# data[].attributes.headline
A 2020 journal article from New York Law School Law Review entitled "The Invisible Wall: Public Charge Policy Impacts on Immigrant Families"

# data[].attributes.subject
A 2020 journal article from New York Law School Law Review entitled "The Invisible Wall: Public Charge Policy Impacts on Immigrant Families"

# data[].attributes.headline
A 2025 journal article from Journal of Ethnic & Migration Studies entitled "The detention corridor: ambiguity, space, and uncertainty in immigrant family detention"

# data[].attributes.subject
A 2025 journal article from Journal of Ethnic & Migration Studies entitled "The detention corridor: ambiguity, space, and uncertainty in immigrant family detention"

# data[].attributes.headline
A 2024 journal article from Wisconsin International Law Journal entitled "The non-smuggling problem: The effects of the United States' Overboard definition of migrant smuggling or migrant families"

# data[].attributes.subject
A 2024 journal article from Wisconsin International Law Journal entitled "The non-smuggling problem: The effects of the United States' Overboard definition of migrant smuggling or migrant families"

# data[].attributes.headline
A website page from the KFF (2025) entitled "Potential Impacts of Mass Detention and Deportation Efforts on the Health and Well-Being of Immigrant Families"

# data[].attributes.subject
A website page from the KFF (2025) entitled "Potential Impacts of Mass Detention and Deportation Efforts on the Health and Well-Being of Immigrant Families"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
President Trump has made a slew of immigration policy changes focused on restricting entry at the border and increasing interior enforcement efforts to support mass deportation. These include rescinding protections against enforcement action in previously protected areas such as health care facilities and schools. While many of these actions focus on the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., they will have ripple effects among the much larger number of people in immigrant families, including millions of U.S.-born citizen children. During the first Trump administration, restrictive immigration policies and increased enforcement activity led to increased fears among immigrant families across immigration statuses that had negative effects on health and well-being, employment, and daily life. They also could lead to family separations as well as mass detentions, which can have negative mental and physical health impacts on immigrants across statuses and their children. Mass deportations also could negatively impact the U.S. economy and workforce, given the role immigrants play, particularly in certain industries, including health care.

The extent to which President Trump will be able to carry out his plans without additional legislative action and in the face of potential court challenges remains uncertain. However, these plans are already affecting immigrants' daily lives and increasing fears, with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents carrying out raids across communities, and reports of nearly 1,000 people arrested in one recent day. This brief discusses the potential implications of increased enforcement actions under the Trump administration for the health and well-being of families and potential broader impacts for communities, the workforce, and the economy, including health care.

What actions is President Trump taking to increase interior enforcement and who may be affected?

Upon taking office, President Trump issued a series of executive orders focused on restricting immigration and increasing interior enforcement activity. These include orders limiting birthright citizenship, declaring a national emergency at the Southern border and restricting access at the border, expanding enforcement policies, suspending the refugee admissions program, and rescinding numerous Biden-era policies, including a policy that protected against enforcement in "sensitive areas," including schools and health care facilities. Many of the changes outlined in the orders may require legislative or regulatory action to implement, and many are likely to be challenged in court. For example, a federal judge has already blocked the order to end birthright citizenship through a temporary restraining order. However, these changes are already increasing fears and uncertainty among families and communities. Other changes may put other groups with lawful status at risk of losing protections, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and people with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations from some countries. The administration recently revoked TPS for Venezuelans living in the U.S., which will make them at risk for deportation in coming months and eliminate their work authorizations.

