Immigration arrests have continued across the United States after President Donald Trump questioned the toughness of his crackdown following sweeping Republican losses in the midterm elections. Democrats secured control of the next Congress, but accounts from families and advocates, alongside administration statements, indicate that enforcement has carried on.
In a CBS “60 Minutes” interview recorded Friday, Trump said the crackdown may have been “too tough” and expressed interest in discussing immigration with Democrats. Hours later, he appointed Stephen Miller, the architect of his hardline immigration agenda, as chief of staff. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said his instructions remained unchanged, writing after the election that deportations would continue, including on holidays.
Advocates reported arrests in states including California, Michigan and Massachusetts. María Bilbao, a campaign coordinator for the American Friends Service Committee in Miami, said she had received at least one call daily about someone detained in South Florida since the election. People have been detained in vehicles, supermarkets, pharmacies and gas stations, while some immigrants under supervision were arrested during appointments at ICE's Miami office.
In Los Angeles, masked immigration officers wearing body armor blocked an emergency room driveway at Adventist Health White Memorial Medical Center early Saturday. Nearby resident Erick Gasca, 31, described an unusually large gathering of vehicles with tinted windows and no license plates. About 30 residents and passersby gathered, and footage recorded by his cousin, Michelle Rivera, showed protesters shouting and officers holding someone down.
The Department of Homeland Security declined to explain the officers' presence. Bill Essayli, the top Justice Department prosecutor in Los Angeles, said agents were taking a detainee for medical care and that two people were arrested for assaulting federal agents. DHS said ICE does not target hospitals, schools or churches. Hospital president Daniel Fontoura said White Memorial did not participate in immigration enforcement and would protect patient care and safety.
In Phoenix, married Argentine nationals Gustavo Romanello and Agustin Baccega were arrested Saturday at the airport while traveling from Orlando for a friend's funeral. Family friend Jonathan Batchelor, who was speaking with them by phone during the encounter, said both had work permits while pursuing asylum after entering the country about six years earlier. He said the men worked as acrobats and had no criminal records. Both remain detained, and DHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In central Alabama, Venezuelan twins Luis and Carlos Orta-Santoro, 19, were stopped while returning to college after visiting their parents a day after the election. The brothers play soccer at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville and have lived in the United States for four years. Relatives said they had pending asylum applications, valid work permits and no criminal records. Both are in immigration detention.
DHS said the brothers entered legally but overstayed, and that an immigration judge would hear their case. The department said pending asylum applications do not provide legal status. Their aunt, Carolina Orta, described the family's devastation, while the college expressed support for the students and hope for a positive outcome.
In San Diego, an 8-year-old Haitian boy was taken into custody after reporting to an ICE office on Nov. 4 with his uncle. The boy had lived with the uncle, who is not his legal guardian, since his father's deportation last year. School district leaders protested his separation from family and school support. ICE defended its actions. Pastor Johny Oxeda, whose church helped obtain legal representation, said legal channels would ultimately benefit the boy, while Haitian Bridge Alliance's Guerline Jozef condemned the detention.
