Tolerating illegal immigration and people who have no legal right to be in the United States is an abomination of the rule of law.
46
When will they also roundup the companies which have hired undocumented people for years? And, by the way, let’s be sure lawful citizens are on standby & ready to assume positions in the agricultural fields, chicken & meat processing plants, brick laying, etc
38
We brought this illegal immigration crisis on ourselves. For more than 40 years, since the Reagan amnesty, people have been allowed to come here on worker visas and establish lives, get married and have children, work for low wages, and hide in the shadows. This terrible situation is a direct result of our Federal government refusing to establish a worker visa program. Every time one was suggested, it was shot down by Congress. The only solution to illegal immigration is to establish and monitor worker visas. These people came here for jobs, so the businesses that have profited through the years need to be accountable. Agriculture, meat processing, construction, etc. must hire legal workers. No more underpaid workers. No more cheating. And we don't need amnesty which will bring in a million more when they hear about it.
32
"The agents will not be busting down doors or engaging in shootouts, said one official with direct knowledge of the operation ..."
Well, let's see how long that lasts.
30
Swell. Between those who go overboard for sanctuary and those who overreact to it, rational society takes another beating. When will this end?
14
How about so ‘love’ for the innocent American citizens who are denied jobs, suffer from increased criminality and who ultimately pay the bills for the sanctuaries largesse? They are illegal because in coming here without following our laws, the broke the law. The lying and suborning of our justice and welfare systems by people whose entrance into and presence in our country made them ineligible is just another ancillary cost. Identify. Detain. Deport.
23
I think the city should crack down on Federal ICE agents. Does anyone really think they always obey the letter of the law? If these clowns violate ANY city ordinance in their zeal to harm our residents, arrest the ICE agents.
24
Recently over 100 people involved in sex trafficking in our area were arrested. These traffickers are also involved in cross border human smuggling and drugs. They are an integral part of the illegal population. Sanctuary policies facilitate these criminal activities in our midst.
The consequences of lax border enforcement and sanctuary policies on the whole are being under reported. Yes there are many good people in this population but current policy make it impossible to filter out bad and stopping criminal cartels from gaining a foothold here.
29
From 1942 until 1970 the Department of Defense and its predecessors paid a bounty to police officers and state troopers who apprehended military deserters. It was paid directly to the police officer and was an effective technique.
I would like to see the Trump Administration offer rewards to local and state police officers for the the apprehension of illegal aliens. This would expand the impact of law enforcement, and help rid the United States of illegal aliens.
14
Intimidation. Pure and simple. Not only meant to frighten the undocumented but also those that would help them. Perhaps these “masked” avengers should pay a call to the business owners that are hiring the undocumented.
If the current occupant wins a second term they’ll be coming for many of us before they’re through.
16
That this BORTAC is described as being used for a "show of force" during arrests reminds us again that this administration has no skill (or interest) in complex, multi-layered strategic thinking for solving critical problems. Everything with these people is blunt force, or blackmail ("do us a favor, though"), public bullying of reasonable opposition with name calling and assaulting the rule of law in plain sight.
We have to figure out how to stop reacting to every outrage with the shock that there is no bottom to these peoples' barrel and accept the overview that we are dealing with a criminal, abnormal administration and vote in November in overwhelming numbers to put an end to this authoritarian cult at every level of government. We will never be able to get back to where we were before Trump (and probably shouldn't), but we have to start believing and acting that a better way is possible for a decent, just and fair society.
16
ICE are the ones terrorizing our community. They are lying and this article focuses on criminal activity. It's a load of lies. There are already laws and procedures in place that will deport undocumented people who have committed violent crimes. This is a policy of hatred and ultimately will hurt our economy, not to mention rip apart families, costing us more in the long run due to damage they've done to peoples' psychological state. Make up your own mind, but don't mindlessly listen to distorted and unsubstantiated lies. Read documents, listen to the individuals' own words, as well as their historical behaviors, and look at the trail of money and corruption based on evidence.
17
Look no further than than the poor 92 year old women raped and murdered in New York by an undocumented migrants who had an ICE detainer but was let go after an arrest by New York City because it does not cooperate with ICE. Image god forbid she was your grandmother or mother. I constantly hear in the lefts argument for gun control “if we save only one life than its worth it” does the same not apply here, or is that only for issues they approve of. Then there is the basic question of law the federal government supersedes that of local law imagine if states became anti gay marriage sanctuary states imagine the uproar.
25
America is thankful we have an adult in the White House that enforces the laws without regards to the political winds. These specialized officers will be engaging criminal aliens, but I am sure some will still have a problem with with removing violent felons who are illegally in our country.