While enforcement actions are focused on undocumented immigrants, they will have ripple effects across millions more people living in immigrant families, including U.S.-born citizen children. As of 2023, there were 47.1 million immigrants residing in the U.S., including 22.4 million noncitizen immigrants, of whom an estimated 11 million are undocumented. Additional immigrants that currently have lawful statuses may be at risk for enforcement actions under new policies if they lose protections, including nearly 1.2 million immigrants who either have or are eligible for TPS, the over 530,000 active DACA recipients, and individuals in the U.S. with pending asylum cases. Millions of additional individuals living in immigrant families also are likely to be impacted. Many undocumented immigrants live in families with mixed immigration statuses that may include people with lawful status and U.S. citizens. As of 2023, 19 million, or one in four, children in the U.S. had an immigrant parent, including one in ten (12%) who are citizen children with a noncitizen parent. An estimated 4.4 million U.S.-born children live with an undocumented immigrant parent.

What are the likely impacts of enhanced enforcement activity on the health and well-being of immigrant families?

Prior KFF focus groups with immigrant families during the first Trump administration found that restrictive immigration policies, including increases in detention and deportation, led to increased fears among immigrant families across immigration statuses that had negative effects on health and well-being. Immigrant families, including those with lawful status, reported experiencing resounding levels of fear and uncertainty. Some also reported changes in daily life such as increased difficulty finding employment, leading to increased financial strains on families. Some parents, particularly those who are undocumented or who have an undocumented family member, said they would only leave the house when necessary, such as for work; limit driving; or no longer participate in recreational activities, leading to children spending many hours inside. Parents and pediatricians reported a broad array of impacts of increased fears among children, including behavioral changes, such as problems sleeping and eating; psychosomatic symptoms, such as headaches and stomachaches; and mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety. Parents and pediatricians also felt that fears negatively affected children's behavior and performance in school. Pediatricians expressed significant concerns about the long-term health consequences of these fears for children, including the damaging effects of toxic stress on physical and mental health over the lifespan, negative effects on children's growth and development, and compounding social and environmental challenges that negatively impact health.

Increased fears under the first Trump Administration also led to growing reluctance among some families, including lawfully present immigrants and citizen children, about participating in programs and seeking services for which they are eligible, including health coverage and care. In KFF focus groups with immigrant families during the first Trump administration, parents noted that they highly prioritize their children's health and generally viewed hospitals and doctors' offices as safe spaces. However, there were some reports of changes in health care use, including decreased use of some care, and decreased participation in Medicaid and CHIP and other programs due to increased immigration-related fears. Despite efforts by the Biden administration to reduce these fears, data from the KFF/LA Times Survey of Immigrants showed that, as of 2023, nearly seven in ten (69%) likely undocumented immigrants, a third (33%) of lawfully present immigrants, and over one in ten (12%) naturalized citizen immigrants said they ever worried that they or a family member could be detained or deported. Moreover, about a quarter (27%) of likely undocumented immigrants and nearly one in ten (8%) lawfully present immigrants say they avoided applying for food, housing, or health care assistance in the past year due to immigration-related fears (Figure 1). Fears about accessing health care services may be enhanced under the second Trump administration, given the recission of a policy dating back to 2011, that protected against enforcement activity in sensitive areas, including health care facilities. Health care providers will face new challenges helping families feel safe accessing health care, protecting patient information, and establishing protocols to respond to potential encounters with ICE agents. Additionally, Florida and Texas have implemented policies that require hospitals to request immigration status from patients, which may further enhance fears about accessing care.

KFF interviews with individuals who had a family member detained or deported during the first Trump administration reported broad negative impacts on health and well-being. Respondents reported that detention and deportation of family members often occurred suddenly and unexpectedly, leaving families in shock and unprepared. One of the most immediate and significant effects on families was the loss of income, which left them struggling to pay their bills, including rent, food, and utilities. They further reported disruptions to children's daily lives, and, in some cases, older children assuming new responsibilities and changing plans, such as no longer attending college, to support the family. Families also reported direct health impacts, including symptoms of depression and worsening chronic conditions. Some families reported losing health coverage and increased barriers to accessing coverage or care due to fears and increased financial challenges.

