Trump isn’t talking about deportations, but they’re still happening

Summary

Consider This from NPR

Episode: Trump isn’t talking about deportations, but they’re still happening
Date: May 15, 2026
Host: Ailsa Chang
Guests: Ximena Bustillo (NPR Immigration Correspondent), Franco Ordoñez (NPR White House Correspondent)

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Overview

This episode explores the current state of the Trump administration’s immigration and deportation policies in 2026. While rhetoric about "mass deportations" has faded from public discourse following a controversial and violent crackdown, the federal government continues aggressive enforcement quietly and with expanded resources. The episode analyzes the motivations behind the policy shift, the impact of public backlash, internal DHS changes, and the ongoing political ramifications as the country approaches midterm elections.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Backdrop: Public Backlash and Policy Shifts

• After a period of highly visible, headline-making immigration raids—including deadly shootings in Minneapolis—public sentiment shifted dramatically.
• Polls from February 2026 show:
  • Two-thirds believe federal law enforcement agents have gone too far. (00:59)
  • 61% disapprove of ICE, and 62% think ICE is making Americans less safe.
• DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was fired after these incidents, replaced by Markwayne Mullin, whose mandate was to take DHS "out of the headlines". (01:12, 03:01)
• Despite quieter messaging, deportations and detentions are ongoing at high rates.

2. Leadership Changes and New Strategies

• Markwayne Mullin (new DHS Secretary) emphasizes lower public profile:
  • "We're purposely trying to be a little bit more quiet. I made this very clear when we were moving forward with my nomination that I wanted to get DHS out of the headlines." (Mullin, 03:29)
• Operational changes: Less focus on large, visible raids; ongoing expansion of enforcement and legal authority behind the scenes.

3. Quiet Yet Aggressive Enforcement

• The administration continues large-scale detentions and removals, but without as much public attention.
• Staffing has increased significantly:
  • 12,000 new ICE hires, including 2,000 lawyers for immigration courts. (06:23)
• Investment in infrastructure:
  • Billions spent on increasing detention space—warehouses bought, contracts with private prisons expanded. (06:23)
  • 45 out of $75 billion directed to detention space alone for ICE. (05:54)
• "Thousands are still being arrested every week." (Bustillo, 04:25)
• Some application reviews for immigration status and work permits paused, leading to people losing their legal status. (04:25)

4. Political Dynamics and Messaging

• Enforcement tactics and messaging have been recalibrated in response to public outrage (over protests, civilian deaths, lawsuits) and upcoming midterms. (05:13)
• Trump and GOP push for tens of billions more in enforcement funding—Congress aims to avoid coming back for more money for three years. (05:38)
• Republican support for strict immigration remains strong, but the controversy has complicated the issue, even for party loyalists.
• "It's a shift in methods, not goals. It's more political, but not ideological." (Ordoñez, 07:35)

5. Impact on Election Politics

• Immigration remains a core issue for the Republican base.
• Debate over whether the base will turn out for midterms when Trump isn’t on the ballot. (08:17)
• Both parties grapple with messaging:
  • Democrats see opportunities to recast the issue in their favor by criticizing harsh enforcement.
  • Republicans seek ways to defend and repackage an unpopular deportation strategy. (08:41)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Public Backlash:
  • "Two thirds say federal law enforcement agents have gone too far. That's up significantly since last summer." (B, 00:59)
  • "61% disapprove of ICE, and 62% think ICE is making Americans less safe." (B, 00:59)
• DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin:
  • "We're purposely trying to be a little bit more quiet. I made this very clear when we were moving forward with my nomination that I wanted to get DHS out of the headlines." (B, 03:29)
• On Ongoing Enforcement:
  • "We are seeing the administration also move forward with things like the pauses of reviews of immigrant applications that have resulted in people losing status or work permits." (Bustillo, 04:25)
  • "I saw this in action last week when I was at the Border Security Expo... One top ICE official even said during a panel that especially with the potential of three year funding coming from Congress, he has a shopping list and he is ready." (Bustillo, 06:23)
• Political Analysis:
  • "It's a shift in methods, not goals. It's more political, but not ideological." (Ordoñez, 07:35)
  • "The base is with Trump, but it's unclear how much of the base will actually show up in the midterms when Trump is not on the ballot... Those voters are broadly more concerned about these enforcement measures as well as the economy and other issues." (Ordoñez, 08:17)
  • "Both parties right now are grappling with how to frame the issue of immigration... Republicans are also trying to figure out how to make the mass deportation strategy appealing to voters, especially after the chaotic start to the year..." (Bustillo, 08:41)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Violent raids and public backlash: 00:24–01:12
• Poll results and DHS leadership change: 00:59–01:36
• Shift to quieter deportation tactics: 03:01–04:25
• Funding and expansion of enforcement: 05:38–07:21
• Political impact and election dynamics: 07:21–09:04

