In May, a man and child left the Annandale Immigration Court in Virginia. The Trump administration aimed to pressure immigrants to exit the United States voluntarily by impacting them financially.
Raquel Molina, 65, from El Salvador, lived in the US for nearly three decades. She worked at Boston’s Logan International Airport cleaning airplanes, earning $19.75 an hour. Last summer, she, along with other immigrants, lost her job. Her supervisor told her she no longer had access to secure areas at the airport.
The administration determined that only U.S. citizens, green card holders, and those with permanent residency could access these areas. This change is linked to a lawsuit filed in federal court by a labor union.
“I didn’t understand what was going on,” said Ms. Molina, who is legally in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status, a program offering refuge to people from unstable countries.
The broader strategy of President Trump intends to make the U.S. less welcoming to immigrants.
For over a year, officials used bureaucratic measures to restrict immigrants from jobs, healthcare, financial services, tax credits, and daycare enrollment. The administration sought to make immigrants leave and reduce incentives attracting them to the U.S.
This initiative shows the president’s ability to influence immigration policy through executive orders and federal regulations, bypassing Congress. After militarized deportation raids sparked backlash earlier in the year, these methods became more creative and lower-profile.
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