Some of the most high-profile of Donald Trump’s promised anti-illegal immigrant raids began at dawn on Tuesday in New York City.
Federal law enforcement, coordinated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), launched operations in some of the city’s most high-crime areas, particularly in the Bronx. While full details of the targeted zones were not disclosed, police sources confirmed that the raids aimed to arrest thousands of immigrants with criminal records, including serious offenses such as kidnapping, assault, and theft.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who arrived in New York to oversee the operation, emphasized that deporting “criminals” is a top priority for the Trump administration. “Dirtbags like this will continue to be removed from our streets”, she posted on X, sharing a video of a man being taken away in handcuffs.
Tuesday’s raids are part of a larger national operation targeting other major Democratic-run cities, including Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New Orleans, where federal agents have already arrested “thousands” of immigrants with criminal records.
Since taking office, Trump has pledged to exponentially increase the number of raids with the goal of creating “the largest mass deportation in U.S. history,” focusing first on those considered a threat to public and national security. The number of operations is set to grow. Tom Homan, appointed by Trump as the “border czar,” told ABC News that in the coming days, there will be “a constant increase as we expand our scope. Right now, we are focused on public safety and national security threats, but as we broaden our reach, arrests will increase nationwide.”
The GOP administration is making extensive use of “expedited removals,” which Biden had limited to areas within 100 miles of the U.S. border and only for those who had not requested asylum or failed to prove their eligibility. Trump, however, has authorized expedited removals anywhere in the U.S., applying them to undocumented immigrants who cannot prove they have been in the country for more than two years.
According to Pew Research Center estimates based on the 2022 American Community Survey, at least 11 million undocumented immigrants are living in the U.S. More than half a million reside in New York, where Mayor Eric Adams recently declared his intention to “cooperate” with federal authorities in carrying out the raids, while expressing concern over new rules that allow ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids in so-called “sensitive areas” like schools and churches.
“Law enforcement will have the discretion to act with common sense,” explained a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), emphasizing that the priority will be arresting “dangerous criminals” such as murderers and rapists.
Meanwhile, ICE has released initial statistics: 1,179 arrests and 853 detainer requests on Monday alone. There was also a significant rise in deportations, with over 2,000 arrests over the weekend in several sanctuary cities, including Chicago and Miami.
The crackdown on illegal immigration is now accompanied daily by images of deportation flights, with military cargo planes transporting migrants back to their countries of origin. Diplomatic tensions have not been absent: on Sunday, the Colombian government blocked the landing of two U.S. military flights carrying Colombian-born illegal immigrants, whom Bogotá’s President Gustavo Petro said were being treated as “criminals”—before ultimately allowing their repatriation following threats of harsh trade sanctions from Washington.
Meanwhile, the Mexican government has begun constructing large shelters to house deported migrants, anticipating a significant influx of people fleeing the new restrictive measures. These facilities will offer food, medical assistance, and support for repatriation. Mexico City’s humanitarian campaign, called “Mexico Embraces You,” will assist deported citizens and help them reintegrate into their home countries.
The Trump administration has also decided to revoke some of the measures implemented by his predecessor, Joe Biden, such as the suspension of expedited removals and the end of policies that allowed thousands of migrants to enter the U.S. on humanitarian grounds. Trump has ordered the removal of the CBP One smartphone app, which migrants could use to schedule appointments with U.S. border agents to streamline their entry. It is estimated that about 270,000 migrants were waiting on the Mexican side of the border to schedule appointments through the app.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, during his first term, Trump oversaw the deportation of over 1.5 million undocumented immigrants—roughly the same number as Biden, but about half the 2.9 million deported by Barack Obama during his first term (2008-2012).
