U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced a “surge” in its operations in a number of “sanctuary cities,” according to a statement released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Saturday. The move is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to intensify immigration enforcement nationwide.
In the statement posted on X, DHS named 12 jurisdictions where the increased presence will take place: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. Sanctuary cities are local or state governments that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, a policy that has been a point of contention for years.
The announcement follows a series of high‑profile incidents involving ICE agents. In Austin, Texas, a Venezuelan delivery driver, Wilber Rafael Garcas Perez, was shot by federal officers while driving a DoorDash vehicle. He was admitted to a hospital and remains in ICE custody with a bullet lodged in his back. Since President Donald Trump returned to office, federal immigration agents have shot at least 20 people, seven of whom were killed, sparking protests across the country.
DHS said it will “continue to arrest any and all illegal aliens that come into our path” and that it is targeting “criminal illegal aliens” who have been “released from jails by sanctuary politicians.” Critics point out that the majority of those arrested are non‑criminal or have only minor offenses. A U.S. citizen was also left bloodied on a Chicago suburb road after a confrontation with immigration agents who mistakenly identified him as a fugitive, according to local police and a resident who tried to help.
The department has described the expanded presence as a “nationwide public safety surge,” a phrase that underscores its framing of the initiative as a measure to protect communities from illegal immigration. The move has drawn both support from proponents of stricter enforcement and criticism from those who see it as a continuation of a controversial policy that has led to violent confrontations and questions over accountability.
<small>Source: Yahoo News — read the original story there.</small>
