What to expect from Trump’s immigration policies

Since the midterm elections, President Trump has acknowledged in a television interview that his administration's immigration crackdown may have been too aggressive. This begs the question on what's next when it comes to immigration policies. Joining us to talk about it and break it down is Renata Castro, immigration attorney and founder of USA For All Immigration Law. Hi, Renata, thanks for being here. Thanks for having me. Of course. So tell us a little bit, just your first thoughts, your takeaway in the days since the election and what this could mean for immigration policies in the coming months and years. In my wildest dreams, I did not think that in the span of less than a week, we would see such a high and wide blue wave just sweep electoral districts all over the United States. And then it's a very rapid answer to that. We would see President Trump Announced publicly that maybe he He and his team, I would say, have been a little too hard on immigration. But even while there's a thought of Stephen Miller as chief of staff, and the reason why all these elements have such an impact on immigration policy is because you don't need much legislative change in immigration for the president to dial up or down the discretion thermometer. Now, Stephen Miller has been the architect. Behind a lot of these really, really draconian and extremist policies that we have seen implemented throughout all areas of immigration and enforcement, if you will. So what kind of role will he have Have as chief of staff in particularly now that Trump seems so concerned with his image. That he's willing to retract some of the most hardcore positions he's had when it comes to immigration. I guess the real answer is we'll have to see. He's talking the talk. Now, Will he walk the walk? Will he dial down the temperature when it comes to immigration? As a practicing immigration attorney who was practicing during Trump's first term, I've seen it happen, and he did not walk the walk. So I think that this is a lot of great television, but very little change for immigrants in the United States at this point. Renato, what does Stephen Miller's position come with in terms of power, in terms of his ability to influence the administration's decisions over things like immigration? Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon have had the president's years in both terms. Miller more than anyone when it comes to really gutting down due process in the immigration arena. You know, I don't. What if him as chief of staff really gives him any more power than he had before, which was very broad. But now he is in front of, he's in the spotlight with Trump when it comes to immigration. One thing that I haven't really seen be discussed is Trump's kind of pushing to the side of J.D. Vance. He could have positioned himself in a more favorable light when it comes to immigration eyeing a 2028 run, but that does not seem to be Trump's plans when it comes to JD Vance. So does being chief of staff from an immigration standpoint give Miller more power? No, but it certainly gives him more visibility and more influence more than anything. As Democrats prepare to take control of the House and Senate, how much power do they have in terms of changing or restricting new policies that are still to come? We've already seen it happen. The new Houston mayor has already announced that he is going to limit or eliminate collaboration between local law enforcement and ICE. And I believe that we're going to see a lot of local governments taking a position to push back ICE from interfering and kind We're leeching off of local resources, which is what happened in the past two years. But most importantly, we're going to see candidates and what we're talking about. Candidates on the blue side, but a lot of candidates and elected officials on the Republican side holding on to their seats and taking a different position going forward and I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of pushback on policies and implementations that we have seen so far So far when it comes to immigration law being kind of barricaded by both Both Republicans and Democrats, I think we're going to see Republicans be a lot more lenient, change their position. A lot of people are hopeful for immigration reform. I don't think that that is what happens next. I think that what happens next is the Department of State becomes a little more generous with the granting of visas. I think we will see a USCIS, which is the immigration agency, be a little more lenient. But most importantly, we're- I'm going to see ICE, or we hope that we will see ICE be less violent, less aggressive, better trained, and with better oversight going forward. Have you heard from a lot of your clients in recent days who are maybe wondering if this changes their situation? Interesting because you would think that as people, immigrants and business that rely on immigrants, that a scintilla of hope would have taken over communities this weekend. But what we have actually seen is a lot of reports of individuals being detained. This was a very, very active weekend when it came to ICE detentions. So hope and despair are walking hand in hand as There hasn't really been enough time for once again for President Trump to dial down the temperature when it comes to immigration enforcement. But one thing is certain, last Friday, some immigration attorneys, colleagues in the private bar reporting immigration judges being a little more lenient, kinder to attorneys in court, which is something that we really didn't have for the past two years. So that could be a sign of a tide changing very soon. For families who are listening, who are navigating the immigration process right now, what advice could you share for them as we do kind of move into the next several months as things shift between Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate? What policies should they be looking out for? Where should they be getting their information from? This is a great question. One of the biggest concerns that we as immigration attorneys have had in the past two years is that as a result of people's despair, the number of scams being perpetrated against immigrants is astounding. From people impersonating attorneys to fake immigration hearing. To individuals who are not licensed at practicing law, offering legal advice that completely destroys a person's life and future in the United States. So my plea to you who's watching this show is that if you are looking for immigration help, or if you know of a person who's looking for immigration help, the first step is to determine whether or not that individual helping you is a licensed immigration attorney. And that's very easy to do. All you need is their bar number. You go to the state where they're licensed because once again, immigration attorneys practice federal law so you can be licensed in one jurisdiction and practice nationwide. But getting the right help is of paramount importance when it comes to immigrant families really living their American dream, availing themselves of the legal protections that are still available as opposed to Embarking on a road that could lead them to an absolute legal nightmare. Renata, thank you so much for your time today. Thank you for having me.