14
Oh no, arresting criminals.
I guess if I want to commit a crime I should cross the border first. Now that's real privilege.
21
As long as militarization happens in their "president's" enemy territory, trumpsters are good with it. As long as their "president's" enemies are the targets of his hatred, they're good with it. It's amazing how un-American this "president" and his followers are.
13
Finally! Tanks in the streets, with swat teams committing random arrests & breaking down doors. What could be a better example of "freedom"?
15
“ Among the agents being deployed to sanctuary cities are members of the elite tactical unit known as BORTAC, which acts essentially as the SWAT team of the Border Patrol. With additional gear such as stun grenades and enhanced Special Forces-type training, including sniper certification, the officers typically conduct high-risk operations targeting individuals who are known to be violent, many of them with extensive criminal records.”
An egregiously wasteful and objectively ignorant misapplication of a valuable law enforcement resource.
9
Local authorities should apply state criminal law to ICE agents. If ICE agents use excessive force, arrest them and prosecute them for assault and battery.
6
We don't need application of more SWAT team tactics in our cities. It's arguable that we use those tactics too frequently already.
The greatest benefit to be derived from the specialized training of these personnel would be from using them differently than directed by this change. It just isn't a logical assignment.
It seems most likely this is just another act of revenge on sanctuary cities by Trump, who can't accept the idea of those cities refusing to cooperate with him. He takes that not as a matter of policy disagreement, but (improperly) as a personal affront. And he's going to get even.
There is perhaps also an element of Trump wanting to pose as a tough guy.
8
Does anyone remember the outcry over NSA’s collection of phone numbers. I believe the government being able to obtain MVD records without a warrant is an even greater threat to our freedoms.
6
Armed citizens exercising 2nd Amendment rights could be one response to this. 24 hour neighborhood surveillance of entry streets by citizens , with suitable alarm capability, alerting a citizen militia. Isn't this just what 2nd Amendment proponents have used as justification for arming themselves? What's good for the goose...
6
This is an issue born from sanctuary city policies. Interestingly, US citizens that have little affiliation w/ immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries south of the border are fed up. The impact to costs and quality of life is very real. Although some pay taxes, most actually do not, where the extent of their tax paying is limited to paying sales tax on goods. They are paid in cash. Rarely they even take a check from someone. Their mode for healthcare is using their local municipalities- hospitals - which have to provide the healthcare. That is why Hospitals in states w sanctuary cities pull the most amount of government funding in order to operate and private hospitals are shutting down - as the same laws apply forcing them to provide free healthcare. At one point, hospitals had to fight back by “shipping” patients away to other locals - but this was short lived once politicians got wind of it. San Fran and LA homeless population is majority illegal immigrants and impacted families whose ability to make it for themselves has been impacted by sharing the same limited skillsets as majority of the illegal immigrant population. They simply have no way of making it.
18
States rights?
All those who believe in smaller government should contact both their US Senator's and US Rep's to urge against this. This is not an appropriate use of Federal Law Enforcement unless the specific state's request it.
5
I'd be interested to see how supporters of "sanctuary" cities feel about the prospect of 2A sanctuaries.
My guess is that the general consensus is going to be "send in the troops"....
9
Speaking as a resident of one of those sanctuary cities, the thought of these armed-to-the-teeth U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Units roaming the streets of New York is nothing, if not a joke.
If anything, it's just a clear example of Donald Trump's disdain for this city, and yet ANOTHER attempt to punish it for whatever reason, or reasons that are solely in his head.
We survived the terrorist attacks of 9/11 -- we already know what danger is.
And make no mistake about it, this part of Trump's plan is all about "show" and has nothing to do with homeland security.
7
Without fixing the underlying causes, this effort will not be fruitful.
As long as birth citizenship and extended family sponsorship rights exist, many more people will continue to come in the hopes that they will get eventual green card through their USA born children and they get to sponsor their parents and siblings in time.
Such "rights" no longer exist in Europe as it learned from illegal immigration and the primary pull factors.
I hope we at North America start to understand that giving support to middle-class fake refugees of Latin America, Asia and Africa (yes those are the middle class, those who can afford smuggler's fees... clarification for the abolish ICE crowd), we are not solving any real problem, except engaging in the worse form of Nimbyism.
Underlying problems these people leave at their countries persist and fester effecting entire populations creating this vicious cycle. Ultimately it is their own countries and they should focus on fixing it rather than jumping ship and coming to where they are not wanted and do not belong.
