Indonesian immigrants in the US have grown increasingly anxious under President Donald Trump’s intensified immigration crackdown, as a recent deportation, several pending trials and heightened enforcement measures fuel fears of being targeted by authorities.
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Last week, Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that an Indonesian student was deported in February while reporting to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in San Francisco for allegedly failing to maintain an active student status.
Additionally, US authorities have arrested two Indonesians in Atlanta and one in New York. All three are awaiting trial to determine their immigration status. The Atlanta detainees – a husband and wife – were scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, according to the ministry.
Ida Bagus Made Bimantara, chargé d’affaires ad interim at the Indonesian embassy in Washington, told This Week in Asia on Wednesday that he had not heard the trial outcome for the Indonesian detainees in Atlanta, “but we are monitoring it.”
Authorities also arrested another Indonesian in Los Angeles, he said.
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