The Trump administration is making plans for an immigration crackdown in Chicago, according to multiple news outlets.
A major immigration enforcement operation could come to the city as soon as next week, CNN and The New York Times both reported on Aug. 28, citing unnamed administration sources. It comes after Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, both Democrats, criticized President Trump’s plan to send the National Guard into Chicago, as Trump did earlier this month in Washington DC.
The Chicago operation could involve as many as 200 Department of Homeland Security officials, armored vehicles, and the use of a naval base outside the city as a staging area.
The Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond directly to USA TODAY’s request for comment on a planned Chicago operation. Both issued a statement generally supporting Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“President Trump has been clear: we are going to make our streets and cities safe again,” the statement read.
“Under (Homeland Security) Secretary Noem, ICE and CBP are working overtime to deliver on the American people’s mandate to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens and make America safe again,” the emails said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump administration planning major ICE operations in Chicago: reports
