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A group of migrants, including children, walk through a hallway in a government facility. In the foreground, a blurred figure wearing dark clothing and a mask looks down at a phone. The scene reflects the uncertainty and surveillance faced by asylum seekers under shifting U.S. immigration policies.

Image credit: PBS

Trump Administration Transforms Asylum with Deportations

December 1, 2025

Trump Administration Transforms Asylum with Deportations

Then and now: From Ellis Island to modern courtrooms, explore the changing face of immigration in America—and what it means for today’s students.

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PBS News Hour Classroom
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Note: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?

A sweeping new investigation by the Associated Press is raising serious questions about what’s happening inside America’s immigration courts. White House Correspondent Liz Landers reports on how the administration has short-circuited the asylum process.

View the transcript of the story.

Warm-Up Questions

  1. Where are the arrests being made as discussed in this segment?
  2. Who is Josh Goodman and what is his background?
  3. What did Goodman and his team witness?
  4. How many arrests have been made in immigration courts, according to estimates?
  5. Why does the structure of immigration courts allow the Trump administration to control outcomes, according to this segment?

Essential Questions

In this segment, journalist Josh Goodman says that an immigration judge told him, "This is really like deciding death penalty cases in a traffic court environment." What do you think the judge meant by this? How do you think our immigration legal system could work better?

Media literacy: Why do you think News Hour included this infographic at the end of the segment?

A graphic with text that reads: “President Trump’s job approval rating among Latinos is 20% — less than half of what it was in February.” Source: CNN/SSRS Polling (October 27–30).

News Then & Now

A side-by-side comparison titled “News: Then & Now.” On the left, an 1887 illustration shows immigrants arriving by ship to the Statue of Liberty. On the right, a 2025 photo shows migrants walking through a hallway under supervision at a U.S. court or immigration facility. The graphic contrasts past and present immigration experiences. Logos for PBS NewsHour Classroom and Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources appear at the bottom.

Then:

Policy and attitudes toward immigration have changed throughout U.S. history, including toward those seeking safety from political repression or violence, known as refugees or asylum seekers. The first department of immigration in the U.S., known as the Bureau of Immigration, was founded in 1891.

An 1887 illustration shows immigrants crowded on the deck of the steamer Germanic, gazing at the Statue of Liberty as they arrive in New York Harbor. Some passengers point toward the statue, while others stand quietly in traditional clothing. Caption reads: “Immigrants on deck of steamer 'Germanic.' 1887. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.”
Immigrants on deck of steamer "Germanic." 1887. Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Anti-immigrant sentiment would often target specific populations of immigrants. In the mid-1800s, before the Civil War, a political group called the "Know-Nothings" pushed back against Irish and German immigration. On the West Coast, the Gold Rush brought Chinese immigrants who were often met with discrimination. This discrimination led to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which banned Chinese laborers from immigrating for ten years and made obtaining citizenship close to impossible. Later, workers would have to seek special permits to be eligible for employment.

Anti-immigration laws peaked around World War I, including quota systems by country and other barriers such as literacy tests.

A 1916 political cartoon by Raymond Oscar Evans shows immigrants facing a large wall labeled “Literacy Test.” At the top, Uncle Sam looks down as a family below stares up, holding their belongings. A sign on the other side of the wall reads “Land of the Free.” The caption reads: “The Americanese Wall, as Congressman Burnett would build it. Uncle Sam: You’re welcome in—if you can climb it!” Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Political cartoon by Raymond Oscar Evans, 1916. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress

After World War II and the establishment of the United Nations, the U.S. began to accept more "displaced persons" under "expedited admission" or a simpler process for immigration. Formal laws governing asylum cases, or a category of refugees seeking protection from political persecution, were established in response partly to people displaced by the Vietnam War.

Now

The Trump administration has begun to dismantle asylum in the United States, partly through executive order. According to one order signed early in Trump's second term, "The United States lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans, that protects their safety and security, and that ensures the appropriate assimilation of refugees."

As noted in this segment, many individuals seeking formal asylum protections in court are being arrested and deported shortly after judges dismiss their cases.

A group of masked individuals stands inside an elevator with a federal immigration officer, whose vest reads “POLICE FEDERAL AGENT.” The scene takes place at U.S. immigration court in Manhattan on November 17, 2025. Photo by David 'Dee' Delgado, Reuters.
Federal immigration officers board an elevator with respondents at U.S. immigration court in Manhattan, in New York City, U.S., November 17, 2025. REUTERS/David 'Dee' Delgado TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Students can read more about these courthouse arrests here.

Immigration Policy, History and Awareness

Explore dozens of rich, engaging resources to teach about immigration policy, history, and awareness with preK-12 students.

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Republished with permission from PBS News Hour Classroom.

PBS News Hour Classroom
PBS News Hour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories. The site combines the best of News Hour's reliable, trustworthy news program with lesson plans developed specifically for... See More
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