The US president has urged ICE agents to focus on Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and other Democratic strongholds
US President Donald Trump has instructed federal agents to dramatically ramp up deportations of illegal migrants from Democrat-led cities after riots swept Los Angeles.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday evening, Trump instructed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to “achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History.”
“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,” he added.
Trump went on to claim that the Democrats are using illegal migrants to “expand their Voter Base, cheat in Elections, and grow the Welfare State, robbing good paying Jobs and Benefits from Hardworking American Citizens.”
Many Democratic strongholds, including Los Angeles and Chicago, are restricting their cooperation with federal immigration agents under their sanctuary laws – the policies Trump and Republicans have long opposed.
California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have condemned Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard and active-duty Marines to help quell the unrest sparked last week by ICE raids. Newsom argued that the move was unlawful and sued Trump and the Pentagon.
“Donald Trump is creating fear and terror by failing to adhere to the US Constitution and overstepping his authority,” the governor said.
A curfew has been imposed on parts of downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday following days of looting, vandalism, and clashes with police.
During his election campaign, Trump vowed to undo what he described as “open-border” policies under his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, who oversaw the influx of migrants across the border with Mexico.
