U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have been directed to expand what President Donald Trump called the “single largest mass deportation operation” in U.S. history, with a focus on “crime-ridden and dangerous” areas in major Democrat-led cities.
Trump made the announcement Sunday in a post on Truth Social, days after suggesting he would ease enforcement on farmers, hotels, and hospitality businesses that have reported negative impacts from his administration’s nationwide immigration crackdown.
“In order to achieve this, we must expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America’s largest Cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, where Millions upon Millions of Illegal Aliens reside,” the president said.
He added: “These, and other such Cities, are the core of the Democrat Power Center, where they use Illegal Aliens to expand their Voter Base, cheat in Elections, and grow the Welfare State, robbing good paying Jobs and Benefits from Hardworking American Citizens.”
The order comes after President Trump indicated last week that a policy shift might be on the horizon, responding to concerns from farmers and those in the hotel and leisure industries who said they were losing reliable, longtime workers due to immigration enforcement, only to see those positions filled by illegal migrants with criminal records.
In recent weeks, ICE has intensified operations in the Los Angeles area, sparking widespread protests and riots. In response, President Trump deployed the National Guard and U.S. Marines, accusing Democratic leaders of failing to control the unrest.
Trump said on Sunday that the American people want their cities, schools, and communities to be “SAFE and FREE from Illegal Alien Crime, Conflict, and Chaos,” and the present contended that’s why he directed his administration to “reverse the tide of Mass Destruction Migration.”
