Wed Jan 29 01:30:00 UTC 2025: ## Trump’s Immigration Crackdown: Data Challenges Assertions of Mass Illegal Immigration

**Washington D.C., January 29, 2025** – President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration changes are facing scrutiny as data challenges his claims regarding the scale of illegal immigration in the United States. While Trump pledged to deport “millions and millions” of undocumented migrants, official figures from the Department of Homeland Security estimate the number to be around 11 million, significantly lower than his assertions. Other estimates range from 11 to 14 million. Approximately 210,000 of these are estimated to be Indian nationals (2022 data).

The administration’s actions, including the dismissal of immigration court officials and the shutdown of the CBP One asylum app, have exacerbated an already substantial backlog of over 3 million immigration cases. This backlog has increased by over 1 million in just over a year, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Furthermore, data reveals a sharp increase in the number of Indian nationals attempting illegal entry into the U.S., rising from over 1,500 a decade ago to nearly 97,000 in 2023. A similar surge is seen in asylum applications from Indian citizens.

A new Senate bill allows for the detention and deportation of undocumented migrants arrested for even minor non-violent crimes. However, data from the National Institute of Justice contradicts Trump’s claims linking undocumented migrants to increased violent crime. A 2012-2018 study in Texas showed the violent crime rate of undocumented immigrants was half that of U.S.-born citizens and significantly lower than that of documented immigrants.

The potential mass deportations raise concerns within industries heavily reliant on undocumented workers, such as construction and agriculture. A 2018 study by the Center for Migration Studies of New York estimated that 5.5 million undocumented immigrants comprised a significant portion of the U.S. workforce. Mass deportations could severely disrupt these sectors and essential services. The article concludes by noting that the proposed deportations affect millions of individuals, many of whom have lived in the U.S. for decades, contribute to the economy and have low rates of criminal activity.

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