This report sets forth the 2017 official data on immigration arrests and deportations and details the often-wrenching human impact of Trump’s policies on undocumented immigrants, their families, and their US communities. The latter analysis draws heavily on 43 in-depth Human Rights Watch interviews with long-term immigrants deported since Trump’s election. Taken together, the data and firsthand accounts illustrate how the enforcement machine President Trump has moved so eagerly to accelerate rarely ever considers people’s deep and longstanding ties to the United States before deporting them.
The report explains the methodology of the study, provides background information on the immigration policies in place, and offers profiles of deportees, including children left behind and families separated by deportation. The report highlights serious flaws in deportation procedures and recalls international standards on human rights, family and home, and children's rights. The report concludes with recommendations for US government bodies.
