President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to launch a primary immigration operation in Chicago next week are under review after the main points of the operation were leaked to the press, new border czar Tom Homan said.
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s transition team and the U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency for comment via email.
Reports from a primary immigration operation in Chicago suggest that the key promise of Trump’s 2024 campaign campaign to unleash the largest mass deportation of undocumented immigrants could begin as soon as he returns to office.
Federal immigration agents are believed to have planned a large-scale raid targeting about three hundred more people in Chicago, the Associated Press reported Saturday, citing anonymous sources.
The New York Times reported that the raids were scheduled to begin on Tuesday, a day after Trump’s inauguration, and continue through the following Monday. According to the Wall Street Journal, the U. S. ICE planned to deploy between one hundred and two hundred agents to carry out the operation.
The focus was on undocumented immigrants with criminal backgrounds. Some of those reportedly targeted have minor offenses, such as driving violations, which the outgoing Biden administration did not pursue.
Homan, the former acting director for U.S. ICE, told ABC News that the incoming administration is now “reviewing” whether to proceed with the Chicago operation following the leak.
A spokesperson for U.S. ICE told Newsweek that any information “concerning activities which may take place after the inauguration” must be referred to the incoming administration.
Trump hinted at those plans in an earlier interview with ABC News, describing the raids as a “priority” for his new administration.
Chicago is one of several so-called sanctuary cities in the U.S. that limit or deny cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Government officials in these cities, including Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, have vowed to defy Trump’s mass deportation plans.
Tom Homan, the new border czar, told ABC News on Saturday: “We are reviewing all plans in Chicago because of the leak. When the president is sworn in, U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will have a new priority in searching for those who pose a risk to public protection and national security.
President-elect Donald Trump ABC News: “It is a precedent to remove criminals from our country. precedence. “
Brandon Lee, a spokesman for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, told the AP, “The truth is, I think there’s been some point of concern since Election Day. We act as if Trump is going to target Chicago and Illinois. at the beginning of his administration.
The Chicago Police Department said in a statement to ABC 7: “The Chicago Police Department enforces the City of Chicago’s municipal code, which includes the Welcoming City Ordinance. The CPD does not document immigration status and, In accordance with the order, we do not share data with federal immigration authorities. We will not interfere or interfere with other government agencies in the performance of their duties.
Trump will be sworn in as president on Monday, January 20. It remains unclear whether the mass immigration raids will proceed in Chicago or any other U.S. city early next week.
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News reporter based in London, United Kingdom. It focuses on American politics, domestic politics, and the courts. He joined Newsweek in February 2018 after spending several years working at the UK’s International Business Times, where he reported primarily on crime. , politics and existing issues. Prior to that, he worked as a freelancer after graduating from the University of Sunderland in 2010. Languages: English. Email: e. palmer@newsweek. com.