U.S. Cities Prepare for Federal Immigration Raids That Begin Sunday

Photo: Charles Reed/Zuma Press

Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami are among the cities expecting deportation enforcement operations to begin Sunday

Several U.S. cities are preparing for federal immigration raids beginning Sunday morning as President Trump looked to follow through on plans to move enforcement actions beyond the southern border.

Mr. Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with the issue, which he vowed to tackle in his 2016 campaign, and is eager to step up deportations. But plans to deport large numbers of immigrants have presented logistical challenges and stirred controversy in Washington and the targeted cities.

Los Angeles, Chicago, Baltimore and Miami are among the cities anticipating raids, and some local officials quickly signaled their wariness of the expected action.

The Los Angeles Police Department said it was aware of Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions targeting individuals who have been issued final deportation orders. “The department is not participating or assisting in any of these enforcement actions,” it said in a statement. A law-enforcement official said the department was told in very general terms about the raids by federal authorities.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot ordered the police department to cut off ICE’s access to its immigration database. “I have also personally spoken with ICE leadership in Chicago and voiced my strong objection to any such raids,” she said in a statement.

Federal immigration officials and the White House declined to confirm any potential sweeps, and the scope of the planned raids was unclear on Friday. ICE generally doesn’t announce arrest plans in advance, both for security reasons and to avoid alerting potential targets.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan previously has urged a more-measured approach to dealing with the rising flood of migrant families at the border. A spokesman for Mr. McAleenan didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Supporters of more-restrictive immigration policies praised the planned raids.

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