Deportation raids under the Trump administration have focused heavily on cities that experienced minimal foreign-born population growth over the past decade, according to new census data analysis.
Deportation Raids Concentrated in Low-Growth Areas
Since President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, deportation raids have resulted in more than a half-million removals as the administration expands immigration enforcement operations nationwide. However, a Social Explorer analysis reveals that high-profile deportation raids have targeted metropolitan areas where foreign-born populations remained relatively stable or declined between 2013 and 2023.
Major Cities Targeted by Deportation Raids
Deportation raids have made headlines in several major metropolitan areas:
- Los Angeles - Despite deportation raids where masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained individuals—including U.S. citizens in some cases—the foreign-born population actually decreased from 3.47 million in 2013 to 3.29 million in 2023, a 5.4 percent decline.
- Chicago - Deportation raids in the nation's third-largest city occurred even though the foreign-born population grew by just 1 percent (roughly 11,000 people) to 1.1 million residents, representing about 21 percent of Cook County's population.
- Portland, Oregon - The city experienced deportation raids despite the foreign-born population declining 0.3 percent to approximately 104,300 people, about 13 percent of the area's total population.
- Washington, D.C. - Deportation raids targeted the nation's capital, where foreign-born residents increased only 5.9 percent to about 89,600 people, roughly 13 percent of the population.
Exception to the Deportation Raids Pattern
Only Charlotte, North Carolina, stands out among cities facing deportation raids with significant immigrant population growth. The area recorded the 19th-largest increase nationwide, with foreign-born residents rising 49.3 percent to 59,420 people (about 16.9 percent of Mecklenburg County's total population).
Where Immigrant Populations Grew Fastest
While deportation raids concentrated on slower-growth areas, census data reveals the counties with the largest foreign-born population increases tell a different story. Eight of the ten counties with the highest immigrant growth supported Trump in 2016, 2020, and 2024.
- The largest numerical increase occurred in Harris County, Texas, where the ranks of the foreign-born grew by 20.1 percent to 1.26 million, about one-quarter of Houston’s population. Although the nation’s fourth-largest city reliably casts ballots for Democratic candidates, it’s in a deep red state and surrounded by conservative counties that have supported Trump for almost a decade.
- The number of foreign-born residents in King County, Wash., jumped about 160,500, a 39.3 percent increase. Seattle, a Democratic stronghold that’s home to major tech companies like Amazon and Microsoft, had the second-highest numerical increase in foreign-born residents in the country. They made up a little more than 25 percent of the total King County population in 2023.
- The nation’s only county with a majority of foreign-born residents recorded an 11.5 percent increase in its foreign-born population between 2013 and 2023. Miami-Dade County, Fla., added about 150,400 people to its foreign-born tally; they make up 54.3 percent of the area’s population. Trump lost the county to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016 and to former President Joe Biden in 2020 but won a majority of votes in Miami-Dade in the 2024 contest.
Foreign-Born Population Changes Data and Analysis
Social Explorer has compiled interactive maps showing foreign-born population changes for all U.S. counties between 2013 and 2023, based on five-year reports from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The data provides context for understanding where deportation raids are occurring relative to actual demographic trends.
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