Fact check: Did Obama admin do more worksite immigration raids in his first term than Trump did in his first term

1. Summary of the results

Based on the available analyses, the evidence suggests that Obama's administration actually conducted fewer worksite immigration raids in his first term compared to Trump's first term, contrary to what the original question implies.

The analyses reveal that Obama's administration terminated large-scale worksite raids ^[1], while Trump's administration resumed them ^[1]. During Trump's first term, worksite raids focused on the South and the Midwest, detaining more than 1,800 people, mostly at manufacturing plants and meat and poultry processing facilities ^[2]. Additionally, worksite raids increased in frequency and numbers of arrests under the Trump administration, with over 1,800 workers arrested since 2017 ^[3].

The data shows that Obama shifted focus from targeting workplaces to national security threats, border security, and public safety ^[4], and utilized tools such as agreements with local law enforcement agencies and the 'Secure Communities' program to deport undocumented immigrants, prioritizing those with criminal records ^[5]. In contrast, Trump launched workplace immigration raids across California ^[5] and ramped up workplace raids ^[4].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks crucial context about the fundamental shift in enforcement strategy between the two administrations. While Obama focused on deportations through other means, achieving higher overall deportation numbers, Trump specifically resumed large-scale worksite raids that Obama had terminated ^[1].

An important missing piece of context is that in Obama's first term, ICE was instructed to arrest only people who were targeted in advance and not just anybody swept up in a raid ^[6], indicating a more targeted approach compared to the broader sweep operations that characterized Trump's worksite raids.

The question also fails to acknowledge that the number of I-9 inspections fluctuated over the years, with a peak of 6,456 in 2019 during the Trump administration ^[7], suggesting that workplace enforcement mechanisms were more actively utilized under Trump.

Alternative viewpoints that benefit different stakeholders:

• Immigration enforcement advocates would benefit from emphasizing Trump's resumed worksite raids as evidence of stronger workplace enforcement
• Labor rights organizations would benefit from highlighting Obama's more targeted approach as less disruptive to workplaces
• Business interests might prefer Obama's approach of focusing on criminal deportations rather than disruptive workplace raids

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question contains a false premise by suggesting that Obama conducted more worksite raids than Trump in their respective first terms. The evidence clearly indicates the opposite: Obama terminated large-scale worksite raids while Trump resumed them ^[1].

This framing could be misleading because it conflates overall deportation numbers (where Obama did exceed Trump) with specifically worksite raid activity. The question appears to ignore the documented strategic shift away from workplace enforcement under Obama ^[4] and the documented increase in worksite raids under Trump ^[3].

The question may reflect confirmation bias by those seeking to portray Obama as having been tougher on workplace immigration enforcement, when the factual record shows that Trump's administration specifically resumed the large-scale worksite raid strategy that Obama had abandoned.