Trump vows mass deportations – ICE targets Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago in new crackdown
In a fiery escalation, Donald Trump pledges a record-setting immigration crackdown, sparking national outrage and renewed protests.
President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to three of America’s largest cities—Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago—declaring that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will significantly ramp up deportation efforts. The move comes as part of what Trump has labeled the “largest mass deportation program in history.”
Despite widespread protests and criticism from immigrant rights groups and political opponents, Trump remains defiant. In a recent message posted to Truth Social, he ordered ICE to increase daily arrests from around 650 to a staggering 3,000. The shift marks a radical expansion of current immigration enforcement levels, drawing both condemnation and support.
“ICE Officers are herewith ordered… to do all in their power to achieve the very important goal,” Trump wrote, calling the operation a patriotic duty.
Targeting sanctuary cities and ramping up arrests
The president specifically called out Democratic-led cities—Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago—as major hubs for undocumented immigrants and vowed to focus deportation efforts there. These urban centers have long been seen as sanctuary cities, limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Trump accused Democratic leaders of using undocumented immigrants to “cheat in elections” and “rob benefits from hardworking American citizens,” stoking already fiery partisan tensions.
Trump’s proposed operation is not without legal and logistical hurdles. Last year, he floated the idea of using the military to aid in deportations—despite the Posse Comitatus Act, which restricts military involvement in domestic law enforcement.
So far, his administration claims approximately 140,000 people have been deported by April 2025, although independent estimates suggest the number could be significantly lower.
With protests erupting across the country and civil rights groups preparing legal challenges, the nation is bracing for an intense and emotional debate over immigration, legality, and national identity.
As Trump reignites his immigration crackdown with bold threats and sweeping plans, America finds itself once again at the crossroads of fear, identity, and political division.
