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‘Numbers will explode greatly’: How Trump plans to expand immigration crackdown in 2026
Trump officials plan to hire thousands more agents, open new detention centres, pick up more immigrants in local jails and target employers.
As 2026 approaches, US President Donald Trump prepares for a more aggressive immigration crackdown with billions in new funding, raiding more workplaces and opening new detention centres. This comes amid Trump's falling approval rating and growing backlash ahead of the midterm elections next year.
This year, Trump surged immigration agents into major US cities and conducted high-profile raids where they clashed with residents.
Here is how the Trump administration plans to expand the immigration crackdown:
More agents, new detention centres and additional funding
In 2026, Trump officials have said that they reportedly plan to hire thousands more agents, open new detention centres and pick up more immigrants in local jails, Reuters reported.
They also said that ICE and Border Patrol will receive $170 billion in additional funds through September 2029. This will mark a huge surge of funding over their existing annual budgets of about $19 billion, part of the massive spending package passed in July this year.
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Administration says numbers will explode
Along with expanding enforcement, Trump has also stripped thousands of Haitian, Venezuelan and Afghan immigrants of temporary legal status, adding to the people who could be deported.
The Trump administration, which promised to remove 1 million immigrants each year, has so far removed around 622,000 immigrants since he took office in January, the report stated.
White House border czar Tom Homan told Reuters that Trump had delivered on his promise of a historic deportation operation. Homan informed that the number of arrests will rise sharply as ICE hires more officers and expands detention capacity with the new funding.
“I think you're going to see the numbers explode greatly next year,” Homan reportedly said. He added that the plans “absolutely” include more enforcement actions at workplaces.
Plans to target employers
Trump's focus on job sites this year might lead to more arrests and a severe effect on the US economy. Replacing immigrants arrested during the raids with other labourers could lead to increased labour costs and undermine Trump's fight against inflation.
Earlier this year, the administration exempted such businesses from the enforcement of Trump’s orders, but quickly reversed it.
Many people have also suggested focusing on the employers. "Eventually you’re going to have to go after these employers,” said Jessica Vaughan, policy director for the Centre for Immigration Studies, said.
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Approval ratings decline
However, as Trump attempts to expand the immigration crackdown, his approval rating has taken a hit. His overall approval rating on immigration policy fell from 50% in March to 41% in mid-December. This is after he launched crackdowns in several major US cities.
"People are beginning to see this not as an immigration question anymore as much as it is a violation of rights, a violation of due process and militarising neighbourhoods," Mike Madrid, a moderate Republican political strategist, was quoted as saying.
(With inputs from Reuters)
