Federal immigration enforcement actions have reached historic highs under the Trump administration, sparking immediate and profound responses within affected Asian American communities. Many immigrants from Chinese, Indian, Korean, and Southeast Asian backgrounds are now routinely carrying government-issued identification, such as U.S. passports or passport cards, as a protective measure against potential wrongful targeting by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.

Despite President Trump’s rhetoric about deporting “the worst of the worst,” federal records published in July 2025 reveal a stark disconnect: approximately 71% of detainees have no criminal convictions, a figure confirmed by analyses from the Associated Press and the Deportation Data Project using ICE’s own data. This indicates a shift toward broader enforcement sweeps that increasingly impact Asian American communities and other minorities, often including U.S. citizens or lawful residents.

Several high-profile cases underscore these concerns. Lewelyn Dixon, a 64-year-old Filipino national and longtime U.S. green card holder, was detained by ICE at Sea-Tac Airport after returning from the Philippines. Despite legally residing in the U.S. for over five decades and working as a University of Washington lab technician, Dixon was held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma for three months due due to a 2001 embezzlement conviction. She was eventually ordered released by Immigration Judge Tammy Fitting, who ruled against her deportation.

Another notable incident involved Muhammad Zahid Chaudhry, a Pakistani immigrant and husband of a former congressional candidate, who was detained by ICE on August 21 during a citizenship interview at a federal office in Tukwila. Chaudhry, who uses a wheelchair, has lived in the U.S. for 25 years and is described as a decorated and disabled U.S. military veteran. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-WA) called his detention rare for a citizenship interview but noted a growing trend of aggressive enforcement against Muslim immigrants, highlighting concerns about due process and disproportionate actions.

The increased enforcement has cultivated a pervasive sense of fear and anxiety among naturalized citizens. Andrea, a Chinese Malaysian immigrant and U.S. citizen living in western Washington, has long carried her U.S. passport. What started as a personal habit has evolved into a necessary shield against anxieties about establishing citizenship status. She expressed a lack of trust in ICE agents and police, leading her to limit public outings and advise family and friends to carry their passports as a form of self-defense.

Phoebe, a naturalized U.S. citizen from India, initially dismissed warnings to carry her passport card but reconsidered after her husband, a white, native-born American in law enforcement, urged her and their daughters to do so. She now keeps her passport card close, experiencing anxiety and