The New York Times recently reported that in the first year of the Trump administration, around 230,000 people were arrested inside the country and another 270,000 were taken into custody at the border. All of them were deported.
The Times also noted, “The number of deportations from interior arrests since Mr. Trump took office is already higher than the total during the entire four years of the Biden administration.”
Accompanying the increase in arrests and deportations are the number of deaths while individuals are in ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) custody. NPR reported, “Immigration and Customs Enforcement has recorded its deadliest year since the early 2000s as agency officials push to increase the number of people in its custody.”
At least 32 people died in ICE custody in 2025, the most since 2005.
Additionally, NBC News reported, “Federal immigration officers have shot 11 people since September as the Department of Homeland Security has ramped up deportation operations around the country.”
The report continued, “In the majority of the shootings, officers have fired into cars—a tactic that law enforcement authorities and policing experts have been trying for decades to curtail.”
The most infamous case occurred weeks ago in Minneapolis, Minnesota, when an ICE officer shot and killed a peaceful protester, Renee Good. Good’s murder prompted protests to erupt across the country.
As a result of the ramped-up focus on immigration, the administration needs more facilities across the country to house individuals. According to recent reports from multiple outlets, there are currently over 200 centers across the country, and that number is growing.
In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, this week, DHS announced it was developing a new detention center at an unused 415,982-square-foot warehouse. The state currently has three detention centers. The Diamondback Correctional Facility, located near Watoga, can currently hold up to 2,000 people.
Over the last year, ICE arrested 2,300 people in “Operation Guardian.”
As 2026 begins, arrests are likely to increase as the administration doubles down on its efforts. With the securing of additional centers, they will now have a place for them to be housed.
ICE is currently holding 59,000 people across the country.
As the Trump administration ramps up arrests and deportations, a question comes to mind: “Is the United States of America entering into the concentration camp era of this campaign?”
Merriam-Webster defines a concentration camp as “a place where large numbers of people (such as prisoners of war, political prisoners, refugees, or the members of an ethnic or religious minority) are detained or confined under armed guard.”
Check.
Key characteristics of concentration camps are the following:
Targeted Groups? Check. (People of color make up the vast majority.)
Detention without due process? Check (in numerous cases).
Harsh conditions? Check. (ICE operates in secret, even turning away members of Congress.)
Operating outside the law? Check. (Federal judges have routinely ruled against the administration’s tactics.)
History will not be kind to this moment in U.S. history.
On the heels of the genocide of Indigenous peoples, the enslavement of Africans, the violent oppression of African Americans, the internment of Japanese Americans, the mistreatment of Muslims after 9/11, and the ongoing marginalization of the LGBTQ+ community, this moment will rank among that horrifying list.
More so, to those supporting these efforts and claiming to be Christian, it’s beyond time to reevaluate your theology and practice. You do not follow the teachings and example of Jesus by showing your support for this kind of evil. In reality, you are supporting anti-Christ-like behavior.
Supporting such rhetoric and behavior places you on the “goat side” of Matthew 25.
For those who want to inherit the divine kingdom, the scripture is clear: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”
Jesus makes very clear who he is talking about in this lesson: “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.”
What the United States has done to people of color in our past—and what we’re currently doing to immigrants—is an affront to the very ideals we hold as a people and antithetical to the gospel Christians claim to adhere to for their faith and practice.
Back to my question, “Is the United States entering into the concentration camp era of this generation?” That question is left to be answered. But as we ponder it, let’s not forget the words of those who have gone before us.
Holocaust survivor Marian Turski famously proclaimed, “Auschwitz did not fall from the sky.”
The Holocaust.
The African slave trade.
The genocide of Native Americans.
Jim Crow.
ICE’s violent and illegal tactics.
All of them— every evil moment in time did not fall from the sky; they were created by corrupt souls, unjust systems, and baptized by Christians.
And in every instance, Jesus weeps.
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