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Chicago will be the first target.
Four people familiar with the plans of the new Trump administration say that a large-scale immigration raid is planned in Chicago next week, which will be the first step in President-elect Donald Trump's promised campaign of mass deportation of immigrants.
The raid is expected to begin on the morning of January 21, the day after Trump's inauguration, and continue throughout the week. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will deploy 100 to 200 officers to carry out the operation, The Wall Street Journal correspondents wrote.
The Trump team intends to focus on illegal immigrants with criminal records — many of whom have broken driving and other laws that the Joe Biden administration considered not too significant to prosecute.
Chicago was chosen for the raid both because of the large number of immigrants who could be possible targets and because of the Trump team's high-profile feud with the city's mayor, Democrat Brandon Johnson. Major immigrant hubs such as New York, Los Angeles, Denver and Miami are also in the new administration's sights.
“Trump’s advisers have said they intend to punish sanctuary cities by cutting off billions of dollars in federal grants to them,” the correspondents note.
Since the end of 2020, about 10 million people have migrated to the United States, excluding those who left, including those who came both legally and illegally. And since August 2022, more than 51 migrants have arrived in Chicago, according to data from the city of Chicago.
Economists and business leaders say deportations on the scale proposed by Trump would be a shock to the economy, hitting key industries that are experiencing labor shortages.