Other research shows that immigration enforcement raids and family separations can lead to worsened physical and mental health of both parents and children of deported parents. Exposing children to traumatic events and prolonged or toxic stress such as raids and separation from a parent disrupts a child's healthy development and can result in short- and long-term negative effects on physical, mental, and behavioral health. Research has found that living near areas subject to immigration enforcement raids increased the risk of negative mental health among children of immigrants and worse birth outcomes among both Hispanic immigrant mothers as well as U.S.-born Hispanic mothers as compared to non-Hispanic White mothers. Education outcomes also worsened among Hispanic children in areas impacted by raids compared to White children. One potential consequence of raids and detentions and deportations is the separation of parents from their children. Studies have found that children and caregivers impacted by family separations experience worse mental health, including anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Family separations can also lead to financial challenges for mixed-status households due to loss of income.

Prior experience suggests that immigrants held in detention facilities may not receive sufficient health care and face unsafe conditions. As the Trump administration escalates enforcement actions, the number of people held in detention facilities will grow likely beyond current capacity. Research showed that detainees, including children, experience poor conditions and inadequate care in detention facilities. An analysis found that most of the deaths of immigrants in detention occurred among "relatively young and healthy men" and were associated with ICE violating their own medical standards. Detention and solitary confinement can also worsen the mental health of immigrants. Studies show high levels of psychiatric distress, including depression and post-traumatic stress, among detained immigrants and their children, even after short detention periods. Research on immigrant detention centers have also found gaps in care for pregnant Hispanic migrants and that LGBT detainees experience higher rates of harassment than non-LGBT detainees.

What are the potential impacts of enhanced enforcement activity on the nation's economy and workforce?

Mass deportations could also negatively impact the U.S. workforce, given the role immigrants play, particularly in certain industries, including health care. Most immigrants say they came to the U.S. for better work and educational opportunities. Immigrants and their U.S.-born children fill unmet labor market needs and have been the primary drivers of workforce growth, accounting for 83% of the growth in the U.S. labor force between 2010 and 2018. Research shows that immigration does not displace nor lead to more unemployment among U.S. born workers as they often do not compete for the same jobs. Immigrants and their adult children play outsized roles in certain occupations, including agriculture, construction, and health care (Figure 1). As the U.S. 65 and older population grows, deportation of immigrants may exacerbate the health care workforce shortage. Immigrants and their adult children make up a larger share of physicians, surgeons, and other health care practitioners than they do of the population and play a particularly large role as direct care workers in home and community-based settings.

Mass deportations may also reduce the billions of dollars immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, pay in federal, state, and local taxes, which help subsidize health care for U.S.-born citizens. It is estimated that more than a third of their tax dollars are payroll taxes that fund programs they cannot access, including Social Security, Medicare, and the federal share of unemployment insurance. Children of immigrants also contribute more in taxes on average than their parents or the rest of the U.S.-born population. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the recent immigration surge will reduce the federal deficit over the next decade. Research further finds that immigrants pay more into the health care system through taxes and health insurance premiums than they utilize, helping to subsidize health care for U.S.-born citizens. Earlier research found that without the contributions undocumented immigrants make to the Medicare Trust Fund, it would reach insolvency earlier, and that undocumented immigrants result in a net positive effect on the financial status of Social Security.

Expanding capacity to carry out mass deportations would likely be a significant cost to taxpayers and may require additional allocations by Congress. New estimates suggest that Trump's plan to deport millions of undocumented immigrants could cost hundreds of billions of dollars. Trump's selected border czar reported an estimated cost of $86 billion. Increases in enforcement activity would likely strain limited resources at ICE and the current system of detention centers, which is already at capacity. Expanding detention capacity to support large-scale deportations would require large investments in infrastructure, including setting up new detention facilities, expanding immigration court capacity, increasing the use of private contractors, and paying for more flights used for deportations.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Potential Impacts of Mass Detention and Deportation Efforts on the Health and Well-Being of Immigrant Families | KFF

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This brief discusses the potential implications of increased enforcement actions under the Trump administration for the health and well-being of families and potential broader impacts for communities, the workforce, and the economy, including health care.

