coupled with loss of work permits, within 60 days of notice publication.

      • A number of other countries currently have TPS designations and some have upcoming end dates scheduled for this year- time will tell if President Trump intends to renew any of them.

    • ICE Immigration Raids:

      • Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids have begun across the country this last week. The initiative is publicized as “Operation Safeuard”- aiming to identify undocumented immigrants and primarily those with existing criminal records. ICE is currently targeting cities including Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Miami, and New York City, amongst others. Mayors in some cities have condemned the raids. Arrests have begun, resulting in the detention of hundreds of undocumented migrants. Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem has spent the week sharing photos and footage on social media platforms- drawing further scrutiny that this is a potential publicity stunt to instil anxiety and fear across immigrant communities.

Please feel free to reach out to Aryanah Eghbal ([email protected]) with questions or concerns regarding the impact of these policies and how to navigate the changing immigration landscape.

 

Author

Sign up