US immigration authorities are preparing to conduct mass arrests of undocumented immigrants across the country starting Tuesday. This move is one of the first actions of the incoming administration of President Donald Trump, who is set to return to the White House on Monday.
The raid aligns with Trump’s campaign promise to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, a policy he has consistently pushed during his time in office.
Tom Homan, the newly appointed “border czar” for the Trump administration, confirmed the operation in an interview with Fox News on Friday. Homan, who previously served as the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), described the raid as part of a broader effort to strengthen immigration enforcement.
In response to media reports, including those from the Wall Street Journal, Homan explained that while the raid would begin in Chicago, it would not be limited to that city. “There’s going to be a big raid across the country. Chicago is just one of many places,” he said.
The planned operation is expected to start on Tuesday, the day after Trump’s inauguration, and it will continue throughout the week. According to sources familiar with the operation, between 100 and 200 ICE officers will participate in the raids.
These raids are anticipated to target individuals who are in the United States illegally, with a focus on those with criminal backgrounds or deemed to be public safety threats. Homan added that the operation would ensure ICE can enforce immigration laws “without apology,” emphasizing that no one would be exempt from the enforcement efforts.
“What we’re telling ICE, you’re going to enforce the immigration law without apology. You’re going to concentrate on the worst first, public safety threats first, but no one is off the table. If they’re in the country illegally, they got a problem,” Homan explained.
The targeted city of Chicago, located in the Midwest, is one of many Democrat-led cities that have adopted “sanctuary” policies. These policies prevent local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities for the sole purpose of arresting individuals for their immigration status.
While Chicago’s police force has stated that they will not intervene in federal immigration operations, they have also made it clear that they will not collect or share information about individuals’ immigration status with ICE agents.
Don Terry, a spokesperson for the Chicago Police Department, told the New York Times that they would not interfere with the actions of federal immigration authorities. “We do not document immigration status and will not share information with federal immigration authorities,” he stated.
