THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S crackdown on illegal and undocumented immigrants is creating ‘fear across the board’ for Irish migrants in the US, a leading lawyer has said. 

Since he came into office, Donald Trump has been pouring resources into arresting and deporting undocumented immigrants as he aims to carry out the immigration purge that was promised during the presidential campaign.

Trump vowed to undertake the largest number of mass deportations in US history as president.

But while the Trump White House said deportations would prioritise immigrants with criminal records, his “border czar” Tom Homan said there would be “collateral arrests,” meaning some immigrants without criminal records could also be detained.

“The fear is across the board, and it’s not just undocumented people that are feeling afraid,” Irish immigration lawyer Fiona McEntee told The Journal.

Fiona McEntee Erin Stefanik Photography Erin Stefanik Photography

She founded the Chicago-based McEntee Law Group, which focuses on immigration law.

McEntee noted that people who have “green cards, visas, and even naturalised US citizens” are also feeling this fear.

A naturalised US citizen is someone who was not born in the United States but has legally acquired citizenship.

A green card allows a person to live and work in the US and start the process to become a naturalised citizen – but there have been recent high-profile cases of people who hold green cards being deported for taking part in pro-Palestine protests.

Students gather inside the campus of Columbia University to protest the university's stance on Israel on 19 April, 2024 in New York City. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

“The green card is a significant milestone in immigration and it takes a lot of work to get to that point,” said McEntee.

“We would have viewed that as something that could not really be taken away, absent some very specific circumstances, such as committing a serious crime.”

Irish in America

There is a perception that “Irish privilege” can prevent the undocumented Irish in the US from being fearful of Trump’s deportations.

But McEntee noted that Irish people have been deported under previous administrations.

“If you’re an English-speaking white immigrant, there is a certain privilege,” said McEntee.

“There is a lot of racial profiling here and people are being targeted based on looking like an immigrant, which is just ridiculous.

“But it’s not accurate to say that Irish people have not been subject to immigration enforcement in the past.”

It’s estimated there are around 10,000 undocumented Irish immigrants across the US but exact figures are understandably difficult to come by. 

Between 2022 and 2024, 158 Irish people were detained by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and 131 were removed from the US for immigration violations.

“And now, this administration seems to be trying to meet some kind of quota and they’re doing all these raids and sweeps and casting a massively wide net,” said McEntee.

There have been reports that the Trump administration is requiring at least 1,500 arrests per day by ICE, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Rally to protest arrest of Mahmoud Kahilil, where an anti-ICE sign can be seen Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

“We’re a small country so we have a smaller number of people here in the US than other countries.

“Some of the [enforcement measures] we’re seeing are targeting certain groups like Venezuelan immigrants, but others are getting caught up in that as well.”

McEntee also noted the tough tone struck by Trump’s border czar, who was once an acting director of ICE.

Last year, Homan said: “As a guy who spent 34 years deporting illegal aliens, I got a message to the millions of illegal aliens… you better start packing now, because you’re going home.”

Meanwhile, McEntee noted that pathways to citizenship are complex and there is “often no place in the immigration system for them to go”.

And while working without authorisation or overstaying your welcome may be forgiven in certain circumstances, a criminal background, no matter how minor, won’t.

J1 visas and social media

Meanwhile, McEntee re-iterated a warning that was issued last week to students going to the US on a J1 visa.

The Union of Students in Ireland warned of the “potential risks” of being involved in activism amid recent cases of students without US citizenship being arrested and threatened with deportation after taking part in pro-Palestine protests at universities.

“People need to be extremely careful about any type of political activism, including on social media, because this administration is taking a different stance to the Biden administration in relation to what they consider to be antisemitic and anti-American,” said McEntee.

“I appreciate the value of free speech, it’s a constitutional right here in the US, but the way we’re seeing this play out is extremely troubling and concerning.”

File photo of protest by pro-Palestinian students who walked out of class Alamy Alamy

She added that visitors to the US should consider their social media history when going before Customs officials.

Last month, a French scientist was reportedly refused entry to the US when customs officials found WhatApp messages on his phone expressing criticism of the Trump administration.

“Customs officials don’t necessarily have to tell you exactly why you’re not getting it,” said McEntee.

“They have a huge amount of power and discretion, and they have said they’re going to start looking at people’s social media in relation to conduct that they deem to be antisemitic.

“If you’re a potential visitor to the US, they have all the cards, you don’t really have any, so it can be a tricky position to be in.”