Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will launch an operation on Sunday in major US cities to round up about 2,000 undocumented immigrants facing deportation for residing in the United States illegally, The Washington Post reported Friday, citing three officials familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The raids will be conducted in at least ten major cities, including Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, and Chicago, the report said.
An ICE spokesperson said the agency would not provide details about the operation until it was over due to the sensitivity of the matter. The official added that ICE will no longer exempt any categories of illegal immigrants.
In reaction to the story, New York State Attorney General Letitia James warned the Trump administration that New Yorkers will not stand idly by.
"This is an immoral and unconscionable act by a president and an Administration hell-bent on dividing our country, and, as New York’s top law enforcement officer, I can assure New Yorkers we will do everything in our power to fight back against these inhumane policies", James said.
On Thursday, US Customs and Border Protection chief Carla Provost told the US House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee that over 100,000 migrants had evaded arrest after entering the United States illegally this year.
Pedestrian caravans of migrants from Central American countries seeking asylum in the US began to move north through Mexico last fall. Trump has called the surge of arrivals a "crisis" and declared a national emergency in February in an unsuccessful attempt to secure funds to build a wall on the border with Mexico.
Trump warned on Monday that his administration would begin mass deportations of "millions" of illegal immigrants in coming days.
