US authorities have arrested 538 illegal immigrant criminals and a suspected terrorist in a major operation, taking part in President Donald Trump new crackdown on illegal immigration. In at least two of the raids, dozens of illegal immigrants were deported back to Mexico using military aircraft. It also went after members of criminal gangs like four people connected to the Tren de Aragua gang and others convicted of sex against minors, Leavit said, referring to Trump’s press secretary.
The crackdown came just weeks after Trump had pledged to thwart an illegal immigrant caravan headed to the U.S. border with Mexico, and Leavitt, in a post on social media platform X, hailed the effort as the “largest massive [deportation] operation in history.” “Promises made. We remain on track to keep our promises,” the administration went on to say, while its actions to target “illegal immigrant criminals” continued. The arrests were confirmed by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which said 373 detainers had been lodged for criminal non-citizens in jail.
It comes after a series of executive orders signed by Trump when he returned to office to increase border security and speed up the deportation process for undocumented immigrants. Trump has also continued his ongoing immigration policy reforms with executive actions.
The sanctuary city of Newark, New Jersey, was one of the key targets in the raids. These cities protect the undocumented immigrants, and in Newark, legal residents were also picked up in the operation. The actions were unlawful, said Mayor Ras Baraka, who accused authorities of ‘terrorizing’ people. Baraka said Newark won’t let people get put in fear like that and pledged to continue to resist the federal immigration measures. Much debate has been sparked over the enforcement of immigration policies in the U.S. and how tracking such things affects the country.
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