President Donald Trump said he will delay the scheduled ICE raids for two weeks. Stay with WTOP for the full story.
At the request of Democrats, I have delayed the Illegal Immigration Removal Process (Deportation) for two weeks to see if the Democrats and Republicans can get together and work out a solution to the Asylum and Loophole problems at the Southern Border. If not, Deportations start!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 22, 2019
The raids were expected to begin Sunday. Officials from ICE said the initial targets of the raids would be those who had been served deportation documents but had not yet willingly surrendered to immigration officers.
Three administration officials told The Associated Press the operation had been canceled because details had leaked in the media and officer safety could be jeopardized. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly on the operation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
On June 17, President Donald Trump announced that officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement would begin deporting “millions of illegal aliens.” Several D.C. leaders have publicly spoken out against such action.
Next week ICE will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States. They will be removed as fast as they come in. Mexico, using their strong immigration laws, is doing a very good job of stopping people…….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2019
In a Friday statement, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called Trump’s threats “cruel and antithetical to our American values.”
“Regardless of immigration status, immigrants in DC are our neighbors, co-workers, family members, and valued members of our community,” said the statement.
The D.C. Police Department tweeted that they would not be asking residents about their immigration status.
MPD will not enforce civil immigration laws, which only create a strong divide between the police & community members.
MPD officers are prohibited from asking about residency/immigration status. DC’s immigrant community is a vital part of our city, which we continue to serve. https://t.co/pq16dE2cZp
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) June 22, 2019
D.C. Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen said he has spoken with D.C. police chief Peter Newsham about the upcoming raids and confirmed that D.C. police will not be cooperating with ICE.
The President announced ICE will be conducting raids on our immigrant neighbors this weekend. Know your rights. I spoke w/ Chief Newsham, who affirmed MPD will not cooperate w/ ICE. Look after our brothers and sisters as best we can. This is dehumanizing, painful, & wrong. pic.twitter.com/wKTYBCxtZh
— Charles Allen (@charlesallen) June 21, 2019
The ACLU of D.C. released a statement on Twitter telling residents to take the threat of immigration raids seriously and to stay informed of their rights.
The possibility of @ICEgov
raids this weekend, in #DC, is very real. We urge families and individuals who may be vulnerable to be prepared. See our know your rights guide below, carry those hotline numbers with you, and please spread the word! https://t.co/fQ35wL4Tlm https://t.co/6ZYlw4ucIO— ACLU of DC (@ACLU_DC) June 22, 2019
Other human rights groups have asked D.C. leaders to do everything in their power to ensure the protection of immigrants living in D.C. A petition on MoveOn.org asking D.C. leaders to stand against the ICE raids garnered nearly 1,000 signatures by Saturday morning.
The Miami Herald reported that immigration agents will be targeting Miami, Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, New York City and San Francisco.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
