President-elect Donald Trump will take the oath of office for a second time next week, and has vowed again to make immigration enforcement a top priority.
That includes operations at businesses suspected of hiring individuals who are in the country without legal status.
Trump鈥檚 track record, and how workplace raids have occurred under past presidents of both parties, provide a blueprint for how they may work in the future. Here鈥檚 what we know may happen as Trump retakes the White House.
What has Trump or his administration leaders said about immigration raids?
Trump has promised his administration will conduct , prioritizing removing individuals with a criminal history or who pose a national security threat.
, Trump鈥檚 鈥渂order czar,鈥� said the administration also plans to bring back workplace raids, which were .
During so-called 鈥渨orksite enforcement鈥� operations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, agents arrest and detain individuals who are in the country without legal status. Homan has said workplace raids can help ICE agents identify human and sex trafficking victims.
鈥淲orksite operations have to happen. Here鈥檚 why,鈥� Homan said during an . 鈥淲here do we find most victims of sex trafficking and forced labor trafficking? At worksites.鈥�
There鈥檚 been a lot of speculation 鈥� but not much clarity 鈥� about when enforcement operations at worksites may begin.
Last week, NBC News reported that the Trump administration was considering plans for a as early as Inauguration Day in the nation鈥檚 capital or surrounding area. But in an interview with the Washington Examiner, Homan had been discussed.
Another plan the incoming administration is reportedly considering is that keeps ICE agents from arresting individuals in places like schools, hospitals and churches.
It鈥檚 unclear how federal agents might cooperate with local and state officials. The Texas Newsroom reached out to the Texas Department of Public Safety to ask about its cooperation with ICE but did not hear back.
Did Biden or Obama enforce workplace raids?
During , large-scale arrests at workplaces were ended in favor of prosecuting employers 鈥� but some workers were still arrested, according to Politifact.
Biden鈥檚 Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also said his agency would focus enforcement on unscrupulous .
However, just last week in Kern County, California were arrested and detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents, according to several news reports.
The arrests included, an individual with a and a person another person of $70,000, according to U.S. Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent Gregory K. Bovino.
Border Patrol officials said the at people involved in criminal activity, such as smuggling. Immigrant advocates, however, said some of the individuals arrested who were pulled over on their way to work and others who鈥檇 stopped at a local convenience store and gas station frequented by immigrant workers.
The arrests drew attention because Border Patrol that far inland but rather within 100 miles of the border.
How have raids worked in the past?
ICE agents have conducted raids at all kinds of different types of job sites, from to .
How the agency decides where to raid depends on a variety of factors. But the information it receives from others is key.
鈥淯sually, in terms of worksites, we have some information 鈥� someone has come to us and told us, you know, that there are undocumented persons that are working there,鈥� , former chief counsel for ICE in Dallas, told The Texas Newsroom.
He said they often receive 鈥渋ntelligence鈥� from an employee or are following up on a past raid.
In 2008, ICE raided the country, including in Mt. Pleasant, Texas. Hunker said those arrested were alleged to have stolen the identities of U.S. citizens to be able to work.
Other times, ICE agents will inspect federal employment eligibility forms filed by the company at worksites.
Once inside, Hunker said workers are grouped according to their status. For example, U.S. citizens are separated from non-citizens with authorization to work and non-citizens who aren鈥檛 authorized.
Afterward, workers are taken to a local ICE office, often by bus, where they鈥檙e processed before they鈥檙e moved to a detention center. Those who are detained have a right to an attorney but ICE doesn鈥檛 provide one.
Some individuals will receive a notice to appear in court while others might be scheduled for immediate removal.
Hunker said workplace enforcement actions are not quick and easy.
"There鈥檚 a huge amount of coordination with state and locals to sort of plan out the operation,鈥� he said.
Haim Vasquez, an immigration attorney in North Texas, expects the Trump administration to prioritize removing not only people with a criminal background but also those who鈥檝e already received an order to leave the country.
That 鈥渨ill allow ICE to deport or remove them from the country without having to go to court,鈥� Vasquez said. 鈥淭hey already lost their chance to go to court if they didn鈥檛 show up or they already went to court if they got their order of removal.鈥�
What happens to migrants caught up in the raids? What about the businesses where they worked?
The lives of those caught up in raids are often upended, especially if the worker is the household鈥檚 primary income earner.
That was the case in 2018, under the Trump administration, when ICE agents raided manufacturing company Load Trail in Sumner, Texas. About 159 people were arrested. In some cases, a worker鈥檚 family paid a $5,000 bond so their loved one could go home.
Others were released for humanitarian reasons and ordered to appear in immigration court at a later date.
As for the companies raided, many have not had to face severe consequences.
One outlier was an affiliated company of Load Trail, the company raided in Sumner in 2018. In February 2023, it document fraud. Under a plea deal, the company agreed to pay $5 million in fines.
What about the broader community? How have family members, especially children, been affected?
Children of parents who are detained or deported can experience emotional trauma, experts say, and may be caught up in the child welfare system if they don鈥檛 have any adult caregivers left in the states.
Across the country, are already preparing for possible upcoming raids after Trump takes office. Some have asked parents to update their emergency contact information and have a plan for their children should something happen.
Some community members rally around workers and their families who鈥檝e been affected by a raid. After the Load Trail operation, the non-profit organization RAICES provided legal assistance. A local pastor opened his church to families and volunteers providing assistance.
In the Honey Grove Independent School District, collected donations after workplace raids in 2018 during the Trump administration. Superintendent Todd Morrison himself drove some family members to immigration court in Dallas.
Stella M. Ch谩vez is an investigative reporter for The Texas Newsroom. Got a tip? Email her at schavez@kera.org or tips@kut.org. You can follow her on X .
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