President-elect Donald Trump plans to initiate a large immigration raid in Chicago, Illinois on Tuesday, marking the first effort toward implementing mass deportations of illegal immigrants.
The massive operation in the Windy City will involve between 100 and 200 United States Customs and Immigration Enforcement officers, according to a Friday report from The Wall Street Journal, which spoke with four sources familiar with the plans.
The raid will start on Tuesday, one day after Trump is scheduled to take the oath of office for a second time, and will last through the week.
The incoming commander-in-chief’s team plans especially to deport illegal aliens with criminal records, but individuals in the country illegally who are present during arrests will also be taken, per the Journal.
The outlet added that Trump transition team members were seeking a major city with sanctuary policies that could serve as an example to the rest of the country.
Tom Homan, who will serve as border czar during the second Trump administration, revealed at a holiday party last month that Chicago would likely be that city.
“We’re going to start right here in Chicago, Illinois,” Homan said.
“And if the Chicago mayor doesn’t want to help, he can step aside,” the former acting director of ICE added.
“But if he impedes us, if he knowingly harbors or conceals an illegal alien, I will prosecute him.”
Will this mass deportation be a success?
Chicago Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson has indeed resisted the plans for mass deportations.
He and Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker have forbidden the Chicago Police Department from working with ICE to deport illegal immigrants, according to a report from WGN-TV.
The agency said in a statement to the Journal that the Chicago Police Department “does not document immigration status” or share information with federal immigration authorities.
But the agency vowed that “we will not intervene or interfere with any other government agencies performing their duties.”
Other agencies in the city, such as Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Transit Authority, the Chicago Park District, and Community Colleges of Chicago, were ordered not to allow ICE in their facilities.
“I’m going to make sure to follow the law. I’m concerned that the Trump administration and his lackeys aren’t going to follow the law,” Pritzker previously said in response to Homan, per the Journal.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.