President Donald Trump said he wants to “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” in a lengthy Sunday night Truth Social post aimed at Democrats.
“These, and other such Cities, are the core of the Democrat Power Center, where they use Illegal Aliens to expand their Voter Base, cheat in Elections, and grow the Welfare State,” he added.
Trump also said he had directed his entire administration “to put every resource possible behind this effort, and reverse the tide of Mass Destruction Migration.”
The comments follow widespread “No Kings” protests that swept across the U.S. on Saturday— including in Washington D.C. alongside a military parade organized by the President—in response to what demonstrators say are his authoritarian excesses.
Sunday’s post came after Trump had earlier expressed concerns about deportations harming businesses in the American heartland. “Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace,” he wrote on Thursday.
According to The New York Times, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official Tatum King sent an email to regional leaders on Thursday that, “Effective today, please hold on all work site enforcement investigations/operations on agriculture (including aquaculture and meat packing plants), restaurants and operating hotels.”
The Trump Administration is reportedly divided on immigration raids. On Wednesday, Trump took a call from Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins who relayed alarm from farmers and agricultural groups. But other officials, including Stephen Miller, have urged a hardline approach.
ICE raids in Los Angeles have sparked major demonstrations, which prompted Trump to deploy 4,000 National Guards and 700 Marines last week, against the wishes of state officials.
The post Trump Orders ICE to ‘Expand’ Deportations in Democratic Cities appeared first on TIME.
