When the Trump administration promised to deport criminal, illegal immigrants, a lot of people applauded it. Dangerous people out means a safer country for the rest of us.
But the opposite seems to be the case.
The people being targeted today aren’t who were promised. Immigrants who have secured lawful permanent residency are starting to feel the brunt. And now, many who once cheered these policies are admitting regret.
An Irish Grandmother
Take the story of an Irish grandmother who’s lived in the U.S. since the late 1970s. She raised children here, has grandchildren here, and ran a horse farm in Missouri.
Her crime was a $25 bad check from 2015. A misdemeanor. She paid restitution and completed probation. But when she landed in Chicago this summer, immigration officers were waiting. She’s now facing deportation and sitting in a detention cell in Kentucky.
Her husband, a U.S. citizen and military veteran, said he regrets his vote. He thought he was backing a plan to remove hardened criminals. Instead, he’s watching his elderly wife get treated like a threat over a mistake she fixed years ago.
He describes it as cruelty for the sake of numbers.
A similar case is Cliona Ward, another Irish woman. She is a green card holder who was detained at San Francisco International Airport. Her offenses were from almost 20 years ago. She was eventually released, but her case left her family shaken.
Victor Avila
Then there’s Victor Avila, a man who’s had a green card since 1967. He has been in the U.S. for almost sixty years. He worked, raised a family, and lived a peaceful life.
Yes, he had misdemeanors in the past—a DUI, minor drug charges. But he served his time, paid his fines, and has since moved on.
When he returned from Japan, ICE detained him in San Diego. His family says he’s not a criminal. He’s a father and a grandfather. He is still in custody.
Victor’s profile doesn’t fit the “worst of the worst” label that the government promised to target.
Fabian Schmidt
In New Hampshire, Fabian Schmidt thought he was safe from harassment. He is a green cardholder, a longtime resident, and has no criminal history.
Except for an old misdemeanor that was dismissed nearly two decades ago.
This year, when he flew back into Boston Logan Airport, ICE stopped him. He’s now fighting deportation. His wife says they can’t believe something so minor, from so long ago, is enough to rip their family apart.
A PhD Student
Another story comes from a PhD student—a green cardholder who’s been in the U.S. for years.
His offense was a 2011 marijuana possession charge. He did community service for it.
But on returning from a family trip, he was detained. He was being punished for an old misdemeanor.
Mohsen Mahdawi
And then there’s Mohsen Mahdawi—a student, activist, and lawful permanent resident.
He wasn’t arrested at a crime scene or picked up in a raid. He was detained at his citizenship interview.
Supporters say Mohsen’s arrest is a move to silence activists. If true, it’s a dangerous abuse of power.
Broken Promises
These cases suggest a pattern.
Grandmothers. Fathers. Students. Longtime neighbors. People who have lived in the U.S. for decades, many with valid green cards. People who made mistakes, paid for them, and moved on. People who believed the promise that only criminal, illegal immigrants would be targeted.
But what’s happening is different. Seems to be about quotas, about numbers.
Immigration enforcement that treats old misdemeanors as deportable offenses diminishes people’s trust in the government.
It’s unfair. And it’s tearing apart lives that don’t fit the dangerous criminal label at all.
The Takeaway
The stories of Donna, Victor, Fabian, Mohsen, Cliona, and others highlight a gap between the promises made by the current administration and the outcomes being realized. So, the people are justified in feeling hurt and betrayed.
Get Help at ImmigrationQuestion.com
If you or someone you know is caught in this mess, you can seek help at ImmigrationQuestion.com. We connect immigrants with licensed attorneys who can fight for their rights. Take action before it’s too late.
Start at ImmigrationQuestion.com.
