Since the second inauguration of United States president, Donald Trump, on January 20, 2025, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) has been a frequent part of news headlines and daily life. In reflection of the presence of ICE over the past year, below is an abridged set of information regarding ICE originally presented to Prospect Music Therapy staff in the summer of 2025.
The United States Immigration & Customs Enforcement agency was established in March 2003 as part of the Homeland Security Act formed by the Department of Homeland Security in response to September 11, 2001. The intent of the organization was to enforce federal laws governing border control, customs, trade, and immigration, and although ICE has been present for over two decades, the visibility and impact of the agency has increased vastly since the beginning of the second Trump administration (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 2025a, n.d.). While there were 33,242 arrests made by ICE in the 2024 fiscal year, there were 66,463 ICE arrests made in the first 100 days of the Trump administration (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 2025b). Further, between January 20, 2025 and December 3, 2025, 579,000 “illegal aliens” were arrested according to Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin (Gibson, 2025).
Individuals at risk of deportation include individuals without lawful immigration status as well as those with lawful immigration status but certain criminal convictions such as aggravated felonies. Individuals at risk for arrest include deportable immigrants with pending criminal cases and/or prior criminal convictions, individuals without lawful immigration status, and non-citizens that “pose a threat to public safety or national security,” with prioritization based on suggestion from the ever-changing federal government. Arrests may occur in a multitude of settings, including on the street, in one’s car, at one’s home, or at one’s place of employment, and ICE arrests may take place in sensitive locations such as hospitals and places of worship (Immigrant Defense Project, 2025).
Understandably, the experience of an increased ICE presence can negatively impact the well-being of at-risk individuals on top of the standard challenges of immigration and marginalization such as the potential loss of social supports, prejudice and discrimination, financial stressors, language barriers, and overall culture shock (Easton, 2025). For example, fear of ICE may cause individuals to feel uneasy about leaving their homes, impacting social and financial well-being. An increased ICE presence may lead individuals at risk and at large (i.e., those in opposition to ICE practices) to distrust the government and systems beyond one’s own culture such as the United States healthcare system, and such fear and mistrust can serve as a barrier to care (ex: medical & mental health care) during times of unrest. All in all, the presence of ICE may harm individuals as well as the growth and empowerment of communities that flourish from diversity and mutual collaboration (Easton, 2025; “Health Care and U.S. Immigration Enforcement,” 2025; Line & Badat, 2022; Osborn, 2025).
The following lists share strategies and resources to support at-risk community members as pertains to ICE as well as information regarding the rights individuals have if/when in the presence of ICE agents.
Strategies to Support Immigrant Community Members
- Provide language-inclusive resources & avenues for communication in preferred/first language(s)
- Display diverse representations in art & literature
- Assist individuals in keeping emergency contact information updated
- Assist individuals in making plans for childcare when caregivers are drained or unavailable due to the presence of ICE
- Inform community members of their legal rights
- Maintain a list of community resources
- Provide opportunities for community building, question asking, and group empowerment
(Easton, 2025; Southern Poverty Law Center, 2025)
Strategies to Support Immigrant Community Members in Work Environments
- Designate private areas in offices where enforcement actions are restricted
- Document interactions with ICE enforcement and note potential breaches of the law, ethics, or consent
- Adapt services as applicable (ex: virtual care)
- Unless required, do not ask about immigration status
- Engage in cultural humility/recognize cultural biases
(Easton, 2025; “Health Care and U.S. Immigration Enforcement,” 2025; Line & Badat, 2022; Osborn, 2025)
Know Your Rights!