# data[].attributes.headline
A Chalkbeat News Article from 2024 entitled "Trump's deportation plan could separate millions of families, leaving schools to pick up the pieces"

# data[].attributes.subject
A Chalkbeat News Article from 2024 entitled "Trump's deportation plan could separate millions of families, leaving schools to pick up the pieces"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Trump’s mass deportation plan could strand millions of children, leave schools scrambling to help

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When families are separated, “you’re responsible for how do these kids get home and who takes care of them,” said one superintendent in Mississippi.

# data[].attributes.headline
A 2025 MSNBC news article from the opinion section entitled "As a pediatrician, I know what family separations do. Trump's plan is horrific"

# data[].attributes.subject
A 2025 MSNBC news article from the opinion section entitled "As a pediatrician, I know what family separations do. Trump's plan is horrific"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Opinion | Be horrified at the trauma Donald Trump plans to inflict on these children

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
To carry out his plan, Trump would either have to separate more than 4 million U.S.-citizen children from their parents — or illegally deport them.

# data[].attributes.headline
A The New York Times Article from 2025 entitled "Trump Administration Halts Funding for Legal Representation of Migrant Children"

# data[].attributes.subject
A The New York Times Article from 2025 entitled "Trump Administration Halts Funding for Legal Representation of Migrant Children"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Trump Administration Halts Funding for Legal Representation of Migrant Children

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The decision could force thousands of minors who crossed the border alone to go to court without a lawyer, leaving them vulnerable to swift deportation.

# data[].attributes.headline
A 2025 The New York Times article entitled "I.R.S. Prepares to Help Find Immigrants Targeted for Deportation"

# data[].attributes.subject
A 2025 The New York Times article entitled "I.R.S. Prepares to Help Find Immigrants Targeted for Deportation"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
I.R.S. Prepares to Help Find Immigrants Targeted for Deportation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The tax agency is nearing an agreement to verify whether ICE officials have the right address for people they are trying to deport.

# data[].attributes.headline
A 2025 The New York Times article entitled "Schools Gear Up for a Threat to Immigrant Children"

# data[].attributes.subject
A 2025 The New York Times article entitled "Schools Gear Up for a Threat to Immigrant Children"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Schools Gear Up for a Threat to Immigrant Children

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Donald Trump has said he will deport migrant families. New York City schools have a protocol for what to do if ICE agents show up.

# data[].attributes.headline
A 2019 journal article from Northwestern University Law Review entitled "ALIENATING CITIZENS"

# data[].attributes.subject
A 2019 journal article from Northwestern University Law Review entitled "ALIENATING CITIZENS"

# data[].attributes.headline
A 2024 Joint Economic Committee article entitled "Mass Deportations Would Deliver A Catastrophic Blow To The U.S. Economy"

# data[].attributes.subject
A 2024 Joint Economic Committee article entitled "Mass Deportations Would Deliver A Catastrophic Blow To The U.S. Economy"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Though the U.S. immigration system remains broken, immigrants are crucial to growing the labor force and supporting economic output. Immigrants have helped expand the labor supply, pay nearly $580 billion a year in taxes, possess a spending power of $1.6 trillion a year, and just last year contributed close to $50 billion each in personal income and consumer spending. Congress must reform and modernize the immigration system while also cementing the immense economic benefits associated with immigration. Time and time again, Democrats have attempted to do so through comprehensive immigration reform but have been blocked by Republicans who continue to use the issue to sow division.

The incoming Trump administration plans to conduct mass deportations that would upend entire communities and have severe economic fallout. Mass deportations would reduce economic growth, shrink the labor force, cost U.S.-born workers their jobs, raise costs for nearly all Americans, and risk igniting inflation.

