President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration is reconsidering plans for immigration raids in Chicago this week after details were leaked, Trump's “border czar” Tom Homan told the Washington Post in an interview on Saturday.
The new administration “hasn’t made a decision yet,” said Homan, the former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the report. “We’re looking at this leak and will make decision based on this leak,” he added.
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Officials and rights advocates had said Trump's administration would launch sweeps in multiple U.S. cities almost as soon as he takes office on Monday, with Chicago considered a likely first location.
Dulce Ortiz, president of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, told Reuters that as many as 200 ICE agents were expected to start raids in the Chicago area on Monday at 5 a.m., aiming to catch people heading into work or starting their day.
The enforcement had been expected to continue for several days, she said. An ICE spokesperson referred questions to the Trump transition team, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reuters reported Friday that agents would also conduct raids in New York and Miami. The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that ICE would stage a week-long operation in Chicago with potentially hundreds of agents.
Trump said in an NBC News interview on Saturday that launching the mass deportations he promised in his election campaign would be a top priority. But he declined to identify the cities targeted or when deportations would start.
"It will begin very quickly," said Trump. "We have to get the criminals out of our country."
Homan himself had appeared to confirm the raids earlier on Saturday, telling Fox News that "targeted enforcement operations" would quickly pursue some of what he said were 700,000 migrants who are in the U.S. illegally and under deportation orders. He indicated the efforts would occur in several cities.
"President Trump has been clear from day one ... he's going to secure the border and he's going to have the deportation operation," Homan told Fox News ahead of Trump's inauguration on Monday.
Homan said the agency had carefully planned the operation and identified specific individuals for enforcement.
"Every target for this operation is well-planned, and the whole team will be out there for officers’ safety reasons," he said.
Asked how the detention operations would be received in so-called sanctuary cities, which have pledged not to use city resources for federal immigration raids, Homan said sanctuary city policies were "unfortunate."
In the case of targeted individuals who are already in local jails, he said the cities' stance creates a threat to public safety. Cities would "release that public safety threat back into the community....and force (ICE) officers into communities," Homan said.
He urged public officials of those cities to assist in the deportation raids, but added, "We're going to do this, with or without their help. They are not going to stop us."
© Thomson Reuters 2025.
47 Comments
Harry_Gatto
SNAFU before it even starts :-)
"We have to get the criminals out of our country." says the man who should be heading the queue.
"Border Czar" Homan seems to be somewhat power-drunk, has just a little too much to say for himself and needs to keep his mouth closed.
stormcrow
Hypocritical yet sensible when you consider what deportations will do to the agricultural economy alone. Best to do the Texas-2 Step and walk back on all of the macho talk. Trump’s a known liar, but we all know that.
CigarLUV88
Haha No he isn’t rethinking anything! It’s going to happen! Like they said violent criminals first then the others!
Guess farmers better stop using illegals then.
lincolnman
"Re-thinking"....as in FLIPPING....REVISING....BETRAYING...
First he sides with his uber-rich rich tech bros over the MAGA little guy and says "immigration is great - especially when it replaces higher paid US workers with lower paid Indians, Chinese, and Africans"...
This after telling his pro-life supporters, life may begin at conception, but I'm OK with killing babies until the 15th week"....
Just like in 2017, Trump is tossing all his former promises and pledges overboard - all except those he made to his Top 1% buds....
Tax breaks for the rich and more immigrant workers - that's the only things he'll "accomplish"....along with hustling and playing all his supporters - once again...
bass4funk
Not according to Homan, Norm, and Bondi out of their own mouths they said, they will begin to immediately start deporting people and that’s a good thing.
Not when it comes to the border
but we all know that.
wallace
Lots of Hispanics and Latinos who look like immigrants will be stopped and harassed for their IDs. Racial profiling will be the new norm.
bass4funk
Easy, my brother is a cop, they can find out who’s who, look at places or people that looks suspicious, yes, you might have to profile at times, but with the thousands of agents are working together from all of the agencies and now recruiting more agents and using IRS funds to redirected to fund recruiting, they’re not playing around.
Blacklabel
oh, so you thinking it’s not happening?
your predictions have been, and continue to be, quite poor.
