Federal immigration officers are preparing to target over 300 individuals with violent criminal backgrounds once President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Monday. This will be one of his administration’s first steps in delivering on his promise of large-scale deportations.
The operation will be mainly focused on the Chicago area, though it’s expected to spread to other parts of the country. Arrests are set to begin early next week, and could last throughout the week, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity since the details haven’t been made public yet.
While ICE typically only arrests a small portion of their targets during such operations, Trump’s approach is expected to cast a wider net than his predecessor, President Joe Biden. Biden’s immigration enforcement mainly focused on people with serious criminal histories or national security threats, and typically avoided detaining individuals further from the U.S. border. Trump’s team, however, has indicated that they’ll arrest not only the primary targets but also anyone else—such as family members or roommates—who might be in the country illegally.
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the operation is set to begin Tuesday.
Tom Homan, Trump’s incoming border czar, confirmed in an interview with Fox News that Chicago will be one of several cities where federal authorities plan to make arrests.
Trump has consistently said that mass deportations are a top priority for his administration, although he hasn’t yet specified the exact cities or dates for when these operations will begin. However, he assured that it would happen “soon.”
Weather may cause some delays to next week’s operations, with forecasts predicting freezing temperatures in the Chicago area starting Sunday and lasting through the week.
Immigrant advocacy groups have been preparing for these actions ever since Trump made deportations a cornerstone of his campaign. Chicago, in particular, has been a target for Trump, as the city has some of the strongest protections for undocumented immigrants in the U.S.
Chicago adopted sanctuary city policies in the 1980s, limiting cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration agents. These policies have only been strengthened since Trump took office in 2017, and both Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have vowed to uphold those protections. Johnson even dismissed Trump’s deportation plans as “small and soft” in November.
Tom Homan has criticized Illinois’ Democratic leadership, particularly around their stance on immigration, during a visit to the Chicago area last month, where he made it clear that enforcement would start in the city.
Immigrant rights groups have been working to educate people about their legal rights, including setting up phone trees to inform communities about where ICE officers are operating. They also warn that ICE agents often make arrests in the early morning and that agents typically don’t have warrants that allow them to forcibly enter homes.
