Trump Administration To Launch Nationwide Immigration Raids On Day One

The incoming Trump administration is poised to take immediate action on immigration enforcement, with top officials signaling plans to begin large-scale arrests of illegal immigrants as soon as President-elect Trump is inaugurated. On his first day in office, officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will hit the ground running, targeting illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds in a nationwide operation.

A major raid is reportedly scheduled for Chicago on Tuesday, marking the beginning of what officials describe as a sweeping nationwide crackdown. Tom Homan, the incoming border czar, confirmed the operation in a recent interview with Fox News, promising a robust and far-reaching effort to restore enforcement of immigration law.

“There’s going to be a big raid across the country. Chicago is just one of many places,” Homan said, explaining that ICE will be active in all 24 field offices across the United States. He emphasized that the raids would focus on “criminal aliens” first, but warned that “no one is off the table,” with all individuals illegally residing in the U.S. at risk of arrest. The operation is seen as a sharp reversal from the previous administration’s approach.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the new government intends to follow through on its promise of mass deportations, which will see increased immigration arrests and stricter border security measures across the U.S.

Currently, ICE has more than 7 million individuals on its non-detained docket, meaning there are millions of people in the U.S. with outstanding immigration violations. The incoming administration has signaled that it will act swiftly to address this backlog and begin deporting individuals who are not legally in the country.

As the administration prepares to ramp up enforcement, it is expected to face significant resistance from Democratic-led cities and states that have adopted sanctuary policies. These sanctuary jurisdictions refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities by not honoring ICE detainers, which are requests for local law enforcement to notify ICE when illegal immigrants in their custody are being released.

These sanctuary cities have long been a point of contention between state and federal authorities, with critics of sanctuary policies arguing that they undermine national security and make it more difficult for ICE to carry out its mission.

DHS nominee Kristi Noem testified before Congress on Friday, outlining her commitment to enforcing stricter border measures. One of the first actions the administration will take is ending the use of the controversial CBP One app, which has been used by migrants to request parole into the U.S. Noem has made it clear that the new administration will immediately halt the app’s use, which many conservatives have criticized for facilitating illegal immigration.

The Trump administration’s approach to immigration is likely to set the stage for a series of high-profile legal and political battles in the coming months. As the raids begin, questions will arise regarding the role of local authorities in immigration enforcement, and whether cities and states will continue to resist federal policies or comply with the new administration’s directives.

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