When Border Enforcement Moves to Main Street America

1 million people. That's how many deportations the Trump administration promised for its first year back in office. But this time, the action isn't happening at the Mexican border—it's playing out in snowy Minnesota streets, outside schools, and at courthouse steps.

The January 7th shooting death of Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen, by an ICE agent in Minnesota wasn't an isolated incident. It's a stark symbol of how America's immigration enforcement has fundamentally shifted from border operations to interior raids, bringing militarized tactics directly into American communities.

From Borderlands to Backyards

For two decades, most Americans never witnessed immigration enforcement firsthand. Between 2010 and 2020, nearly 80% of all deportations happened at or near the U.S.-Mexico border. During the COVID-19 pandemic, that figure jumped to 98% as both Trump and Biden administrations used Title 42 to rapidly expel migrants.

Customs and Border Protection handled most deportations, while ICE remained largely invisible to the general public. But Trump's second presidency has completely rewritten this playbook.

The 2025 tax and budget bill allocated $170 billion over four years for immigration enforcement—a massive increase from 2024's $30 billion. The largest chunk, $75 billion, targets immigrants already living in the U.S., not border crossers.

This isn't just budget reallocation—it's a strategic pivot decades in the making. From 2003 to 2024, Congress spent $24 on ICE and CBP enforcement for every $1 allocated to immigration courts handling asylum claims. This imbalance, built over 20 years, explains why Americans are now seeing scenes they've never witnessed before.

The Visibility Problem

Americans rarely saw the experiences of migrants quickly deported near the border. But it's much harder to ignore images of neighbors, friends, and coworkers being arrested in their own communities. Masked, heavily armed agents conducting raids at schools and courthouses have shocked Americans who assumed such tactics were reserved for border zones.

The Renee Good case particularly highlighted how ICE's targets extend beyond undocumented immigrants to include U.S. citizens who oppose their tactics. This expansion of enforcement scope has made immigration policy suddenly personal for many Americans.

Public opinion reflects this shift. A Gallup Poll found that 28% of Americans considered immigration the nation's most important problem just before the 2024 election—the highest since 1981. By December 2025, this dropped to 19%, suggesting Americans increasingly view immigration as a manageable government issue rather than a crisis.

When Policy Meets Reality

Academic research reveals a consistent pattern: voters often support strict immigration policies at the ballot box but resist when governments implement those policies in organized immigrant communities.

A 2002 study by migration scholar Antje Ellermann found that immigration officers reported greater difficulty detaining and deporting people in Miami compared to San Diego, due to resistance from politically organized immigrant communities. In both locations, Republican and Democratic lawmakers frequently intervened in individual cases to prevent deportations when media attention and congressional pressure mounted.

This pattern appears to be repeating. Trump's immigration approval rating has declined from 51% in March 2025 to just 41% in early January 2026, according to CNN polling. Republican senators including Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Joni Ernst of Iowa have criticized ICE operations in Minnesota.

The Suburban Shock Factor

The shift from border to interior enforcement has created an unprecedented situation: Americans are witnessing the full scope of immigration enforcement machinery for the first time. What was once abstract policy has become concrete reality in suburban neighborhoods.

This visibility is changing the political calculus. When enforcement targets are recent border crossers, public sympathy remains limited. But when targets include longtime community members—people with jobs, children in local schools, and established social networks—public resistance grows.

The $170 billion budget allocation represents more than increased funding; it's a bet that Americans will accept militarized enforcement in their own communities. Early polling suggests this bet may not pay off.