(Photo Credit: Charles Reed/Associated Press)

ICE Raids Will Start This Week

President Donald Trump is serious about cracking down on immigrants living illegally in the US and he’s ordering a major ICE sweep this week to prove it. Trump says the immigration raids will target people who have failed to appear in court and have received one or more final deportation orders.

ICE says they are specifically targeting immigrants in a handful of big cities, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco. The announcement has stirred the ire of immigrants’ rights groups and politicians, including New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.

“The Trump administration uses fear as a weapon. We’re making sure our immigrant communities are getting accurate information and have the resources to defend their rights,” de Blasio tweeted Sunday.

But as of Sunday, there was little evidence that any raids were underway. However, US Citizenship and Immigration Services director Ken Cuccinelli says they are “absolutely” going to happen. Cuccinelli defended the raids, saying the targeted immigrants have already received due process but have not obeyed the court’s orders.

“They’re absolutely going to happen. There are approximately a million people in this country with removal orders. And of course, that isn’t what ICE will go after in this, but that’s the pool of people who have been all the way through the due process chain,” Cuccinelli said.