By Jonathan Landay and Eric Cox
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The incoming administration of President Donald Trump is reconsidering plans to attack immigration in Chicago next week after details were released, Trump's “border administrator” Tom Homan told The Washington Post in an interview on Saturday.
The new administration “hasn't made a decision yet,” said Homan, the former director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the report. “We are looking into this leak and will take a decision based on this leak,” he added.
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Officials and rights advocates say the Trump administration will launch sweeps in several US cities as soon as he takes office on Monday, with Chicago considered the first location.
Dulce Ortiz, president of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, told Reuters that as many as 200 ICE agents are expected to begin raids in the Chicago area on Monday at 5 a.m., with the aim of arresting people going to work or starting their day.
The enforcement was expected to continue for several days, he said. An ICE spokeswoman referred questions to Trump's transition team, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reuters reported on Friday that agents would raid New York and Miami. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that ICE will conduct a week-long operation in Chicago with hundreds of agents.
Trump said in an interview with NBC News on Saturday that launching the mass deportations he promised during his campaign would be a top priority. But he declined to identify the target cities or when the deportations began.
“It's going to start soon,” Trump said. “We have to get criminals out of our country.”
Homan himself appeared to confirm the attack early Saturday, telling Fox News that “targeted operations” would soon follow what he had said about the 700,000 immigrants in the US illegally and under deportation orders. He also said that efforts will take place in many cities.
he's going to protect the border and he's going to deport,” Homan said on Fox News before Trump's inauguration on Monday.
Homan said the agency carefully planned the operation and identified specific individuals for enforcement.
“All the targets of this operation are well planned, and the entire team will be there for officer safety reasons,” he said.
Asked how the detentions would be received in so-called sanctuary cities, which have promised not to use city resources to attack immigrants, Homan said sanctuary city policies are “unfortunate.”
In the case of the targeted people who are already in local jails, he said the presence in these towns poses a threat to public safety. Cities “will release that public safety threat back into the community … and force (ICE) officers into the community,” Homan said.
He urged the public officials in those cities to help in the search of the evictions, but added, “We will do this, even if we don't help them or without their help.” They will not stop us.