Over the weekend, President Donald Trump's administration carried out immigration enforcement operations across multiple cities in the United States, leading to the arrest of nearly 1,000 individuals. Cities such as Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas, were among those where actions were taken.
On his first day as Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth expressed the government's commitment to providing necessary assistance at the southern border of the United States.
The recent immigration actions occurred amidst a resolved impasse between Colombia and the US regarding deportation flights, following threats of steep tariffs by President Trump. However, leaders of Mexico and Guatemala stated that deportations from the US to their countries have not significantly increased since Trump's return to office.
ICE is set to continue its 'enhanced operations' in the Southeast US multiple times a week, involving various agencies with Title 8 authority to apprehend immigrants under Customs and Border Protection's immigration jurisdiction.
The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights reported a surge in calls to their hotline, with neighbors and passersby reporting federal agents knocking on doors in Chicago neighborhoods since the start of the immigration blitz.
In response to the situation, an additional 400 members of the Texas National Guard are being deployed to the US-Mexico border to collaborate with Border Patrol agents. These specially trained soldiers from the Tactical Border Force will be dispatched from bases in Fort Worth and Houston.
Furthermore, agencies assisting US immigration officials with the raids have instructed personnel to wear clothing clearly identifying their agency in case they are filmed by the media. This precaution, including the use of raid jackets, is being implemented nationwide to ensure the safety and transparency of the operations.
