ICE to launch immigration raids in Chicago day after inauguration: Reports

President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration plans to conduct a large-scale deportation raid in Chicago next week, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal report. The Times reports the raids could start as soon as Tuesday, as the incoming president aims to achieve his goal of mass deportation of undocumented immigrants.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement routinely conducts raids. However, the Times said the agency told its personnel that the plan was tied to the president-elect’s policy priorities.

The Journal reports that between 100 and 200 ICE officers will carry out the operation, which will last through the week.

Chicago is a so-called “sanctuary city.” The city is one that does not hand over undocumented immigrants detained by local police to federal authorities. Chicago’s Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson has vocally criticized Trump on immigration.

The president-elect’s incoming “border czar,” Tom Homan, is set to lead the mass deportation effort. He told Chicago Republicans last month that he planned to be in Chicago on day one. Homan also called Johnson “not a real bright guy.”

Chicago also received thousands of migrants from Texas. The state’s Republican Gov. Greg Abbott bussed people who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border seeking asylum in the U.S. to Chicago and other cities further removed from the border.

Trump plans to deport millions of undocumented immigrants currently in the U.S. Homan suggested the plan would also deport parents in the country illegally even if their children are U.S. citizens. Members of the incoming administration have said in recent weeks that deporting undocumented immigrants with criminal records will be an early priority.