President Donald Trump on Saturday defended his administration's plan to deport thousands of undocumented families from over a dozen cities starting Sunday.
"The people that Ice will apprehend have already been ordered to be deported. This means that they have run from the law and run from the courts.
These are people that are supposed to go back to their home country. They broke the law by coming into the country, & now by staying." Trump tweeted.Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to deport up to 2,000 families who have missed a court date or have been served deportation orders.
The move has sparked fierce backlash from immigration advocates as well as civic leaders where the raids are to take place.
Chicago is refusing to share law enforcement records with ICE agents while Chicago Police Department Superintendent Eddie Johnson has ordered the CPD to not participate in the deportation raids.
Baltimore Mayor Jack Young issued a
"I am deeply disturbed by the President's recent comments around immigration and even more troubled at the reports of increased immigration enforcement," Young said in a statement.
Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva also issued a statement opposing the raids.
"I strongly oppose President Trump’s threats of mass deportations on Twitter and television. His actions are irresponsible and unnecessary if in fact the President is truly concerned with removing violent undocumented felons to ensure your public safety," Villanueva said in a statement
Trump made the announcement Monday on Twitter, the night before his re-election campaign kickoff in Florida.
"Next week ICE will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States. They will be removed as fast as they come in. Mexico, using their strong immigration laws, is doing a very good job of stopping people," Trump wrote.
Acting director of ICE, Mark Morgan, said there were no plans to deport "millions" of undocumented migrants, a number that alarmed many agents.
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine