Donald Trump's sweeping immigration crackdown transformed America into a society based on fear and risks discrediting immigration enforcement, law enforcement, and democratic legitimacy. The immigration-enforcement apparatus expanded astonishingly, with ICE's authority and capacity increasing markedly. Legislative and budgetary changes massively boosted ICE funding, enabling widespread detention and creating lucrative contracts for private-prison companies. Billions in new funding altered diplomatic approaches to migration while failing to address root causes and systemic immigration challenges. The resulting system emphasizes enforcement and detention over durable solutions, intensifying public fear and undermining trust in institutions meant to uphold law and rights.
On this episode of The David Frum Show, The Atlantic 's David Frum begins with reflections on how Donald Trump's sweeping immigration crackdown has transformed America into what he calls a "society based on fear." Frum warns that the president's methods risk discrediting not just immigration enforcement, but also law, police, and the very idea of democratic legitimacy. Then Frum is joined by his Atlantic colleague Caitlin Dickerson, whose Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting has laid bare the human and institutional realities of immigration enforcement.
They discuss her latest investigation into the staggering expansion of ICE and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which has supercharged its budget to unprecedented levels. Dickerson explains how billions of dollars in new funding are fueling mass detention, empowering private-prison companies, and reshaping U.S. diplomacy while failing to solve the core challenges of immigration. The following is a transcript of the episode: David Frum: Hello and welcome back to The David Frum Show.
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