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Episode Takeaways

• While not in the public spotlight, the Trump administration continues to pursue aggressive deportation policies, bolstered by historic levels of funding and expanded infrastructure.
• Leadership has shifted towards keeping operations out of the news cycle to avoid backlash and political costs.
• The politics of immigration remain fraught, with both parties maneuvering around the issue as midterms approach, trying to appeal to base voters while courting moderates and independents.
• The brute force strategy has transitioned to a more sophisticated, quietly persistent approach, but for those affected, enforcement remains as real as ever.

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Transcript

[A]

It's consider this where every day we go deep on one big news story today, the state of the Trump administration's immigration policy. It was his signature campaign promise.

[B]

Here's all we're going to do. It's going to be called a Trump mass deportation because we have no choice.

[A]

Once in office, federal agents fanned out across the country and implementation began.

[B]

The Department of Homeland Security says Operation Midway Blitz is underway in Chicago.

[A]

Then came January 2026, when ice and Border Patrol agents were deployed to Minneapolis. Tensions are high in Minneapolis today, a day after an ICE agent shot and killed 37 year old Renee Good as she sat in her car.

[C]

On Saturday, immigration officers shot dead Alex Preddy, a 37 year old US citizen protesting the ICE operation.

[A]

The shootings seem to turn the public against the administration's immigration strategy. That's what an NPR PBS News Marist poll found in February 20th.

[B]

Two thirds say federal law enforcement agents have gone too far. That's up significantly since last summer. 61% disapprove of ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and 62% think ICE is making Americans less safe.

[A]

And it didn't take long before Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was fired and new leadership came in. Since then, immigration has largely been out of the headlines, but that doesn't mean deportations have stopped. Here's White House border czar Tom Homan.

[B]

We're going to continue with this mission. We're not given an inch. We're going to enforce laws to this country without apology.

[A]

Consider this, the Trump administration hasn't been talking much about its mass deportation policy, but that doesn't mean efforts have stopped. From npr, I'm Ailsa Chang.

[C]

This week on the NPR Politics podcast, President Trump in China, the latest on a summit that was billed as a major meeting on trade and AI being overshadowed by the war in Iran, a close ally and trade partner of China. What's happening with tariffs and how is it affecting consumers? On the NPR Politics podcast Listen on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[A]

It's consider this from npr. Back in February, support for President Trump's mass deportation policy had plummeted. Since then, enforcement tactics have increasingly shifted from public view. But what has actually changed when it comes to Trump's goals and tactics? NPR immigration correspondent Jimenez Bustillo and White House correspondent Franco Ordonez join me now to dig into this. Hello to both of you.

[B]

Hey, Elsa.

[D]

Hey, Elsa.

[A]

All right, Jimena, let's start with you. If last year was was the year of immigration raids and city Takeovers. How would you characterize this new phase of Trump's immigration plan?

[D]

The new phase is really just new leadership. Secretary Mark Wayne Mullen, former Senator of Oklahoma, is just over a month into this new job. And it's a position that he was nominated for after President Trump removed Kristi Noem in the middle of the fallout of these large enforcement operations, particularly in Minneapolis. Now, Mullen pitched himself as a leader that could pull the agency out of the headlines. Here he is in an interview with Newsmax.

[B]

We're purposely trying to be a little bit more quiet. I made this very clear when we were moving forward with my nomination that I wanted to get DHS out of the headlines.

[A]

Purposely trying to be a little more quiet. Franco, what has that meant?

[B]

Yeah, I mean, it actually means, like, no more headline grabbing sweeps in Minneapolis and other cities. It's less talk about, quote, mass deportation, but really behind the scenes. And operationally, the system is still expanding. I mean, Trump is pushing Congress, particularly Senate Republicans, to continue to move on legislation that would add billions for enforcement. The administration is pushing for more legal authorities. I mean, what clearly is happening, as evidenced by Mullen's comments, is a softening of the messaging. But if you look at the bigger picture, the broader one, the administration continues to move forward and aggressively.

