United States President Donald Trump directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to expand deportation efforts in Democratic-led cities, demanding federal authorities to “do all in their power” to achieve mass deportations in a social media post.
“ICE Officers are herewith ordered, by notice of this TRUTH, to do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History,” the president posted on his Truth Social platform.
The post came amid nationwide protests, including major clashes with police in Los Angeles. A curfew in downtown LA was lifted on Tuesday.
“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 his post.
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The US president has made deporting undocumented immigrants a main feature of his second term, after successfully campaigning against an alleged “invasion” of criminals. CNN has reported that ICE has been racing to meet White House arrest quotas.
The country has seen mainly peaceful protests against the administration’s immigration crackdown. Still, Trump singled out sporadic violent incidents as justification to deploy 4,000 National Guards and 700 Marines to Los Angeles, against the wishes of local and state authorities.
California has sued to regain control of the National Guardsmen from Trump, arguing he overstepped his authority.
That suit is working its way through federal court.
LA Mayor Karen Bass described the fear and anger that have taken hold in the heavily Latino city over the immigration raids.
“People are afraid to leave their homes,” she said, adding that raids have at times felt “indiscriminate”.
“This is the United States. You are not supposed to have to show your papers if you go out in public,” she said.
Trump listed grievances against “sick” Democrats in his post, including charges that they “believe in Open Borders, Transgender for Everybody, and Men playing in Women’s Sports”.
He said he wanted ICE and other law enforcement agencies “to FOCUS on our crime ridden and deadly Inner Cities”, directing his entire administration “to put every resource possible behind this effort, and reverse the tide of Mass Destruction Migration that has turned once Idyllic Towns into scenes of Third World Dystopia”.
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Over the weekend, anti-Trump demonstrators took to the streets as part of “No Kings” protests nationwide. Large crowds marched in coordinated rallies, coinciding with a Trump-hosted military parade in Washington.
At least one demonstration was met with violence when a man intentionally drove an SUV through a crowd of departing protestors, striking at least one person, police said.
On Tuesday, Brad Lander, New York City’s comptroller and a mayoral candidate, was arrested by masked federal agents while visiting an immigration court.
In a statement to the Guardian, Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary from the Department of Homeland Security, said Lander “was arrested for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer”.
Upon his release, Lander said he “certainly did not” assault an officer. He told an Associated Press reporter that he was there to “accompany” some immigrants out of the building.
Lander can be seen and heard in videos of the incident asking the immigration officials if they have a judicial warrant.
Additional footage of the arrest shows Lander telling the officials: “I’m not obstructing. I’m standing right here in the hallway. I asked to see the judicial warrant.” Masked officials pinned Lander to a wall and put him in handcuffs.
