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Published on January 20, 2025
New Administration Signals Intense ICE Operations in Sanctuary Cities Like NYC and Chicago Post-InaugurationSource: Wikipedia/U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

As the nation braces for the new administration, reports have surfaced indicating a significant shift in the enforcement of immigration laws. According to CBS News, organizations in New York City are on alert following President-elect Donald Trump's promise of extensive deportations upon his return to office. Sources suggest that areas with substantial immigrant populations, including sanctuary cities like Chicago and New York, could be targeted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) teams.

Tom Homan, the incoming White House border czar, was bold in his rhetoric, stating, "There's going to be a big raid all across the country. Chicago is just one of the many places. We got 24 field offices across the country. on Tuesday, you're gonna expect ICE, ICE is finally going to go out and do their job," in a statement obtained by CBS News. Advocacy groups have responded with calls for stronger sanctuary laws and training on how residents can assert their rights.

Concurrent reporting by The Post confirms the anticipated scale of the actions ICE plans to undertake, indicating that "big f–king operation" is set to commence immediately after the inauguration. Sources informed The Post that "ground operations" will span several days, targeting individuals with removal orders, and hinting at preparations within ICE to make room in detention centers for the anticipated surge in arrests.

Meanwhile, local leaders and citizens express varying perspectives. Some supportive of the enforcement actions, like Businessman Fernando Mateo, applaud the efforts for a "safer city," as he told CBS News. In a contrasting view, the New York Immigration Coalition organized a unity walk to highlight their concerns and the need for community vigilance and solidarity.

In an aggressive push to change the current immigration stance, Homan has signaled a no-compromise approach, asserting on Fox News, "We're going to take the handcuffs off ICE and let them go arrest criminal aliens. That's what's going to happen." Homan added, "If they're in the country illegally, they got a problem," intimating that nobody is exempt from potential ICE action, as detailed by The Post.