Donald Trump has kicked off his second term as U.S. president by implementing a promised full blown assault on the nation’s immigrant population.

Just two days after he swore the oath of office, agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have started rounding up migrants convicted or charged with criminal offenses.

Trump is also preparing to deploy 1,500 military troops to the southern border and allow federal officers to search for undocumented foreigners in schools, places of worship and medical facilities.  He and his cronies in the halls of Congress are out to scrap the birthright of citizenship conferred on immigrants by the 14th Amendment.

The aggressive tone of these early actions has already instilled a deep sense of fear and uncertainty among millions of immigrants, including many who do have legal status but could be subject to harassment by the authorities.

The Mexican government is now gearing up to deal with a likely flood tide of deportations into the country. Provisional shelters are hastily under construction in the major border towns. But that is only a temporary relief measure.

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