A video published by the Associated Press News on April 16, 2025, shows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents surround the car of Juan Francisco Mendez, a Guatemalan man who had recently applied for asylum. After refusing to exit the vehicle, one of the agents takes a hammer to the car window to forcibly seize and detain Mendez. This footage is just one of numerous clips that have surfaced, exemplifying the jolting reality of new immigration norms under the Trump administration. 

Strong resistance to illegal immigration (and legal immigration for that matter) has been a cornerstone policy area of President Donald Trump’s campaign platform since 2016. As detailed in a comprehensive report by the Migration Policy Institute, in his first term, Trump implemented “472 administrative changes that dismantled and reconstructed many elements of the U.S. immigration system.” The central aim of these changes was the tightening of the border to restrict immigration into the U.S. Amidst Trump’s second term in office, it is evident that he has no intention of scaling back on his characteristic stringent immigration policy, but rather pushing the legal boundaries to further establish his agenda.

On the day of his inauguration, Trump issued an executive order challenging Section I of the 14th Amendment, an indication of the more extreme legislative decisions that were to come. One major development pertaining to the volatile immigration policies drawn up by the Trump administration is the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Garcia, initially from El Salvador, immigrated illegally to the U.S. in 2011 when a local gang began repeatedly using violent threats against his family for money. He lived in the U.S. working in construction with his older brother, Cesar, in Maryland. Shortly thereafter, Garcia met his now wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, whom he has three children with. In 2019, however, Garcia was arrested and detained by ICE agents, believing him to be a gang member. While he remained in jail until October of that year, he was afforded due process of law. An immigration judge, who, though denied his request for asylum, granted him protection from deportation and permitted his eventual release.

The leniency displayed in years prior is a far cry from Garcia’s present situation. On March 12, 2025, Garcia and his young son were pulled over. He was quickly detained and jailed, while Sura was given ten minutes to retrieve their son before a request to child protective services would be made. Three days later on March 15, Garcia was deported to El Salvador, where he is currently imprisoned in the Terrorism Confinement Center, a maximum security prison in the city of Tecoluca. An article by The Economist notes that Garcia is “one of roughly 200 migrants deported without due process following Mr. Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act last month.” To compound the circumstances, El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, has no intention in assisting in the return of Garcia to the U.S.

Such severe cases, like Garcia’s, beg the question of the direction that U.S. democracy is heading. President Trump undoubtedly has an impenetrable support base, which has made effective opposition to his unprecedented executive decisions difficult. Although Garcia’s deportation is nothing short of appalling, it has provided a basis for which the previously fragmented Democratic party to unite over immigration policy. As argued by Matthew Cleary and Aykut Öztürk in When Does Backsliding Lead to Breakdown? Uncertainty and Opposition Strategies in Democracies at Risk, “Irregular opposition attempts to remove incumbents from office, which are especially likely after electoral defeats, contribute to democratic breakdown.” Whereas more moderate responses help the opposition buy time and increase likelihood of democratic survival. Moderate responses can attract support beyond party lines, also diminishing the impact of political polarization. Another factor to consider in the potential utilization of moderate responses is uncertainty. Cleary and Öztürk also argue that uncertainty in how the other party will act encourages both parties to make decisions within the bounds of democratic institutions.

Additionally, nonviolent resistance has been proven to be an effective strategy in combating the erosion of democratic norms for two key reasons as explained by Maria Stephen and Erica Chenoweth: the repression of nonviolent protest can backfire and an environment that is conducive to negotiation is created. Mass peaceful demonstrations can cause the breakdown of loyalty to the current administration, and finding alternatives promising to a larger portion of the population. Just two weeks ago, in fact, nonviolent protest was practiced across the U.S. On April 5, 2025, nonviolent “Hands Off” protests were held in countless cities and towns as an estimated three million people participated to display their discontent with the Trump administration’s highly controversial policies. 

Whether Garcia will be returned to the U.S. is to be determined. Democrats, such as Maryland senator Chris Van Hollen who traveled to El Salvador to meet with Garcia, are making slow progress towards a more unified front. Such efforts are also being fueled by various rallies headed by Vermont senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with the intention of reinvigorating the Democratic party. Regardless, it is clear that President Trump means to carry out his drastic policy objectives, stretching the bounds of long held legal restrictions. While a unified front may not guarantee the complete prevention of his objectives, the absence of one will certainly mean their passage.