Blacklabel
yep, just more jobs for Americans and LEGAL immigrants.
lincolnman
it ain't happening like you and your MAGA brothers expected - you got played...and betrayed...
Better than yours....ROFL...
wallace
Americans don't want to do low-paid farm work.
lincolnman
Indeed...
Ni doubt a group of billionaire farmers will contribute a couple million dollars to Trump and he'll then FLIP and be all in for giving immigrant farm workers "special visas"...
Hey, it worked for Elon and Vivek...
Blacklabel
self deportation has started too.
illegals work cheap out of fear of being caught and deported. They go back home, our wages go up.
wallace
20 million claimed illegal immigrants will need 100 agents per 1000 immigrants. It will take many more new and trained immigrants. There are 20,000 ICE agents. Not enough.
Given that in the modern immigration enforcement era the United States has never deported more than half a million immigrants per year. It will take longer than Trump will be in office.
It will cost many billions.
plasticmonkey
I agree with this.
If anyone were truly serious about the immigration issue they would 1) crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants (at the moment employers are rarely punished, and not with much), 2) streamline the process for obtaining work visas to meet the demand for labor that clearly exists.
Sure. There are smart ways to do that, but we haven't seen them yet. I blame both Democrats and Republicans.
But Trump's plan is lopsided toward mass deportations, which the economy is not ready for.
wallace
What is it that you don't understand?
Farm wages go up. Farm produce prices go up. The cost of living goes up. Inflation goes up.
Is that the Trump plan also with tariffs on imported produce?
Blacklabel
records are made to be broken. And we have billions to invest to save tens of billions later once they are all gone.
bass4funk
Actually, there are many that do, the problem is, no one approaches them or many are turned down, so it’s not always the fault of the American wanting to work.
And that’s why from all law enforcement agencies they are going on a massive employment search spree, if they can find hard and criminals like the son of Sam or Richard Ramirez, they can find illegals as well, and you have to also remember there are many Americans that will call the police and have been doing so in turning people in.
It is about to do that now, something that has never been attempted on this massive scale, and this is what we voted for.
Probably, and money well spent.
wallace
Over 10 years it will cost more than $1 trillion.
Special Report
Mass Deportation
Devastating Costs to America, Its Budget and Economy
https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/mass-deportation
bass4funk
Wrong, it is long overdue and absolutely ready for it, not only that, all these people need to do is reapply for asylum and go through the process and then come back in legally
Bret T
The criminals being discussed as initial targets for mass deportation are not working in farm fields. They are in major cities committing crimes.
Blacklabel
the people to be removed as priority are incarcerated criminals and also those not even working but hanging out in free hotel rooms with paid debit cards.
they are not part of our economy other than a resource drain as American taxpayers have to pay for all that.
TaiwanIsNotChina
It's good he's rethinking this: he can have ICE agents wandering around with no support from local law enforcement but he would look pretty foolish. Local law enforcement has to follow the governor's orders and not the king's.
wallace
The entire U.S. prison and jail population in 2022, comprising every person held in local, county, state, and federal prisons and jails, was 1.9 million people. Oct 2, 2024
The largest number in the world.
Peter Neil
they won’t touch the farm workers, meat processing or construction illegals. the reason is obvious.
bass4funk
He’s not.
Incoming 'border czar' Tom Homan previews 'well-planned' deportation operations after inauguration
https://www.foxnews.com/media/incoming-border-czar-tom-homan-previews-well-planned-deportation-operations-inauguration
An hour ago
What are you talking about???
https://www.kcci.com/article/iowa-governor-kim-reynolds-orders-support-trump-immigration-laws/63457907
Well, the governor agrees with the felons orders
wallace
In 2023 there were 25,000 illegal immigrants in Federal prisons. A fall of more than 30% from 2019.
https://www.ussc.gov/research/quick-facts/federally-sentenced-non-us-citizens
Blacklabel
if so, then only criminals and people who are non contributors to our economy or our country.
Sounds like a great plan, would be nothing to even complain about then?