- ICE agents cannot freely enter private areas (ex: home, restricted school areas, etc.) without a warrant signed by a judge
- Individuals have the right to remain silent, speak to a lawyer, and not sign anything unless a lawyer is present
- Individuals do not have to give over consular documents unless presented with a valid warrant
(Immigrant Defense Project, 2025)
Resources
- Lawyers for Civil Rights – Immigrant Defense Hotline: Call (617) 988-0606
- We Have Rights Campaign – Guides & Videos on Immigrant Rights
- Community Justice Exchange – Know Your Rights When ICE is Watching
- Corazón Norte – Mental Health Resources for Immigrants & Community Allies
- Southern Poverty Law Center – Protecting Immigrant Students’ Rights to a Public Education
- Immigrant Defense Project – Resources for Communities, Attorneys, Judges, & Prosecutors
- Immigrants Rising – Mental Health Resources for Undocumented People
- Illinois Department of Human Services – List of Community Service Agencies Serving Immigrants
- Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights – Immigrant Community Resources
- National Immigrant Justice Center – Immigrant Legal Service Providers (Nationwide & in the Chicago Area)
Citations
Barragan O-Brien, M. (2024, July). Mental health resources for undocumented people. IMMIGRANTS RISING. https://immigrantsrising.org/resource/mental-health-resources-for-undocumented-people/
Diaz Madera, D. (n.d.). Resources for the community. Corazón Norte. https://www.corazon-norte.com/resources
Easton, V. C. (2025, June 10). Immigrant mental health: Clinical strategies for culturally responsive and trauma-informed care. Blueprint for Therapists: AI Documentation & Insights. https://www.blueprint.ai/blog/immigrant-mental-health-clinical-strategies-for-culturally-responsive-and-trauma-informed-care
Gibson, B. (2025, December 4).New data: ICE arrests surge as agency chases Trump quota. Axios. https://www.axios.com/2025/12/04/trump-ice-immigration-arrests-deportations
Health care and U.S. immigration enforcement: What providers need to know. (March 2025). Physicians for Human Rights; National Immigration Law Center. https://phr.org/our-work/resources/health-care-and-u-s-immigration-enforcement-what-providers-need-to-know/
IDP resources. Immigrant Defense Project. (2025). https://www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/resources/
Immigrant community resources. Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. (2023, November 22). https://www.icirr.org/resources
Know your rights with ICE. Immigrant Defense Project. (2025). https://www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/know-your-rights-with-ice/#KYR-flyer
Line, A., & Badat, M. (2022, December 14). Considerations when counseling immigrants and refugees. National Board for Certified Counselors . https://www.nbcc.org/resources/nccs/newsletter/counseling-immigrants-and-refugees
List of community service agencies serving immigrants. Illinois Department of Human Services. (n.d.). https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=117419
Osborn, M. (2025, March 19). Working with immigrant clients in tumultuous times. Pro Bono Counseling. https://www.probonocounseling.org/working-with-immigrant-clients-in-tumultuous-times/
Other legal and social services resources. National Immigrant Justice Center. (2025, June 6). https://immigrantjustice.org/for-immigrants/other-legal-social-services-resources/
Protecting immigrant students’ rights to a public education. Southern Poverty Law Center. (2025, February 12). https://www.splcenter.org/resources/guides/plyler/
Southern Poverty Law Center. (2025, April). Supporting students from immigrant families. Learning for Justice. https://www.learningforjustice.org/supporting-students-from-immigrant-families
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (n.d.).In USA.gov. Retrieved July 29, 2025, from https://www.usa.gov/agencies/u-s-immigration-and-customs-enforcement#:~:text=and%20Customs%20Enforcement-,U.S.%20Immigration%20and%20Customs%20Enforcement%20(ICE),customs,%20trade,%20and%20immigration
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (2025a, May 16). History of ICE. ICE. https://www.ice.gov/history
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (2025b, June 13). 100 days of record-breaking immigration enforcement in the US interior. ICE. https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/100-days-record-breaking-immigration-enforcement-us-interior
We have rights. We Have Rights. (n.d.). Brooklyn Defenders; Witness; MediaTank Productions; Variant. https://www.wehaverights.us/
Weiss, P. (2025, January 24). When ice is watching: Know your fight ✊🏼 protect your people ✊🏼. Community Justice Exchange. https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/en/resources-all/when-ice-is-watching-know-your-fight-protect-your-people-