Depending on how many immigrants are deported, these mass deportations would:

Reduce real gross domestic product (GDP) by as much as 7.4% by 2028,

Reduce the supply of workers for key industries, including by up to 225,000 workers in agriculture and 1.5 million workers in construction,

Push prices up to 9.1% higher by 2028, and

Cost 44,000 U.S.-born workers their jobs for every half a million immigrants who are removed from the labor force.

Mass deportation would damage the U.S. economy and hurt U.S.-born workers as well as immigrants
On top of the billions of dollars it would cost to undertake the sweeping deportation efforts that President Trump has called for across the country, multiple analyses show that any mass deportation plan would cause massive declines in GDP and overall employment.

Estimates from the Peterson Institute for International Economics show that if 8.3 million undocumented immigrants are deported, GDP would be 7.4% lower and employment would be 7.0% lower by 2028. This 7.4% reduction in GDP over four years would likely mean that the U.S. economy would not grow at all during President Trump's second term. Even if 1.3 million undocumented immigrants are deported, GDP would drop by 1.2% and employment would drop by 1.1% by 2028.

The American Immigration Council has estimated that a long-term deportation-deporting one million people each year until there is no undocumented population-could amount to a 4.2% to 6.8% loss in GDP (totaling $1.1 to $1.7 trillion in losses), with the effects felt most acutely in California, Florida, and Texas. To put this in context, the economy shrank by 4.3% during the Great Recession.

The researchers also find that this deportation plan would cut $23 billion in funds for Social Security and $6 billion from Medicare each year because these workers would no longer pay into these programs.

A 2016 study estimates that mass deportations would reduce GDP by nearly $280 billion in the first year, with the cost growing to roughly $5 trillion after 10 years as businesses shrink their hiring and production in response to the scale of deportations.

The effects of mass deportations could be greater if additional documented immigrants or U.S. citizen family members also leave the country. People in mixed-status families who are either U.S.-born children or green card holders may be caught up in deportation sweeps or leave themselves if undocumented members of their family are deported.

Evidence also shows that deportations reduce employment for U.S.-born workers. Deportation initiatives from past administrations actually led to net reductions in employment and earnings in the short- and long-term for U.S.-born workers, with the worst impacts falling on the least educated and most vulnerable. An analysis of past deportation operations estimates that for every half a million immigrants removed from the labor force due to enforcement, 44,000 U.S.-born workers lose their jobs. Employers would not simply hire U.S. born workers to fill the vacancies created by undocumented workers who are deported, as there would be too many vacancies, U.S.-born workers would be unlikely to move into these industries, and employer hiring behavior can be variable. Employers may, for example, choose to invest in production processes that require less labor instead.
Mass deportations would cause labor shortages in vital industries like agriculture, housing, and health care-raising costs for all Americans
Undocumented immigrants make up a relatively small share of the overall labor force- between 4.4% and 5.4% since 2003-but they have outsized roles in industries like construction, agriculture, health care, and hospitality. They grow, pick, and process Americans' food; build homes in communities across the country; and provide in-home care to seniors and others. Without immigrant labor, these industries would face labor shortages, further exacerbating their need for labor. In addition, the United States would lose workers that were educated here. Over 15% of undocumented workers have a bachelor's degree or higher, and nearly half a million are currently enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities.

Many industries already face labor shortages or are projected to face a shortage of workers in the coming decades. There were 282,000 job openings in construction in September 2024, and one study estimated the construction industry will need an additional 454,000 workers above the normal pace of hiring to meet the demand for labor in 2025. Mass deportations would only

exacerbate this shortage as up to a quarter of construction workers are undocumented. This loss in workers would make housing even harder to build, raising its cost. Mass deportations would also reduce the supply of farmworkers who keep Americans fed as well as the supply of home health aides at a time when more Americans are aging and requiring assistance. The American Immigration Council estimates that mass deportations would remove up to 1.5 million workers from the construction industry, 225,000 from agriculture, one million from hospitality, 870,000 from manufacturing, and 461,000 from transportation and warehousing.

