Published August 12, 2026 at 4:00 PM CDT

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As a result of the Trump administration's push to increase Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests, some immigrants are changing their work hours, lunch stops and making sure their vehicles don’t have issues that could draw the attention of law enforcement agencies.

In 2025, arrests increased 93%, and nearly 8,000 jobs were lost in the Kansas City metro.

Mary Sanchez, a columnist with Tribune Content Agency who writes for The Beacon, said these deportation campaigns are causing more than just fear in immigrant communities.

“There is also a lot of resilience,” Sanchez said. “They're doing what they need to do to try and protect their jobs, their families, homes that they've bought, everything that they have built here.”

President Donald Trump has stated that immigration enforcement is improving the job market and U.S. economy.

However, a study by the Brookings Institution does not support the president’s claims — and in fact, the opposite is true.

“If you remove someone, then their family doesn't have money to go out and spend in other ways. Or a business that has been affected more deeply, they might cut back on the projects that they're going to do, and that can affect U.S. born workers,” Sanchez said.

• Mary Sanchez, columnist, Tribune Content Agency