UPDATE
President Trump said he is canceling Sunday's scheduled raid in hopes that Republicans and Democrats can come together to work on the immigration crisis.
At the request of Democrats, I have delayed the Illegal Immigration Removal Process (Deportation) for two weeks to see if the Democrats and Republicans can get together and work out a solution to the Asylum and Loophole problems at the Southern Border. If not, Deportations start!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 22, 2019
ORIGINAL POST
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to undergo a massive sweep to apprehend and deport illegal aliens in 10 cities on Sunday. Although the operation has been underway for sometime, President Donald Trump's tweets on Monday brought the agency's move to light.
Next week ICE will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States. They will be removed as fast as they come in. Mexico, using their strong immigration laws, is doing a very good job of stopping people.......
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2019
....long before they get to our Southern Border. Guatemala is getting ready to sign a Safe-Third Agreement. The only ones who won’t do anything are the Democrats in Congress. They must vote to get rid of the loopholes, and fix asylum! If so, Border Crisis will end quickly!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2019
A senior official told CNN "the President's tweet helped prioritize things for people," although there is some concern about timing. Congress is currently debating on providing additional funding to help with the crisis along the southern border.
Although the agency wants to be transparent about what will take place, they don't want illegal aliens to know exactly when or where the raids will take place.
Agents are currently receiving training on how to handle various situations to avoid the appearance of separating families. Specifically, Border Patrol agents are receiving briefings on what to do about families who have mixed immigration status, like a parent who is in the United States illegally but his or her child is an American citizen.
ICE is expected to raid Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, Baltimore, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City, and San Francisco, various congressional offices and ICE told the Miami Herald.
The raids will be focused on:
• Unaccompanied minors who have turned 18.
• Those who have been ordered to be removed in absentia (without the illegal alien appearing in court).
• Those who didn't show up to court and didn't respond to Department of Justice letters mailed to their homes.
• Those whose cases were fast-tracked for deportation
• Families on the "rocket docket" list, which accelerated the family court docket.
During a Thursday training, the field office director for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Phoenix, Henry Lucero, said if an American child is involved, an ankle monitor will be put on the parent or guardian. The parent or guardian will then have to make arrangements for the child while their deportation proceedings move forward, the Miami Herald reported.
Back in March, 2,100 illegal aliens received court noticed yet only 65 showed up. Those who failed to appear are expected to be part of the raid.
Mayors in the 10 cities have given their take on the expected raids.
"I have directed -- and Superintendent Johnson has confirmed -- that CPD [Chicago Police Department] has terminated ICE's access to CPD's databases related to federal immigration enforcement activities," Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement. "I have also personally spoken with ICE leadership in Chicago and voiced my strong objection to any such raids. Further, I reiterated that CPD will not cooperate with or facilitate any ICE enforcement actions."
"We agree that criminals, like dangerous gang members who came here illegally, should be deported immediately," Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said in a statement. "As Mayor, I trust that only those individuals who represent a clear and present danger to our communities will be affected by this DHS policy."
"The Trump Administration's overbroad enforcement serves only to tear immigrant families apart, create an environment of fear, and divide us as a nation," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in the statement. "That's not how we operate in New York City and we will always stand proudly alongside our immigrant brothers and sisters."
While quite a few of the mayors were against the raid, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner had a different take on the situation.
"The city does not try to do ICE's job, nor does it try to impede ICE. And we will continue to be a city that builds relationships, not walls," Turner said in a statement.