Trump’s immigration crackdown met with defiance from local police

Trump’s immigration crackdown met with defiance from local police

Axios reports:

Police departments across the country are pushing back against President Trump’s hardline immigration policies, saying they won’t take part in the administration’s deportation raids.

Why it matters: Just days into the new administration, Trump’s campaign pledge to oversee mass deportations of immigrants is taking shape, with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids expected.

Driving the news: Trump has already declared a national emergency at the border and rolled back longstanding protections that restrict immigration enforcement in sensitive locations, like churches and schools.

  • Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan told CNN Tuesday that ICE was carrying out “targeted enforcement operations.”

The big picture: Multiple police departments around the country have said they don’t intend to assist with immigration enforcement in cases where no crime has been reported.

  • The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement Tuesday that its officers “will not stop and question, detain, arrest, or place an immigration hold” on people based on undocumented status.
  • The Chicago Police Department likewise said it would not “assist or intervene in civil immigration enforcement.”
  • Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said Monday that the Omaha Police Department has “no plans to participate in any raids” and that its officers “do not and will not stop individuals to check their legal status.”
  • In California, the Stockton Police Department also said it won’t assist ICE in enforcing federal immigration laws. “We are dedicated to serving all members of our community, including our undocumented immigrant population,” the statement read.

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