As the calendar turns to 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump is gearing up for one of the most ambitious immigration enforcement campaigns in recent history. Riding on a landmark funding package, the administration plans to shift from headline-grabbing city raids to a broader sweep of workplaces, farms and factories nationwide.
Key to this escalation is a $170 billion funding boost secured in July under a Republican-led spending bill. Over the next four years, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Border Patrol will see their combined budgets balloon nearly ninefold from roughly $19 billion a year. Officials say the influx will finance thousands of new agents, cutting-edge apprehension tools and additional detention space.
During 2025, federal agents surged into major cities, clashing with residents in high-profile neighborhood raids. They largely sidestepped economically vital workplaces. In 2026, that’s set to change. ICE will ramp up audits at job sites, teaming with local jails to identify undocumented detainees and partnering with private firms to trace those without legal status.
The strategy comes amid growing political headwinds. Trump’s approval on immigration dipped from 50 percent in March 2025 to 41 percent in mid-December 2025, as communities pushed back on the human and economic toll of the crackdowns. With midterm elections looming in November 2026, critics warn the aggressive agenda could alienate key voting blocs.
Beyond politics, the expanded raids could reshape labor markets. Replacing thousands of arrested workers may drive up wages and production costs, adding fresh pressure to tame inflation—an issue analysts say could dominate the 2026 electoral map and reverberate through global supply chains.
So far, the administration has stripped temporary status from hundreds of thousands of Haitian, Venezuelan and Afghan residents, and deported some 622,000 immigrants since January 2025. Legal immigrants haven’t been spared: agents have arrested spouses of U.S. citizens at green card interviews and revoked thousands of student visas.
As 2026 unfolds, the world will watch whether this sweeping enforcement reshapes America’s workforce, politics and place in a globalized labor market—while testing the balance between security, economics and human impact.
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Trump to expand immigration enforcement in 2026 amid growing backlash
cgtn.com
