“No One Voted to Deport Moms”: Trump Voters in Shock as ICE Raids Hit Home

Graham E. Whitaker
Jul 14, 2025
4 min read

In a political landscape dominated by absolutes, an uncomfortable paradox is unfolding in small towns and conservative strongholds across the country: long-time Trump voters, many of whom cheered his hardline immigration rhetoric, are now stunned, grieving, and enraged as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrest their friends, neighbors—even their employees and loved ones.

Despite being sold a narrative of “bad hombres” and violent criminals, the overwhelming majority of recent ICE detentions—nearly 72%—involve immigrants with no criminal convictions at all. And as of mid-2025, the number of people in ICE custody has soared past 56,000, the highest total in over five years.

And yet, many of the people feeling this the most still wear MAGA hats.

“I thought we were arresting gang members.”

In Nebraska, Richard Randall Sr., a devout Trump supporter, found himself reeling after his friend—an undocumented restaurant manager—was arrested by ICE at the entrance to Offutt Air Force Base. The man had made a wrong turn on his way to run errands.

“I thought we were arresting gang members, murderers and rapists… He’s none of those,” Randall told the Alabama Reflector. “Call me naive, but my clear understanding was we were going to go after the bad actors, not hardworking immigrants.”

Randall admits this event has shaken his worldview. “This hit home. This shifted my mindset on federal immigration enforcement,” he said. “I’m all for arresting bad actors. That’s not what happened here.”

“You become their friend… and you see what happens to their family.”

In Florida, Vincent Scardina, another lifelong conservative, broke down in tears as ICE removed six of his Nicaraguan roofing employees—many of whom had valid work permits.

“You become their friends—not just an employer, but a friend,” he told NBC6. “You see what happens to their family… It’s quite a shock.”

Despite voting for Trump in 2024 under the assumption that only “criminals” would be targeted, Scardina now finds himself grappling with the reality of watching legally employed, non-criminal immigrants dragged away.

“These guys were legally here. They’re not criminals,” Scardina’s attorney confirmed.

“We feel betrayed.”

In North Carolina, Argentine-born Trump supporters Martín Verdi and Débora Rey were devastated when ICE arrested their son, a green card holder, over a dismissed misdemeanor from years earlier.

“We feel betrayed, tricked,” Rey said. “Trump said he was going after criminals. He didn’t say he was going to do this.”

While they remain politically conservative, they admitted that this personal experience has them questioning whether they were misled by Trump’s messaging.

“No one voted to deport moms.”

In Kennett, Missouri—where over 95% of voters supported Trump in 2024—Carol Mayorga, a beloved local restaurant worker and mom, was arrested while trying to renew her immigration supervision paperwork.

The community rallied. Neighbors raised over $20,000 to support her family. Local diner workers wore “Bring Carol Home” T-shirts. And Trump supporters openly voiced their dismay.

“I voted for Donald Trump, and so did practically everyone here,” said Vanessa Cowart, one of the organizers. “But no one voted to deport moms.”

Not the “bad guys” we were promised

Immigration attorneys and advocates say these stories are becoming more common. The Biden-era “prosecutorial discretion” that had deprioritized non-criminal cases has been scrapped under Trump’s current ICE directives. Now, even green card holders with minor infractions—or no record at all—are at risk.

Many legal experts say this isn’t about safety—it’s about numbers. According to sources close to ICE, field agents are being pushed to make up to 3,000 arrests per day, regardless of threat level.

“They’re going after easy targets,” said Omaha immigration attorney Rachel Yamamoto. “Mothers dropping off their kids. Workers at job sites. People who’ve checked in with ICE regularly for years. This is political theater, not law enforcement.”

Loyalty Tested

Despite the trauma unfolding in their own neighborhoods, many Trump supporters remain reluctant to walk away.

Bradley Bartell, an Illinois resident whose wife Camila (a legal immigrant from Peru) was detained, told The Guardian: “I don’t regret the vote. I think Trump wants to fix a broken system. But maybe he doesn’t realize what’s actually happening.”

Still, some minds are changing.

“I thought this was about criminals,” said Randall, still shaken by his friend’s arrest. “But this? This isn’t what I voted for.”

The Real Face of Deportation

The truth is stark: Trump’s immigration crackdown is not targeting MS-13 or cartel bosses in border towns—it’s ensnaring school moms, roofers, churchgoers, and small business workers in places like rural Missouri and the panhandle of Florida. The people getting dragged away are often the same ones who mow your lawn, raise your kids, build your homes, or fill your prescriptions.

And they are also, increasingly, your neighbors.

The question is: How long can Trump’s base remain loyal when it’s their family and friends being taken?

As Vanessa Cowart said under a hand-painted protest sign in Kennett: “No one voted to deport moms. Not like this.”

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