Trump orders ICE to widen deportations in Democratic-run cities
By: Joey Garrison
USA Today
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump directed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to ramp up efforts to detain and deport undocumented immigrants from large Democratic-run cities, escalating his crackdown despite widespread protest against the policy.
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Trump called for an expanded deportation blitz in a post late June 15 [2025] on Truth social, challenging ICE officers to "do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History." His order came after large protests in response to ICE raids erupted in Los Angeles, prompting him to deploy the Nations Guard and Marines to quell rioters. In addition, cities across the country held "No Kings" rallies June 14, [2025] in part protesting Trump's immigration actions.
..... To achieve his deportation goals, Trump said, "we must 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.
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He said, "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, robbing good paying Jobs and benefits from Working American Citizens." Trump said he wants ICE to focus on "our crime ridden and deadly Inner Cities, and those places where Sanctuary Cities play such a big role," adding,
..... It was a striking contrast to the message Trump sent about his deportation aims June 12 [2025] when he promised policy changes to protect migrant farmers, hotel workers and others in the leisure industry who have been among those deport4ed. At that time, Trump said he had heard from people in the farm and leisure industries conceder about worker shortages because of mass deportation. "Our farmers are being hurt badly," Trump said June 12. [2025] "You know, they have very good workers they've worked for them for 20 years. They're not citizens, but they've turned out to be, you know, great."
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Even before Trump's latest charge to ICE, the agency had dramatically expanded its deportation operations after the White House demanded the agency increase its arrests of migrants in the country illegally., Reuters reported. Daily quotas increased from 1,000 airest a day to 3,000.
..... Trump's border czar, tom Homan, said in late may [2025] that the administration had deported about 200,000 people over four months - a total l that lags behind the deportation during a similar period under former President Joe Biden. The White House has said the discrepancy is the result of fewer migrants coming to the border.
.... Migrants seeking to cross the United States-Mexico border have dropped significantly during Trump's first five months of his second term. Border Patrol agents have seen their monthly encounters of migrants and asylum-seekers drop to fewer than 10,000, down form more than 100,000 one year ago.
..... Contributing: Reuters