Trump’s crusade against all immigrants – even legal ones – is unprecedented | Daniel Mendiola

The administration has touted its efforts against illegal immigration. But what sets his actions apart is his crusade against those in the US legally

The Donald Trump administration has billed itself as taking unprecedented steps to crack down on illegal immigration. While the total number of deportations has yet to surge, it may happen soon. The homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, supports suspending habeas corpus to speed up deportations, and the border czar, Tom Homan, has suggested blatantly ignoring court orders. Private companies are also lining up to cash in on mass deportations.

Nonetheless, Trump's approach so far to immigration deemed illegal has not differed much from what Barack Obama and Joe Biden did. So why does everything feel different?

Daniel Mendiola is a professor of Latin American history and migration studies at Vassar College.