The labor shortages that result from mass deportations would raise costs for all Americans. With unemployment near a historic low, employers in sectors like agriculture and construction would produce less, resulting in shortages and higher prices. Economists at the Peterson Institute for International Economics estimate that deporting 1.3 million immigrants would raise prices by 1.5% by 2028, while deporting 8.3 million immigrants would raise prices by 9.1%. Additionally, mass deportations would reduce consumer spending, as undocumented workers are not just workers but also consumers. If demand for certain goods and services slows enough, demand for workers in those sectors may also slow, and some businesses may be forced to lay off workers.

Immigration is essential for a strong labor force and U.S. economy

The massive costs associated with these deportation plans underscore just how vital immigrants are to the U.S. economy. Non-partisan analysis of recent immigration trends by the Hamilton Project shows that in 2023 immigrants contributed $48 billion to overall personal income and $46 billion to consumer spending. An analysis by former Council of Economic Advisers chief economist Ernie Tedeschi suggests that immigration is responsible for at least a fifth of the 8.2% growth in real GDP since the end of 2019. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the recent increase in immigration could add $8.9 trillion to GDP over the next decade while reducing the deficit by $900 billion.

Importantly, both immigrant and U.S.-born workers between the ages of 25 and 64 are employed at higher rates now than they were before the pandemic (see graph below), signaling that the strong labor market in recent years has benefitted both immigrants and U.S.-born workers alike. Evidence from the last few decades shows that immigrants do not take jobs from U.S.-born workers or bring down wages for similarly-skilled workers. This is especially true when there are lots of job openings, like there were during the post-pandemic recovery. A recent analysis from the Brookings Institution estimates that U.S.-born and immigrant employment actually increased more than expected in 2023, despite previous data pointing to a decrease in U.S.-born employment. A recent study even showed that immigrants can actually boost wages and employment for U.S.-born workers.
Immigrants have a high propensity for entrepreneurship that boosts overall job growth
While immigrants make up about 14% of the U.S. population, they represent about a fifth of the self-employed workforce and account for a quarter of start-up founders. Many immigrants find success in their entrepreneurial pursuits: 55% of the companies valued at or above $1 billion in the United States were founded by immigrants and more than 40% of the Fortune 500 companies in 2021 were founded by an immigrant or the child of an immigrant.

Immigrants are also more likely to work jobs that have a job-multiplier effect, meaning that their employment facilitates the entry of other workers into the labor force.For example, workers in sectors like education and health services, where immigrants make up about 1 in 5 workers, help parents and caregivers of all backgrounds enter the labor force and grow the economy. This is particularly true for women, who perform a disproportionate share of unpaid care work.
Immigrants pay their fair share in taxes and can help secure the future of key government programs
Immigrants tend to be younger, and with their high employment rates, they pay taxes into Social Security and Medicare with most not receiving benefits until many years in the future, if they are eligible at all. One study found that each foreign-born person pays on average $1,300 more each year and $237,000 more over their lifetime in taxes than they receive in benefits from federal, state, and local governments. Another showed that between 2012 and 2018, immigrants contributed $166 more per capita, on average, to the Medicare Trust Fund each year than what was spent on their behalf.Conversely, Medicare spent more on U.S.-born Americans than they contributed with an average cost of $51 per capita. Immigration can help preserve Social Security, while reforms to immigration policy could help extend Medicare solvency.

Immigrants contribute to many social programs with their taxes, despite many being ineligible to receive most government benefits. In 2022, immigrants had a spending power of $1.6 trillion, and they collectively paid $579 billion in local, state, and federal taxes.
Legal avenues for immigration and pathways to citizenship benefit workers and the U.S. economy
Providing a pathway to citizenship is good economics. Immigrants are helping meet labor demand while also demonstrating that more legal pathways to working in the United States are needed to meet this demand. Additionally, research shows that expanding legal immigration pathways can reduce irregular border crossings, leading to more secure and regulated borders. This approach is vital for managing increased migration to the United States, especially as more people flee their home countries due to the continued risk of violence, persecution, economic conditions, natural disasters, and climate change.

