Trump administration launches immigration enforcement blitz in Chicago
The Trump administration launched an immigration enforcement blitz in Chicago on Sunday that includes several federal agencies which have been granted additional authorities to arrest undocumented immigrants in the US, according to multiple sources.
The blitz is part of a broader effort to add manpower to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has limited resources and agents, as the administration tries to ramp up arrests nationwide and amass a larger force to carry out the president’s deportation pledge.
ICE agents are expected to be joined by officials from multiple Department of Justice agencies as they target public safety and national security threats. It’s a multiday operation that will spread across the country.
In a statement, ICE confirmed the “enhanced targeted operations” in Chicago began Sunday.
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with federal partners, including the FBI, ATF, DEA, CBP and the U.S. Marshals Service, began conducting enhanced targeted operations today in Chicago to enforce U.S. immigration law and preserve public safety and national security by keeping potentially dangerous criminal aliens out of our communities,” the statement reads.
Late last week, acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman issued a directive giving Justice Department law enforcement officials immigration-enforcement authority. The agencies include the FBI, DEA, ATF, US Marshals Service and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
“Mobilizing these law enforcement officials will help fulfill President Trump’s promise to the American people to carry out mass deportations,” Huffman said in a statement announcing his directive.
