Democrat-run cities across the country are on high-alert after President Donald Trump directed multiple law enforcement agencies to carry out the “largest Mass Deportation Operation” in US 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,” Trump said in a Truth Social post Sunday.
Since the start of Trump’s second term, his administration has zeroed in on so-called sanctuary cities like New York, L.A., Chicago, and Boston. While there is no legal or strict definition for sanctuary cities, the term denotes a jurisdiction where cooperation with federal immigration enforcement is limited.
In New York City, where more than 400,00 undocumented migrants live, immigrant communities are bracing for ramped-up mass deportation raids.
“Since this administration took office, we saw ICE and immigration enforcement ramp up across the state of New York,” Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of New York Immigration Coalition, told Scripps News Group.
“We initially saw them start targeting farms in our upstate communities. Dairy workers were taken. Hatchery workers were taken. And then we saw them also start separating families and taking mothers with their children,” he continued. “And now what we're seeing in the immigration courts, where people are showing up, following the process, doing what's asked of them. Showing up to court, showing up for ice check-in, and then being snatched and disappeared, simply for following the process.”
Awawdeh added that regardless of status, all immigrants are being targeted in these ramp-up enforcement operations, especially as previous pathways to legal status have been removed by the Trump administration.
"We want our communities to be safe and secure. And what we're seeing happen from the federal administration is quite the opposite of that. They're tearing families apart and making our communities less safe," Awawdeh said.
As enforcement agents have been ordered to drastically increase daily arrests, community leaders say they are tracking some operations. Still, there is no clear way of knowing exactly when or where mass raids could take place.
“But what we do know is we have certain rights. We do know that planning is important. We do know we can activate as neighbors, that we can extend compassion, and we should be informed,” New York City Councilmember Alexa Aviles told Scripps News Group. “We also know that our voices are important. And if you haven't been impacted yet, you certainly will be.”
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Councilmember Aviles, who represents some of the most diverse immigrant neighborhoods in the city, said the threat of these raids is greatly impacting already vulnerable communities.
“We see decreases in people getting services from nonprofits. We see decreases in people attending school. People are afraid to go to church. Most recently I've heard a lot of decreases in people going to the hospital to get medical care. It really has had a huge negative impact,” she said.
Aviles said that businesses are also being impacted as workers are afraid to show up. White House border czar Tom Homan doubled down on immigration raids continuing to be carried out at worksites like farms and hotels.This announcement came after agents were recently told to hold off on conducting raids at these places. Homan said that criminals will be prioritized.
"Trump has been very clear about his interest in terrorizing and harming people who do not want to follow his agenda. And so that means New York City is one of those cities,” Aviles said.
Community leaders and immigrant advocates say they have continuously focused on educating people on their rights. Some communities have set up ice trackers and watch groups in attempts to stay ahead of trump’s immigration crackdown raids. While these steps aren't erasing a deep sense of dread and widespread chaos for many communities, Aviles said strategies like these send a clear message.
“Number one: reminding people that we are a sanctuary city,” she said. “And reminding folks as that we are not colluding with Trump, and we will not collude with Trump's deportation agenda.”
