What A Day Trump Takes Down US Immigration System
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Sep 25, 2025 Katie Blankenship, an immigration attorney, dives deep into the harsh realities faced by detainees in the U.S. under the Trump administration. She reveals the staggering numbers of individuals stuck in overcrowded facilities, often with no criminal records. Conditions have deteriorated, with families torn apart due to a lack of communication and the disappearance of detainees from tracking systems. Blankenship highlights the politicization of immigration courts and rising denial rates for asylum claims, linking anti-immigrant policies to profit motives and political power.
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Mass Deportation Machinery Expanded
- The Trump administration has rapidly expanded mass deportation machinery since January, increasing detentions and removals.
- Katie Blankenship warns the system now operates both in plain sight and out of view, creating systemic opacity and harm.
Clients Disappeared In Unlisted Camps
- Katie describes clients who are 'disappeared' into camps that don't appear on the ICE locator or court websites.
- One client deported to Mexico took eight days before his family heard from him because he lacked phone access during transit.
Politicizing Immigration Judges
- The administration is politicizing immigration judges by firing those with higher asylum grant rates.
- Blankenship says this replaces experienced IJs with political appointees and undermines impartial adjudication.