Just removing illegals burdening our society and those who broke our laws with violence.
smithinjapan
I hope some of the people that get raided and sent packing voted for him, I seriously do. America is not going to learn until it has hit absolute rock bottom, and under Trump it came close last time, but it will absolutely do so this time.
bass4funk
Not that many illegals voted this time, the Republicans were smarter, and they played the Democrats game, and they register more people to outperform any one that would legally kind of smart move
It has, oh, it definitely has
ROFL! If people thought that were true, particular minorities, they would’ve never voted for this man
lincolnman
Well, if they really want to catch a whole bunch of illegals coming to work, all they need to do is wait at the gates to Mar-A-Lago, Bedminster, and Westchester...or any other Trump property...
https://thehill.com/latino/429136-more-than-100-undocumented-immigrants-worked-at-trumps-bedminster-resort-during/
https://www.axios.com/2019/02/08/trump-organization-illegal-immigrants
https://www.vox.com/2019/2/4/18207096/victorina-morales-undocumented-immigrant-trump
However, expect soon afterward a "special H1B visa" for illegals working at a Trump business...
Peter Neil
the biggest burden on the society are the massive, gigantic, enormous, monstrous, swarms of american criminals.
i don't see how anyone can defend not deporting illegal criminals. why not round up and send the american ones with them?
and law enforcement will know exactly who they're looking for in raids. they have the names and data from courts and arrest records.
the best deterrent, prison for the people in companies hiring illegals, has never been enforced. the laws have been on the books for a generation.
hachikoreloaded
Translation please.
Peter14
Trump is also a convicted criminal, such a pity he wont be deported also. That would be the best thing for America. Triple check his birth certificate!!
Blacklabel
Nice 2019 narrative from far left media stalwarts Axios and Vox.
you do know it’s 2025 now?
lincolnman
Indeed - I imagine there are a whole bunch of out-of-work US tech workers replaced with foreign immigrants that wouldn't mind picking lettuce 12 hours a day for 50 cents an hour...
wallace
How many illegal immigrants are there? Trump said 20 million. Others say 10 million.
How do you deport unaccompanied children?
Blacklabel
there were 11 million in 2016. Joe allowed 3 million per year so 20+ million?
not the priority at this time. But DACA was found to be unconstitutional. Again.
So eventually they going back to their families or orphanages in their home countries.
geronimo2006
But, but...on day one!!! I'm expecting this, along with a lot of his other promises, will require rethinking. What the term rethinking here really means is those around Trump in positions of power and influence will be helping Trump rethink his policies to their own advantage. Trump is vacuous and easily manipulated. A good example is the H-1B visa. The outcome of all this will be anyones guess. Buckle up and get the popcorn ready.
lincolnman
10 million employed building and serving Trump properties...
What? Ridiculous - Trump built a full "impenetrable " border wall - and even got Mexico to pay for it! Right?
I can't wait to see this "roundup" kick off....I can just see ICE agents "profiling" and asking Marco Rubio for his green card...
ROFL...
Blacklabel
Is that what illegals are paid?
If so, we doing them a favor in deporting them.
Five Families
Monday. Kid Rock Whoo!
After the party. Criminal Noncitizen's Switch on. Bye Bye.
Border secure.
NO MORE BIDEN AND TEAM!
MAGA RETURNS!
Five Families
Bidens popularity ratio.
Jan 31st 2021 a Wopping 60%
Today 36%
Ouch Democrats! Woe is thee.
Deport them all who entered illegally.
Let the black and legal hispanics and those communites thrive with jobs and great health and welfare!
Five Families
Send the seriously crimnal from South America to GITMO. Label them as terrorist.
Send a message. Come to America and do murder, rape, take over apartment buildings or worse.
You inflicted terror. Hence you are a terrorist. Camp V you go.
bass4funk
Homan feels will start mass deportations, that is going to happen, no amount of censoring is going to change that. ICE, DOJ, FBI, Homeland, local law enforcement all will work together to get this done.
Five Families
If you go through the proper procsess to come to America. And you came from nothing. And you were granted an oppertunity to make a better life for yourself on US soil. Pay taxes. Obey the laws of the land. Help others.
I would you give the shirt of my back. The last buck in my pocket. I will pay it forward to help you in anyway possible. I could and will. And have done so i the past.
America is melting pot of greatness. But you must follow the law.
Come in legally.
Five Families
If you want a green card. Follow the procedure.
For the next 4 years. This is how it is.