[A]

So, interesting. Okay, well, Ximena on the ground. In reality, what has that involved so far?

[D]

Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks and ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons are amongst the people in leadership who are stepping away from their positions this month. Now, agency officials do say that thousands are still being arrested every week. And we are seeing the administration also move forward with things like the pauses of reviews of immigrant applications that have resulted in people losing status or work permits. So they are essentially full steam ahead. Still, even as we're seeing these broader changes in leadership and policies, therefore, are then still the same, even if they are not having those made for TV moments that Franco has described.

[A]

And this emphasis on messaging, even though the policies are still the same. Franco, is this just about the negative approval ratings or is there more to this?

[B]

Well, I mean, I'd say politically a lot of this is actually tied to the upcoming midterms. I mean, those early raids really created a lot of headaches for the administration. The widespread protests, the lawsuits, I mean, the bad imagery on tv, civilian deaths, I mean, all that impacted polls and support. And then you add to the mix that Congress is debating tens of billions of dollars in enforcement. Those dynamics, they just feed off of each other.

[A]

Absolutely. But can we just put this in context? Because they got like $75 billion last year, and now Congress wants to give them enough money to avoid having to come back for more for three years. What does all of that money get them?

[D]

So the 75 billion is also only for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That's not even counting billion more that Border Patrol is getting. But essentially for ice, we can divide this up into two buckets. So one bucket is money for more staff and personnel, and the second bucket is to increase detention space and capacity. About $45 billion of that 75 is just for detention space.

[A]

Okay, and what else do we know about how they're actually spending all of this money?

[D]

Yeah, I mean, I saw this in action last week when I was at the Border Security Expo in Phoenix, Arizona, where I saw dozens of private companies coming to show off their technology and gear that ICE and Border Patrol could be interested in buying. One top ICE official even said during a panel that especially with the potential of three year funding coming from Congress, he has a shopping list and he is ready. Now, they have also said that they hired 12,000 people just for ICE. Many of those are deportation officers, but about 2,000 lawyers to represent the agency and Immigration court and additional other investigators. They are also looking for weight to expand that detention capacity I mentioned. We're seeing still historic high numbers of people in immigration detention. And the administration, as we know, began buying warehouses earlier this year to convert them into detention facilities, as well as utilizing private prison contracts.

[A]

Well, Franco, immigration was such a huge part of the 2024 campaign, and Trump has boasted that it was one of the issues that actually won him the White House again. So is immigration still popular with the Republican base?

[B]

Yeah, for sure. I mean, it's very popular with the base. But it's also true that the issue has become more complicated for all the reasons that we're discussing. I mean, even some Republicans are concerned about how the enforcement was being carried out. So it's a shift in methods, not goals. It's more political, but not ideological. I mean, immigration continues to be an issue that Republicans can count on. They still pull ahead of Democrats on immigration. And that's really important right now for Republicans, especially with all the other challenges they face heading into these midterms. Those are concerns about economy, affordability, challenges, and of course, the lack of enthusiasm.

[A]

Okay, well, if the base is still with Trump, why are Republicans still concerned?

[B]

Well, I mean, the base is with Trump, but it's unclear how much of the base will actually show up in the midterms when Trump is not on the ballot. The base just doesn't turn out in the same way. That enthusiasm is not the same. And that means more moderate Republicans, and especially independents will play a more significant role. And those voters are broadly more concerned about these enforcement measures as well as the economy and other issues.

[D]

Right. And both parties right now are grappling with how to frame the issue of immigration. You know, Democrats are seeing an opportunity to take a grab on the issue that was a major loser for them in 2024, particularly when pivoting to talking about enforcement tactics. But Republicans are also trying to figure out how to make the mass deportation strategy appealing to voters, especially after the

[A]

chaotic start to the year that is NPR's Ximena Bustillo and Franco Ordonez. Thank you to both of you.

[B]

Thank you.

[D]

Thank you.

[A]

This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlem. It was edited by Kelsey Snell, Timbi Ermias and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. It's consider this from npr. I'm Ailsa Chang. Why do some of us feel so tired and other people seem to have endless energy?

[D]

What we've discovered is that different people have very different kinds of mitochondria, and

[B]

some people's mitochondria seem to be quite

[A]

a bit better at flowing energy.

[D]

That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast. Listen on the NPR app or wherever

[A]

you get your podcasts.