Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Dec 22: US President Donald Trump is preparing for a more aggressive immigration crackdown in 2026, backed by billions of dollars in new funding, including expanded workplace raids, even as political backlash builds ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

The Trump administration has already intensified immigration enforcement in major US cities, where federal agents have carried out large-scale operations, often triggering protests and legal challenges. While some high-profile business raids were conducted this year, enforcement agencies largely avoided farms, factories and other economically sensitive workplaces known to employ undocumented immigrants.

That approach is expected to change following the approval of a massive spending package by the Republican-controlled Congress in July. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol are set to receive an additional $170 billion in funding through September 2029, a sharp increase from their combined annual budget of around $19 billion.

Administration officials said the funds will be used to recruit thousands of new agents, expand detention facilities, increase arrests from local jails and partner with private firms to track people without legal status. The plans include a significant rise in enforcement actions at workplaces.

The expanded drive comes amid growing signs of voter unease. Trump’s approval rating on immigration has fallen from 50 per cent in March to 41 per cent by mid-December. Public concern has focused on reports of masked agents, aggressive tactics in residential areas and the detention of US citizens during raids.

Political shifts have also been noted at the local level. Miami, a city heavily impacted by the crackdown, recently elected its first Democratic mayor in nearly three decades, a result the mayor-elect linked partly to opposition against Trump’s immigration policies.

Alongside enforcement measures, the administration has revoked temporary legal status for hundreds of thousands of Haitian, Venezuelan and Afghan nationals, expanding the pool of people eligible for deportation. Trump has pledged to deport one million immigrants annually, though the target is widely seen as difficult to achieve. Around 622,000 immigrants have been deported since he took office in January.

White House border czar Tom Homan said arrests would rise sharply in the coming year as staffing and detention capacity expand. “You’re going to see the numbers explode next year,” he said, confirming that workplace raids are part of the plan.

Despite official claims that the focus is on criminals, government data shows that a growing share of those detained have no criminal record beyond alleged immigration violations. Analysts have warned that stepped-up workplace enforcement could disrupt industries, raise labour costs and hurt efforts to control inflation ahead of the closely watched midterm elections.

As the administration presses ahead with its plans, the immigration debate is expected to intensify, with significant political, economic and legal implications in the months ahead.