President Trump's mass deportation proposals would strip the United States of the many contributions of immigrants to the U.S. economy and communities across the country. Deporting immigrants will not only upend their lives, but also harm the U.S. economy through reduced economic growth, a smaller labor force, lost jobs, and higher costs to the detriment of all Americans.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Mass Deportations Would Deliver a Catastrophic Blow to the U.S. Economy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The incoming Trump administration plans to conduct mass deportations that would upend entire communities and have severe economic fallout. Mass deportations would reduce economic growth, shrink the labor force, cost U.S.-born workers their jobs, raise costs for nearly all Americans, and risk igniting inflation.

# data[].attributes.headline
A 2025 The New York Times article entitled "Supreme Court Temporarily Blocks Order Requiring Return of Wrongly Deported Migrant"

# data[].attributes.subject
A 2025 The New York Times article entitled "Supreme Court Temporarily Blocks Order Requiring Return of Wrongly Deported Migrant"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Supreme Court Temporarily Blocks Order Requiring Return of Wrongly Deported Migrant

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The chief justice, acting on his own, issued an “administrative stay,” a brief pause meant to give the court time to consider the matter. The justices are expected to act in the coming days.

# data[].attributes.headline
A 2025 The New York Times article entitled "Justices Are Asked to Keep Nationwide Pause on Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order"

# data[].attributes.subject
A 2025 The New York Times article entitled "Justices Are Asked to Keep Nationwide Pause on Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Justices Are Asked to Keep Nationwide Pause on Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Immigrant groups and Democratic states pushed back on a Trump administration request for the Supreme Court to allow curbs on birthright citizenship to go into effect in some places.

# data[].attributes.headline
A 2025 The New York Times article entitled "Trump Administration Aims to Spend $45 Billion to Expand Immigrant Detention"

# data[].attributes.subject
A 2025 The New York Times article entitled "Trump Administration Aims to Spend $45 Billion to Expand Immigrant Detention"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
By Allison McCann, Alexandra Berzon and Hamed Aleaziz

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Trump Administration Aims to Spend $45 Billion to Expand Immigrant Detention

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A request for proposals for new detention facilities and other services would allow the government to expedite the contracting process and rapidly expand detention.

# data[].attributes.headline
A CNN Politics Article from 2025 entitled "Supreme Court allows Trump to enforce Alien Enemies Act for rapid deportations for now"

# data[].attributes.subject
A CNN Politics Article from 2025 entitled "Supreme Court allows Trump to enforce Alien Enemies Act for rapid deportations for now"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Supreme Court allows Trump to enforce Alien Enemies Act for rapid deportations for now | CNN Politics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Supreme Court on Monday allowed President Donald Trump to enforce the Alien Enemies Act for now, handing the White House a significant victory that will let immigration officials rely on a sweeping wartime authority to rapidly deport alleged gang members.

# data[].attributes.headline
A CNN Politics Article from 2025 entitled "Supreme Court ruling on Alien Enemies Act raises new due process concerns for migrants"

# data[].attributes.subject
A CNN Politics Article from 2025 entitled "Supreme Court ruling on Alien Enemies Act raises new due process concerns for migrants"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Supreme Court ruling on Alien Enemies Act raises new due process concerns for migrants | CNN Politics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Supreme Court ruling that permits President Donald Trump to use a centuries-old wartime authority to speed deportations is drawing sharp criticism from immigration experts who fear the decision could erode migrants’ due process rights to have their cases reviewed before they’re sent to a foreign prison.

# data[].attributes.headline
A United States Courts website entitled "About the Supreme Court"

# data[].attributes.subject
A United States Courts website entitled "About the Supreme Court"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Supreme Court Background

Article III of the Constitution establishes the federal judiciary. Article III, Section I states that "The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish." Although the Constitution establishes the Supreme Court, it permits Congress to decide how to organize it. Congress first exercised this power in the Judiciary Act of 1789. This Act created a Supreme Court with six justices. It also established the lower federal court system.