9
This is a threat to the people of the United States, not just the undocumented. A militaristic force is being employed among the civilian population. Aren't there laws that prevent the use of the Armed Services, including National Guard, except under specific threats to the general population? This is an armed force under the Trump Administration. After the abuses of James II, one of the things included in the original Bill of Rights was that Parliament would have control over the use of the military. It is a threat, people. It is a threat!
5
Fear mongering of an authoritarian state. If you want them to stay where they are, help them to do so. Nobody wants to leave home, but they have no choice. I have spoken with several peaceful hardworking men whose mothers ordered them to go north to find work to support extended families back home. Two of my grandparents were immigrants. One of my great grandparents. How about yours?
5
Sanctuary cities pit Federal law and State law against each other, and Federal law takes precedence. This is a Trump idea to appease his base because he doesn't really care how many illegal immigrants are here. (Didn't a few work for years at his hotels?) Tourist visas should be closely monitored and overstays should be deported. There is a legal way to become a U.S. citizen. This problem we face will not go away, and ICE will continue to do its job. It's too bad we allowed the problem to become a crisis requiring an army to enforce the law. I hope we are learning something.
4
The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 tasks ICE to arrest and deport aliens present or residing without authorization in the United States. But less than one percent of aliens residents residing unlawfully in the United States are removed each year. So the population of illegal immigrants grow each year.
Instead of criticizing ICE for attempting to enforce the law, Americans who believe illegal immigration should be legalized should urge their U.S. representatives and senators to introduce legislation to make anyone who sneaks past the Border Patrol a citizen or legal resident.
7
CBP requires only a high school education. They have the lowest initial recruitment requirements of any federal law enforcement agency. They have the highest arrests internally for crimes such as murder, rape, human smuggling, drugs etcetera. CBP is held in such low regard by other law enforcement that they are not able to make lateral moves to other agencies other than to the Bureau of Prisons. This is who is on our streets.
3
It will take decades for DHS and CBP, especially ICE and Border Patrol, to recover from the damage done by Pres. Trump. These agencies have been plagued for decades by fast expansion/hiring that has led to a glut of corrupt and unprofessional agents. They have had terrible morale. Under Bush and Obama these agencies were focused on crime like smuggling and human trafficking, and with deporting serious offenders. Now they have lost their focus and are distracted by rounding up civil offenders, separating families with no plan to reunite, deporting upstanding, long term immigrants. Once a law enforcement agency loses the trust of the people it is intended to serve it becomes much less efficient.
3
What has become of my country of birth? Police forces across the U.S. are militarized, SWAT forces deployed 50,000 times a year in civilian police operations, 2.5 million Americans in prison. An armed population with nearly 400 million guns, 420 mass shootings last year. Now special ICE forces let loose on cities, with a nefarious mission to hunt down illegal immigrants among us. These are not hopeful trends for a peaceful, free people - it looks like the makings of a police state and/or violent civil unrest.
4
Germany, 1930s jumps to mind and it's a scary thought. Instead of trains, at the border people are loaded onto planes and flown well we don't know. Now a militia that has no standing with the local law enforcement, the president is using as his personal army. Even if they do not use force, their presence is a threat.
5
1. A misuse of a resource = stupid, wasteful
2. An attempt to intimidate sanctuary cities = sinister police state
3. Testerone amped cowboys running around in urban areas = asking for trouble; excessive use of force, brutality
22
Tjhat's a GOOD thing!
10
BORTAC coming soon, to a sanctuary city near you. I feel left out; we don’t get to host them here in, Oregon? Whoever made up that enemies list must be sleeping on the job.
And let’s definitely send a message. Like that recent NYCity arrest, don’t bother the employer (he was on his way to his construction job), we don’t want to interrupt the cheap labor operations. No swat team tactics on the farms, construction firms, packing houses.... but hey, their workers will get the message- don’t complain when we cut your pay check further- or we’ll call BORTAC.
Meanwhile, all the drugs coming from China, all the overstayed visas, all the IRS agents sending out those noncompliance letters to employers for possible E-Verify violations....don’t get extra funding, extra lawyers, extra....anything. We get a China trade deal, cheap labor, and more overstay-college grads.
This is the Senate’s default immigration strategy. Golf courses, resorts, a win-win. Nice message.
8
Agents from a special CBP tactical team that normally confronts smugglers on the border are being sent to sanctuary cities across the country.
Well I suppose all of news of Trump basically claiming he is a King who can interfere with any case or trial in the land is mostly a smoke cover for his administration, that is using the color of the law, to move armed troops into peaceful civilian settings to intimidate people.
