President Donald Trump is gearing up for a significantly more aggressive immigration enforcement strategy in 2026, backed by a massive injection of new funding, even as political opposition mounts ahead of next year's critical midterm elections.
Billions in Funding and a Shift to Workplace Enforcement
The scale of the planned operation is substantial. Following a spending package passed by the Republican-controlled Congress in July, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol are set to receive an additional $170 billion through September 2029. This represents a huge increase over their existing combined annual budgets of roughly $19 billion.
Administration officials state the funds will be used to hire thousands of new agents, open additional detention centres, and increase cooperation with local jails and private companies to locate individuals without legal status. Crucially, after largely avoiding economically sensitive sectors like farms and factories this year, the strategy will now "absolutely" include more enforcement actions at workplaces, according to Trump's border chief, Tom Homan.
Political Backlash and Shifting Public Opinion
This expansion comes despite clear signs of a growing political backlash. In Miami, a city heavily impacted by the crackdown, voters recently elected their first Democratic mayor in nearly 30 years—a result the mayor-elect partly attributed to a reaction against the President's policies. Polling and other local elections suggest rising voter concern over aggressive tactics.
Mike Madrid, a moderate Republican strategist, observed, "People are beginning to see this not as an immigration question anymore as much as it is a violation of rights... There is no question that is a problem for the president and Republicans." Public unease has focused on incidents involving masked federal agents using tear gas in residential areas and detaining U.S. citizens.
Trump's approval rating on immigration, once his strongest issue, has fallen from 50% in March to 41% by mid-December.
Expanding the Deportation Pool and Economic Implications
Alongside the ramp-up in operations, the administration has moved to widen the pool of those eligible for removal. It has stripped hundreds of thousands of Haitian, Venezuelan, and Afghan immigrants of temporary legal status. While the President pledged to remove one million immigrants annually, the total since he took office in January stands at approximately 622,000.
Tom Homan told Reuters that with new funding for officers and detention space, "you're going to see the numbers explode greatly next year." However, a focus on workplace raids could have significant economic repercussions. Replacing arrested workers may drive up labour costs, potentially undermining Trump's fight against inflation—a key issue in the 2026 elections.
Sarah Pierce of the center-left group Third Way noted that while businesses have been reluctant to challenge the crackdown, a shift in focus to employers might finally prompt them to speak out. Data also reveals a shift in enforcement priorities: 41% of the roughly 54,000 people arrested and detained by ICE by late November had no criminal record beyond an immigration violation, compared to just 6% in the weeks before Trump took office.
The administration's approach has also extended to legal immigration, with reports of spouses being arrested at green card interviews and individuals having citizenship revoked at naturalisation ceremonies.
