Trump Border Czar Defends School, Church Attacks As Agencies Target Chicago

Donald Trump’s border czar on Sunday defended raiding churches and schools as part of a crackdown on illegal immigration as six federal agencies launched a sweep targeting “potentially dangerous criminal aliens” in Chicago.

Trump began his second term last Monday with a flurry of executive actions aimed at overhauling US immigration.

His administration moved quickly to increase deportations, including by relaxing rules for enforcement measures in “sensitive” locations such as schools, churches and workplaces.

Asked about the rule change, Tom Homan, tapped to oversee Trump’s hardline agenda, said Sunday it sends a clear message.

“There are consequences for coming into the country illegally. If we don’t show that there are consequences, you’re never going to solve the border problem,” Homan, who is also the former head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), told ABC News “this week” program.

But Trump has been unhappy with the number of arrests so far and has directed federal immigration officials to accommodate higher detention rates, the Washington Post reported Sunday.

It said he ordered ICE to raise arrest numbers from a few hundred a day to at least 1,200 to 1,500, citing people with knowledge of internal briefings.

ICE reported making a total of 593 arrests Friday and 286 arrests Saturday. In the federal fiscal year of 2024, it averaged about 310 per Day according to agency data.

– ‘Enhanced Targeted Operations’ –

Homan spoke from Chicago, a Democratic stronghold and a so-called “Sanctuary City” for migrants, which Homan has considered “Ground Zero” of the deportation boom.

ICE announced Sunday on X that it had joined five other federal agencies in “enhanced targeted operations” in Chicago “to enforce U.S. immigration laws and preserve public safety and national security by keeping potentially dangerous criminal aliens out of our communities.”

Joining ICE were the FBI; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Administration; Customs and Border Protection; and the US Marshals Service.

No details were given on the scale of the operation or how many people were detained.

Fear of being swept up in the attacks kept many Latinos in the region at home, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, told CNN that state officials would help federal law enforcement agencies prosecute anyone accused or convicted of violent crimes, but would defend “law-abiding” citizens.

Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, both Democrats who represent Illinois, rebuked Trump’s deportation crackdown in a joint statement Sunday, saying the effort “goes far beyond” targeting “dangerous individuals” and risking unavoidably detained migrants.

“We stand with the immigrant community in Chicago and across the country, and our offices and caseworkers stand ready to help those wrongly caught up in these attacks,” the statement said.

On Thursday, leaders of three Catholic organizations blasted the rule change that allows attacks on churches and schools, saying in a joint statement that “turning places of care, healing and comfort into places of fear and uncertainty … will not make our communities safer”

When pressed on the Catholic opposition, Homan stood his ground.

“We enforce laws that Congress passed and the president signed. If they don’t like it, change the law.”

Vice President JD Vance, who was also asked about the Catholic pushback in an interview aired Sunday, accused one group of being worried about losing funding in the immigration push.

“I think the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops actually needs to take a look in the mirror and recognize that when they receive over $100 million to help resettle illegal immigrants, are they concerned about humanitarian concerns? Or are they actually worried about their bottom line? ” He told CBS’ face the nation. “

All eyes in Trump’s first week in office have been on immigration enforcement and deportations, though it was unclear to what extent actions have stepped up from predecessor Joe Biden.

Homan urged Congress to pass additional funding for handling those arrested.

“We need more ice beds, at least 100,000,” he told ABC News.

“We will try to be efficient. But the more money we have, the more we can achieve.”

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