The incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump is reconsidering plans for immigration raids in Chicago and other cities after details of the operations were leaked, according to Tom Homan, Trump’s “border czar” and former acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Homan disclosed this in an interview with “The Washington Post” on Saturday.
“The new administration hasn’t made a decision yet,” Homan said. “We’re looking at this leak and will make a decision based on it.”
ICE has yet to respond to requests for comments regarding the potential raids.
Immigration rights advocates and officials had anticipated that the Trump administration would launch sweeping enforcement actions in multiple US cities shortly after Trump takes office on Monday. Chicago, in particular, was considered a primary target.
Dulce Ortiz, president of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, said that as many as 200 ICE agents were expected to begin raids in the Chicago area at 5 a.m. on Monday. These actions were reportedly designed to intercept individuals on their way to work or starting their day, with enforcement expected to continue for several days.
While ICE referred questions to the Trump transition team, both organisations have remained silent on the issue. Reports suggest that similar operations were planned for New York, Miami, and Chicago, with the latter potentially hosting a week-long effort involving hundreds of agents.
During his campaign, Trump pledged to prioritise mass deportations, a stance he reiterated in an NBC News interview on Saturday. While he declined to provide specific details about the locations or timing of the operations, he stated, “It will begin very quickly. We have to get the criminals out of our country.”
Homan echoed this sentiment in an interview with Fox News, confirming that “targeted enforcement operations” would focus on deporting individuals who are in the US illegally and have existing deportation orders. According to Homan, ICE has identified approximately 700,000 individuals nationwide who fit these criteria.
“President Trump has been clear from day one,” Homan said. “He’s going to secure the border, and he’s going to have the deportation operation.” He also emphasised that each target had been carefully selected to ensure officer safety.
The raids are expected to face significant resistance from sanctuary cities, which have pledged not to use local resources to support federal immigration enforcement. Homan criticised these policies, arguing they jeopardise public safety by releasing potentially dangerous individuals back into the community.
“Sanctuary city policies force ICE officers into communities, which increases the risk for everyone involved,” Homan said. He called on local officials to cooperate with the raids but made it clear that the operations would proceed regardless of local resistance.
“We’re going to do this, with or without their help. They are not going to stop us,” he added.
As the Trump administration prepares to take office on Monday, the handling of the leaked details will play a pivotal role in determining how and when the planned immigration raids unfold.
With cities bracing for action, the nation awaits to see how Trump’s promise of swift deportations will be implemented in the days to come.
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