The Trump Administration has commenced immigration enforcement activities in Massachusetts and Chicago, while the White House’s border czar indicates a broader federal enforcement push is planned across the nation this week.
“Action can be anticipated in most sanctuary cities nationwide,” border czar Tom Homan stated in comments made over the weekend.
These intensified enforcement efforts represent the most recent escalation in President Donald Trump’s continuing dispute with sanctuary cities—places where local laws restrict cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities—as he strives to implement an aggressive agenda.
Previous attempts by Trump to challenge sanctuary cities during his two Administrations have met with difficulties, as courts have barred the President from withholding federal funding from these municipalities and affirmed the legality of their policies.
This new enforcement campaign, in the interim, is already encountering opposition from community leaders.
Here is the pertinent information.
Chicago
On Monday, DHS disclosed its initiation of an immigration enforcement operation in Chicago, specifically aimed at undocumented immigrants possessing criminal histories, a campaign it has named Operation Midway Blitz.
“This ICE operation is designed to target criminal illegal aliens who moved to Chicago and Illinois, knowing that Governor Pritzker and his sanctuary policies would offer them protection and allow them to move freely on American streets,” the agency declared in a statement.
“This enforcement action will focus on the most dangerous criminal illegal aliens present in Chicago,” ICE Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin commented, expressing endorsement for the initiative.
As of Monday morning, reports of widespread arrests had not emerged, as per local authorities.
Trump had previously indicated his intentions to curb crime and immigration in Chicago, and over the weekend, he appeared to challenge the city with the recently renamed Department of War.
“The scent of deportations in the morning fills me with delight…,” he penned in an update on Truth Social. “Chicago is on the verge of discovering the reason for the Department of War’s designation.”
Trump has since clarified his comments in the wake of public criticism.
“We are not entering a conflict; instead, we are going to improve our cities,” the President stated when questioned about the social media post on Monday. “We intend to tidy them up so that five individuals are not murdered every weekend. That is not warfare; that is logical reasoning.”
Chicago officials and residents have protested a federal enforcement action in recent days. Last weekend, Mayor Brandon Johnson of the city issued a directive to Chicago law enforcement and officials, instructing them not to collaborate with federal agents, and he initiated a program designed to safeguard residents’ rights. Following the operation’s announcement on Monday, the city of Evanston, an urban suburb of Chicago, issued a public alert warning its residents of impending raids by ICE agents and encouraged them to report any sightings of law enforcement.
Massachusetts
Over the weekend, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed its plans for a Massachusetts-based operation, dubbed Patriot 2.0, with the goal of boosting the number of deportations within the commonwealth.
“With President Trump and Secretary Noem at the helm, no location offers refuge for criminal undocumented immigrants. Should you enter our nation unlawfully and violate our statutes, we will track you, apprehend you, deport you, and you will not ever come back,” a DHS spokesperson declared in a statement made over the weekend.
The DHS proceeded to condemn Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, asserting that “sanctuary policies, such as those advocated by Mayor Wu, not only draw in and shelter offenders but also prioritize these threats to public safety over the concerns of law-abiding American residents.”
Limited specifics were disclosed concerning the scope of the new enforcement action. The department claims it builds upon “the triumph of Operation Patriot in May,” an earlier enforcement drive that resulted in approximately 1,500 arrests, as reported by acting ICE Director Todd Lyons.
In retort, Mayor Wu has upheld her city’s regulations and pledged to dispute any enforcement endeavors that exceed legal boundaries.
“In accordance with the Boston Trust Act, no Boston police or municipal assets will be redirected towards federal immigration enforcement and their extensive deportation scheme,” she declared in a statement. “For many months, ICE has declined to furnish any details regarding its operations in Boston and has refused to issue warrants, all while we receive accounts of ICE agents apprehending parents while they are leaving their children at school. Such actions do not enhance the safety of our community. We anticipate that federal law enforcement will adhere to the constitution and the statutes of this City, Commonwealth, and nation, and we stand ready to pursue legal action should any evidence suggest otherwise.”
The Boston Trust Act, initially enacted in 2014 and subsequently revised five years later, places limitations on local law enforcement’s cooperation with ICE concerning civil immigration enforcement, though it permits collaboration on issues deemed to be of “considerable public safety, including human trafficking, child exploitation, drug and weapons dealing, and cybercrimes.”
The Justice Department initiated legal proceedings against Boston earlier this month regarding the policy, contending that “municipalities are unable to impede the Federal Government from upholding immigration statutes.”
“The City of Boston and its mayor have been among the most egregious sanctuary offenders in America — they explicitly enforce policies crafted to undermine law enforcement and shield undocumented individuals from justice. If Boston will not safeguard its citizens from crime committed by undocumented immigrants, then this Department of Justice will,” Attorney General Pam Bondi affirmed in a declaration.
Upon the lawsuit’s filing, Wu pledged that the city would uphold its legislation. “We shall not surrender,” she asserted.