This move accomplishes so many RW objectives:
---------------------------------------------------------
(1). desensitized people having the CBP close off area
(2). intimidate frighten people not fill out census forms
(3). the punishing liberal cities, or states
(4). make it hard to vote
(5). change trial verdicts on a whim
Really we have a Despot running the show.
American Conservationism is the great lie.
What controls the Republican Party is the great danger.
How can we ever recover?
19
So Lawrence Payne, spokesman for Customs and Border Protection confirms they will work with ICE "in order to enhance the integrity of the immigration system, protect public safety, and strengthen our national security."
And ICE’s acting director states, “When sanctuary cities release these criminals back to the street, it increases the occurrence of preventable crimes, and more importantly, preventable victims.” Oh Pu-lese!
This type of language is what causes the fear.
We often allow small-time criminals of all races out of jail because their crime is not worth the space and money it takes to keep them. Are we rounding them up, too?
It is my understanding that the immigrants released are those whose only crime is to be illegal. (And I acknowledge that being in the U.S. illegally is a criminal offense) But to call me a victim because they may be working near me? May be living next to me? Nope! No victim here.
I feel much safer with an illegal immigrant next door to me than many financial institutions out there. As much as we need them, there are banks out there that have really caused harm. I guess it is much easier to spend $$$ going after the poor in our society.
6
The democrats mantra , “no one is above the law,” applies to every single individual who lives in the United States. If you are here illegally, you have broken the law and should be deported. The local and state government leaders who declare their domiciles “sanctuary cities” are defying our laws and should all be arrested. Same with employers who knowingly employ illegal aliens. Trump wins, hands down, on this issue.
26
In reading the comments it is interesting to see how many have succumbed to the Trump dog-whistle that implies many of the illegal immigrants are violent criminals intent on harming us with little evidence to support the assertion.
So, with those who believe Trump’s round-up activities will bear fruit, how many believe the grand wall will stem illegal immigration (it won’t) and reduce drug smuggling (not that either) given that real data, not stories that Trump conjures for the masses, much of the illegal immigration is due to overstaying a visa and much of the drug smuggling is through legal ports of entry.
But, cheer on our roundup forces and hope they are better at their jobs than our “president”.
8
No matter what your opinion is about illegal immigration or sanctuary cities what does using SWAT teams in simple roundups say about us as a country? Step back a little and think about this dystopian world we are creating. What's the next step? Separating children from their mothers and putting them in cages?
17
@GSJ Ask Obama. The chain link holding pens to keep adults not provable as relatives of the accompanying children separate were built during his tenure. Many countries are very strict about this. If you travel to or from South Africa in the company of a child, you must have positive proof that the child is yours or a legal document from the parents authorizing the travel. Without that you cannot enter or leave the country with the child.
6
I’m hoping this will mobilize and increase the number of protesters at Trump’s upcoming rally here in Phoenix on February 19th! We need to be front and center to make it clear that behavior like this is clearly fear-mongering. It may, however, help turn Arizona blue! We can only hope.
10
Sanctuary cities are what pose a great threat to our country. The rule of law needs to be enforced. That’s what ICE is doing.
20
It's about time. Protecting criminal aliens and releasing them back into the community is indefensible.
20
While Trump's rhetoric is heavy handed and some of his tactics too aggressive...
If you break our laws come into the country illegally you should fully expect to be deported anytime.
23
The policies of the Democrats require a police state to be safe...a real shame.
9
I don’t understand; didn’t the Wall take care of all this? His eloquent promise to us all and that fat check from Mexico?
8
@Coastal Elite Unfortunately still about 800 miles of either advanced barrier or enhanced technology required where the terrain is severe to finish the job.
3
This is disgusting to have this level of arms, and basically soldiers deployed to U.S. cities.
11
Just a thought. How about sending these forces to deal with cartel and gangs in central and South America? Maybe that'll make their home country safer, which then reduce to desire to immigrate. Maybe that will reduce some illegal drug business as well.
13
Remember the “jack-booted thugs” the NRA warned us about in the ‘90s? They were going to take away our guns. Now they really are coming, and they’re going to take away our neighbors, family members and friends.
14
The round-up begins. The camps follow.
14
Enough with the overwrought Nazi comparisons. It cheapens what people went through at the hands of the actual Nazis. Detaining people who are in the country illegally and who have been ordered to leave by a court and then deporting them to their home countries is not Nazism. I do question whether we need what are essentially SWAT teams to aid in the roundup, but sanctuary cities have been recalcitrant and will undoubtedly aid Trump in his re-election. The open borders position is not a winning campaign position. Immigration law should be enforced.
