Immigration Raids Are Cruel, Illegal, And Will Cost Us Money

The price of Trump’s immigration dragnet

President Donald Trump’s mass immigration roundups have been a disaster. They are cruel, incompetent, and ultimately going to cost all of us — both financially and reputationally.

In Los Angeles, there have been instances of American citizens being snatched off the street simply because they looked like undocumented immigrants. I don’t have any legal training, but even I know that’s illegal and a textbook case of racial profiling. That’s why Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has filed a lawsuit against the federal government.

But it’s not just happening in Los Angeles. Immigrants are being targeted across the country. Here are a few disturbing examples:

Khalil Case Is a Comedy of Errors

In March, Columbia University student Mohamed Khalil was arrested by ICE agents who refused to identify themselves. He was taken from his family and held for 104 days. The agents tried to arrest him for being undocumented — only to discover he had a green card! After months of legal back-and-forth, Khalil was released because the charges didn’t hold up in court.

In June, U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz ordered his release, stating that punishing someone for their opinion is unconstitutional.

But Khalil missed the birth of his son. Now he’s suing the Trump administration for $20 million for his mistreatment. He says he’ll drop the lawsuit if he gets a public apology — but that’s unlikely.

The main reason Khalil was detained wasn’t because he broke the law — it was because he wrote a pro-Palestinian editorial. That’s not a crime. In fact, it’s protected by the First Amendment. The government has no legitimate charges against him. His detention is clearly retaliatory, and his legal team is confident he has a strong case.

Abrego-Garcia Went to Hell, Could Go Back

Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego-Garcia, a Salvadoran refugee, was caught up in an immigration raid and deported without a trial. He ended up in a brutal supermax prison in El Salvador, where the Trump administration gleefully claimed he would “never return” to the U.S. But he did return — and now he’s facing more bogus charges, allegedly for “human trafficking.”

Legal experts say the case is flimsy. What’s worse is how he was treated abroad. Abrego-Garcia reported being subjected to physical and psychological torture. He was forced to kneel for hours, denied access to a bathroom (forcing him to soil himself), and beaten by prison guards.

Despite this, the Trump administration says it plans to deport him again after trial — completely ignoring international law, which prohibits deporting someone to a country where they are likely to be tortured. Abrego-Garcia has a strong civil case against the government.

‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Obscenity

The Trump administration has created a detention facility for undocumented immigrants in the Florida Everglades, nicknamed Alligator Alcatraz. It’s a modern-day gulag — set in the middle of a swamp, exposed to extreme heat, flooding, mosquitoes, and poor sanitation. Inmates have already reported horrifying conditions: massive bugs, broken toilets, lack of water, and filthy clothing.

“There’s no water to take a bath … it’s been four days,” said Cuban musician Leamsy La Figura, according to NBC.

This isn’t just inhumane — it’s another lawsuit waiting to happen.

City of Angels Scene of Human Rights Abuses

Several American citizens have been picked up off the street and thrown into ICE detention centers, where they endured the same abusive conditions: lack of water, unsanitary living quarters, and denial of basic human dignity.

What all of these examples show is that Trump and many in his administration are not only cruel but staggeringly incompetent. And unfortunately, the rest of us will be left holding the bag. These cases are mouth-watering opportunities for civil rights lawsuits against the government, which means you and me. The legal costs and payouts are going to be massive. We’re all going to end up paying the price for Trump’s mistakes — and his administration’s contempt for human rights and the Constitution.