The campaign to detain and deport immigrants residing in the United States without authorization will begin on the first day of President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. The new administration plans to launch this crackdown against immigrants starting Monday, January 20, the day of Trump’s inauguration.
Trump’s “Border Czar,” Tom Homan, has warned that an anti-illegal immigrant operation might begin in Chicago as early as the first hour of Tuesday morning. This U.S. city has a significant immigrant population.
Donald Trump has already stated that he will oversee the largest deportation program in U.S. history. In an interview with Fox News this week, Homan promised to carry out a “major operation” across the country. Earlier, he had mentioned that Chicago would be a central hub for mass deportation efforts.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency always works to repatriate illegal immigrants in the country. ICE is expected to launch its anti-immigration campaign after Trump takes the oath of office as the 47th President of the United States on Monday.
The campaign will initially target various cities known as immigrant strongholds. In addition to Chicago, other cities like New York City and Los Angeles, which have large immigrant populations, will also be targeted.
At a Republican Party rally in Chicago last month, Homan told the crowd, “On January 21, you will see many ICE agents in your city, searching for criminals and gang members. Count the days. It’s going to happen.”
According to officials familiar with the plan, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, the early targets of the Trump administration’s anti-immigration campaign include New York, Los Angeles, Denver, and Miami.
Under Democratic President Joe Biden, ICE typically prioritized arresting illegal immigrants who were serious offenders, had recently crossed the border, or posed a national security threat.
However, Trump’s team has already indicated that immigrants involved in criminal activities, as well as all illegal immigrants who have lived and worked in the United States for many years without any criminal history, are also likely to be arrested and deported.