President Donald Trump’s plans for mass-immigration raids in Chicago as soon as Tuesday, Jan. 21 have been scrapped for now. In an interview Sunday, Jan. 19, Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan said the administration is reconsidering the details of the Chicago raids because details had been leaked to the media.
“We’re looking at this leak and will make a decision based on this leak. It’s unfortunate because anyone leaking law enforcement operations puts officers at greater risk,” Homan told The Washington Post.
Last week, Straight Arrow News reported that Trump’s administration was planning to carry out those raids in Chicago. In early December, Homan visited Chicago and promised to start Trump’s plan of mass deportations in the Windy City.
“We’re going to start right here in Chicago, Illinois,” Homan said while in Chicago on Dec. 11. “If your Chicago mayor doesn’t want to help, he can step aside,” Homan told the crowd. “But if he impedes us — if he knowingly harbors or conceals an illegal alien — I will prosecute him.”
Homan was asked about the delay while appearing on Fox News Sunday, Jan. 19.
“We’re not reconsidering any operations,” Homan said. “There was a leak in Chicago, so we’re looking at that leak and finding out how it affects officer safety concerns. Chicago’s not off the table, but we’re reconsidering when and how we do it.”
The plan was for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to ramp up arrests of undocumented immigrants in the sanctuary city. However, Homan told the Post that the administration’s goals are much broader than the city of Chicago.
“ICE will start arresting public safety threats and national security threats on day one,” Homan said. “We’ll be arresting people across the country, uninhibited by any prior administration guidelines. Why Chicago was mentioned specifically, I don’t know.”
The Chicago City Council voted during the week of Jan. 13 against rolling back protections for undocumented immigrants. The new measure would have allowed Chicago’s local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration agents.
It’s now unclear when immigration raids will happen or where they will start.
Trump said Saturday, Jan. 18, that mass deportations are a top priority.
“We have to get the criminals out of our country,” Trump said in an appearance on NBC News. “And I think you would agree with that. I don’t know how anyone could not agree.”
