The Trump administration’s raids on illegal immigrants begin on the first day, US media reports
Raids to detain and deport migrants living in the US without permission should begin on the first full day of the new Trump administration, according to US media.
The operations – threatened by Donald Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan – could begin in Chicago, a city with a large migrant population, as early as Tuesday, the New York Times and Wall Street Journal write.
Trump said he would oversee the largest deportation program in US history.
In an interview with Fox News this week, Homan promised a “major raid” across the country. He previously said Chicago will be “ground zero” for mass deportations.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deports illegal immigrants all the time. However, the operation, which is expected to be launched after Trump’s inauguration on Monday, is expected to target so-called “sanctuary” cities that limit cooperation with federal immigration officials.
Along with Chicago, New York City and Los Angeles are among dozens of American cities that have adopted “sanctuary” policies.
“On January 21st, you’re going to be looking for a lot of ICE agents in your city looking for criminals and gang members,” Homan told a Republican gathering in Chicago last month. “Count on it. It will happen.”
New York, Los Angeles, Denver and Miami are also expected to be targeted for raids, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with the plans.
Under Democratic President Joe Biden, ICE generally prioritized arresting illegal immigrants who were serious criminals, had recently crossed the border or posed a threat to national security.
Although Trump’s team has signaled that they will start with migrants who have committed crimes, all illegal migrants – including those who have lived and worked in the US for many years and have no criminal history – are more likely to be arrested and deported.
Immigration raids on construction sites that often employ undocumented migrants are also expected to resume, after being halted by the Biden administration, according to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.
Ahead of an expected tightening of US policy, more migrant farm workers have sought advice on dealing with immigration officials and assigning temporary guardians to their children.
“The administration hasn’t been sworn in yet, but people are already afraid,” Sarait Martinez, executive director of the Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño, which supports Mexican farm workers in California, told the Reuters news agency.
As well as promises to deport millions of illegal migrants and threats to attack workplaces, some reports suggest that Trump may also end a long-standing policy of off-limits to churches for ICE arrests.
However, the upcoming raids are likely to pose significant difficulties for officials – with limited space to hold detainees.
At the same time, US lawmakers are expected to pass the Laken Riley Act next week – named after a student who was killed last year in Georgia by a Venezuelan man who had previously been arrested for shoplifting.
The proposed legislation would require the federal government to detain migrants living in the US illegally who are suspected of criminal activity – even if they have not been charged with any crime.
