Latest Analysis

United States Frees Venezuelans Held in El Salvador Following Prisoner Swap
Four months ago, the Trump administration carried out one of the worst abuses of government power in generations, imprisoning roughly 250 Venezuelan men (and dozens of Salvadorans) without due process in El Salvador’s notorious Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT). For four months, the men were held without any access to the outside world. Now, thanks to a prisoner exchange carried out on July 18, the men have been flown from El Salvador to Venezuela in exchange for Venezuela releasing 10 U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents held as political prisoners.

In Just Six Months, Trump’s Immigration Policy Has Built a Crueler World

The Trump administration’s vision of America is a radical departure from traditional views that the country is a nation of immigrants, that anyone can become an American, and that America has a role to play in making the whole world more free. And it’s very willing to throw its weight around to advance that vision of America – which sets a template for what other countries should do, themselves.

US Citizens—Not Migrants—Smuggle the Majority of Fentanyl Into the United States

When President Donald Trump signed The Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act into law on July 16, 2025, he blamed his favorite boogeyman for the rise in fentanyl overdoses in the United States: migrants illegally crossing the southern border. But the truth of the matter is far different: it’s U.S. citizens—not migrants—who are smuggling the majority of fentanyl into the country.

Trump’s Attack on Immigrants Is the Tip of the Spear for His Attack on Democracy

The attack on immigration is the tip of the spear for the attack on American democracy. It’s an attack on all noncitizens (and even, sometimes, citizens), who now live with the very real threat of being snatched from their homes by masked agents of the state and prosecuted by lawyers who refuse to give their names.

Six Months of Trump’s Immigration Agenda: A State and Local Snapshot
While much of the public’s attention has rightly focused on the whirlwind of immigration-related activity at the federal level during the first six months of the second Trump administration, states and local communities have been far from idle this year. Some have leaned into the administration’s immigration enforcement priorities, while others are holding the line and pushing back.

Facts You Should Know

The first six months of President Trump’s return to office have marked the most extreme changes to the immigration system in modern U.S. history. These policy shifts threaten our democracy, and likely feel too fast, too sweeping, or too complex to understand — as they frequently change day by day, hour by hour. That's why we've released a new special report as a framework to understand these changes.

Across the Nation

Ilia is a 24-year-old pro-democracy activist who recently fled a threatening environment in his native Russia. But after escaping, he was taken into custody and put into detention by the very country he believed would protect him: the United States.

Ilia has no criminal history and does not pose a threat to his community. In fact, he won his asylum case, because he was targeted for upholding the very democratic ideal of free speech—upon which this country was founded. The result is prolonged, needless suffering, even for someone the system has already deemed worthy of protection.

Quote of the Week

“Immigrants and immigration [are]the tip of the spear in Trump’s attack on democracy. This is a leader with authoritarian tendencies who wants to undermine core democratic norms across American society... He’s intentionally started with immigrants, because they think given the politically divisive nature of this issue, the xenophobic narrative that they’ve successfully advanced, and the results of the last election that they can get away with it.”

— Nayna Gupta, policy director, in conversation with The New Republic

Events

The American Immigration Council is a proud partner of the Open Atlas Summit 2025, taking place on August 15–16 in the Bay Area. This event is the largest and most influential gathering for skilled immigrants in America, with over 1,000 founders, investors, EB-1A/O-1A achievers, immigration lawyers, and community leaders coming together. Use code “AIC20” for 20% off your All Access Ticket until Thursday, July 31.

Purchase Tickets and Learn More: Open Atlas Summit 2025