The Justices

Over the years, various Acts of Congress have altered the number of seats on the Supreme Court, from a low of five to a high of 10. Shortly after the Civil War, the number of seats on the Court was fixed at nine. Today, there is one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices of the United States Supreme Court. Like all federal judges, justices are appointed by the President and are confirmed by the Senate. They, typically, hold office for life. The salaries of the justices cannot be decreased during their term of office. These restrictions are meant to protect the independence of the judiciary from the political branches of government.

The Court's Jurisdiction

Article III, Section II of the Constitution establishes the jurisdiction (legal ability to hear a case) of the Supreme Court. The Court has original jurisdiction (a case is tried before the Court) over certain cases, e.g., suits between two or more states and/or cases involving ambassadors and other public ministers. The Court has appellate jurisdiction (the Court can hear the case on appeal) on almost any other case that involves a point of constitutional and/or federal law. Some examples include cases to which the United States is a party, cases involving Treaties, and cases involving ships on the high seas and navigable waterways (admiralty cases).

Cases

When exercising its appellate jurisdiction, the Court, with a few exceptions, does not have to hear a case. The Certiorari Act of 1925 gives the Court the discretion to decide whether or not to do so. In a petition for a writ of certiorari, a party asks the Court to review its case. The Supreme Court agrees to hear about 100-150 of the more than 7,000 cases that it is asked to review each year.

Judicial Review

The best-known power of the Supreme Court is judicial review, or the ability of the Court to declare a Legislative or Executive act in violation of the Constitution, is not found within the text of the Constitution itself. The Court established this doctrine in the case of Marbury v. Madison (1803).

In this case, the Court had to decide whether an Act of Congress or the Constitution was the supreme law of the land. The Judiciary Act of 1789 gave the Supreme Court original jurisdiction to issue writs of mandamus (legal orders compelling government officials to act in accordance with the law). A suit was brought under this Act, but the Supreme Court noted that the Constitution did not permit the Court to have original jurisdiction in this matter. Since Article VI of the Constitution establishes the Constitution as the Supreme Law of the Land, the Court held that an Act of Congress that is contrary to the Constitution could not stand. In subsequent cases, the Court also established its authority to strike down state laws found to be in violation of the Constitution.

Before the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment (1869), the provisions of the Bill of Rights were only applicable to the federal government. After the Amendment's passage, the Supreme Court began ruling that most of its provisions were applicable to the states as well. Therefore, the Court has the final say over when a right is protected by the Constitution or when a Constitutional right is violated.

Role

The Supreme Court plays a very important role in our constitutional system of government. First, as the highest court in the land, it is the court of last resort for those looking for justice. Second, due to its power of judicial review, it plays an essential role in ensuring that each branch of government recognizes the limits of its own power. Third, it protects civil rights and liberties by striking down laws that violate the Constitution. Finally, it sets appropriate limits on democratic government by ensuring that popular majorities cannot pass laws that harm and/or take undue advantage of unpopular minorities. In essence, it serves to ensure that the changing views of a majority do not undermine the fundamental values common to all Americans, i.e., freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and due process of law.

Impact

The decisions of the Supreme Court have an important impact on society at large, not just on lawyers and judges. The decisions of the Court have a profound impact on high school students. In fact, several landmark cases decided by the Court have involved students, e.g., Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District (1969) held that students could not be punished for wearing black armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War. In the Tinker case, the Court held that "students do not shed their rights at the schoolhouse gate."

DISCLAIMER: These resources are created by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts for educational purposes only. They may not reflect the current state of the law, and are not intended to provide legal advice, guidance on litigation, or commentary on any pending case or legislation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Supreme Court Background Article III of the Constitution establishes the federal judiciary. Article III, Section I states that "The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish."