The survival of modern democracy in the United States has been witnessing the threat of democratic erosion under the current administration. Since the re-election of Donald J. Trump in 2024, his actions on the law took place on his first day in office. Through his campaign, MAGA “Make America Great Again,” Trump capitalized on one of the most common issues of America, Immigration. Promising to crack down on the illegal immigrants living in the United States, Trump had managed to rally support through his Strongman approach and manipulation of the public. He has categorized the need for this mass deportation initiative as a necessity in eliminating these “illegal criminals.” 

The procedural definition of democracy is a system of governance in which rulers are held accountable for their actions in the public realm by citizens, acting indirectly through the competition and cooperation of their elected representatives. 

Through his criticized undemocratic actions during and between his reelection, one of his most prominent actions was the Capitol attack on January 6. After the loss of the election to Joe Biden in 2020, through his claims of voter fraud on Twitter, he initiated a public rally, resulting in a violent disruption of the democratic process, deriving political legitimacy from his opponent, Joe Biden. Over 1,500 individuals had been charged with federal crimes. Yet on his first day back in office, President Trump issued pardons for nearly 1,600 patriotic Americans prosecuted for their presence at the Capitol. This act alone fails to meet the procedural definition of democracy. Yet his biggest threat is becoming evident as his second term unravels. Trump’s promise to crack down on illegal immigrants who reside in the U.S. took place his first day in office. With the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Trump administration has engaged in a significant expansion of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. ICE has deported roughly 540,000 people since Trump took office in January 2025.

Through political institutions, our presidential system sets up our current administration to have control of vertical/horizontal accountability and effectiveness. With Trump’s grasp on the Senate and House with a Republican majority, Trump has made it easier to pursue his political agenda.  While this alone becomes a first sign of democratic erosion, this, in relation to the issue of immigration, begins with both houses of Congress’s response to the president’s actions, with legislative support. In July 2025, Congress passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which included billions of dollars to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations and the expansion of detention centers to house those detained. Such massive funding and enforcement has resulted in the recruitment of thousands. 

The administration’s implementation of ICE poses a legitimate threat to our democracy through its expansion as Executive Aggrandizement. Executive Aggrandizement is defined as the dismantling of institutions that might challenge the executive, often done through formally legal channels, such that the executive is in control and maintains their hold on power. Trump’s lack of forbearance-the idea that politicians should exercise restraint in deploying their institutional prerogatives- has been evidenced through his extreme utilization of ICE through his executive orders, pushing the limits of his presidency. 

His first attempt to undermine democracy dates back to January 2025, when President Trump signed an executive order trying to end birthright citizenship. Clearly, being a violation of Habeas Corpus under the 14th amendment, to which Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem inaccurately defined, stating “habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country and suspend their right[s].” Yet his new attempts with ICE have become successful in executing his power. This organization has become a form of weaponization of his power to act as a tool of racism. The most alarming evidence comes from the controversial immigration decision of Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo, which the Supreme Court largely ruled in favor of the Trump administration in 2025, giving wide latitude to ICE agents to use a person’s race or ethnicity to stop and question them about their immigration status. This trails across the lines of our constitutional rights. 

With already such impermissible acts, federal agents have continuously shown unexplained exploitation of power. In “January 2026, federal immigration agents killed two American citizens protesting ICE operations in Minneapolis. Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother, was shot in her car by an ICE agent on Jan. 7. Alex Pretti, also age 37 and an ICU nurse, was shot by Border Patrol agents on Jan. 24,” while filming their operations. Such incidents have resulted in public outrage among many Americans, as anti-ICE protests have become evident around the world. In response, authorities have acted unjustly, including the use of tear gas, pepper balls, and pepper spray.

Despite public outrage from both parties, Trump seems to follow his agenda through the support and protection his administration is providing federal officers. After the incident press released their responses. Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller called Pretti an “assassin” and a “domestic terrorist.” Head of Border Patrol Greg Bovino said Pretti wanted to inflict “maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem labeled him a domestic terrorist. Continuing to trample on constitutional rights, the administration has continuously been lying about the horrifying actions of ICE and ignoring the public’s fundamental freedoms.

This labeling not only paints the wrong picture to the public but to those within the Republican party, utilizing the already alarming state of polarization between parties. The extremity of his actions has led the republican party to diverge from MAGA, from regular supporters to elected officials such as Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, who called the Minneapolis shooting by ICE a “horrifying situation.” Such uncommon behavior has to become a warning sign in understanding the kind of threat our Democracy is facing. ICE isn’t only a morally discriminatory execution of Americans but a push for the limits President Trump can break.