25
“It was a gun-wielding BORTAC agent who, in April 2000, seized Elian Gonzalez — a Cuban boy who was embroiled in an international asylum controversy — from his uncle’s arms after agents had forced their way into the home where the boy was staying.”
That low point was 20 years ago, back when the agency was INS. You’re digging pretty deep for the negative portrayal, NYT.
10
American dictatorship at work. Now we're rolling armor into cities that disagree with Dear Leader. We know who the enemy is and he's sitting in the oval office.
11
Why is he not sending troops to Miami?
7
my mother and father fought a war to stop the spread of nazis in europe. my parents must be turning over in their graves. where are the standard bearers of democracy that we as a people have voted into office to represent our citizens? they are complicit in this horror.
4
Are we a Dictatorship yet?
3
Just one of Trump's ploys to cut red meat for his hangry base.
5
Great! Find illegals...and send them back. LEGAL immigration is great. No problem there. But ILLEGAL immigration is not condoned (nor should it be) by any nation in the world; it should not be condoned here. Sanctuary cities make a mockery of our immigration system. Take them on...and ship the illegals out.
30
This won't end well.
3
Is it just me, or does "elite units" sound a lot like stormtroopers? And seriously, that picture at the top of the story isn't helping change my mind.
1282
I completely agree! I’m beginning to think perhaps the 2nd Amendment has been misunderstood. A well regulated militia is one thing; is a corrupt government another reason for citizens for bear arms?
46
@Andy
Are they wearing brown?
25
@Andy My guess is that there is precious little that is "elite" about these units, unless they tested off the charts for being sociopaths.
30
The reasons cited by liberal politicians why they do not cooperate with ICE detainers that are filed with jails are plainly and clearly nonsense and an outright lie. They argue that honoring ICE detainers will make cities less safe because undocumented people will be less likely to report crimes or cooperate with investigations. This despite the fact that the local police are not the party to whom ICE issues their detainer requests.
Those detainer requests are issued to jails that already have the aliens in their custody because they have been arrested for commiting crimes. And not just any crime, but a crime deemed serious enough by ICE to warrant priority for deportation.
So the only type of interaction with law enforcement that can get somebody deported is getting oneself arrested for what ICE deems a serious crime. So the idea that undocumented immigrants will fear interacting with the police, even though the police are never involved in immigration enforcement has no basis in reality and is instead posturing for political gain.
This is similar to their stated objection to a border wall, that it is immoral to disallow anyone who wants to come to the US for a better life, which is also an outright lie. Because if they truly believed this they would demand that the law itself that disallows anyone who wants to come to the US for a better life must be changed because it is immoral. Instead it is all about is open and shameless pandering for Hispanic votes.
20
The campaign to make America white.
The administration, our president*, attempts to make the case that sanctuary cities are unleashing hoards of criminals who will cause harm yet we see no clear evidence that supports the allegation, thus, making our country white with the brown people roundup activity.
No, I am not a “bleeding hear liberal”. I believe in the rule of law in treating others with respect and harbor no racism or hatred of other nationalities or ethnicity-unlike Trump and his sidekick Miller. And I believe those in this country should follow those laws-both those who immigrated illegally and those who hire illegal immigrants.
As with all operations Trump engages in this will be another ready, fire, aim scenario that may cause more harm than those pesky and numerous criminals the sanctuary cities are empowering.
3
10 months of this until we get rid of him ...
Or if not, maybe never.
2
Four years and 10 months.
6
It is easy to imagine the intention behind this stunt is as a demonstration of Trump's unbridled strong arm dictates and as a warning to those who would challenge him in November. The downside, of course, is that the local populations will vilify the agents themselves more so than Trump. Another case of turning Americans against one another for his own gain.
1
Officers trained in the interior of the country are bringing their "expertise" to urban areas? That sound like a PR stunt to me. Get ready to be schooled "elite" officers.
Thank you Republicans, we hope to pay you back in Nov.
Another unethical abuse of resources. MAGA at it's best isn't so great is it.
2
This implies that the President believes stopping the heavy smugglers (cartels, organised crime) is less important.
2
Both the Feds and the States and cities are overstepping their bounds for the only thing that matters in America anymore -- votes. The sleazier the method of cheating those votes the better!
An amored-personel-carrier and a masked shooter with an automatic weapon?!
If America is so great, why is this kind of force being put out in the streets?!
This is a Trump/Miller vision of America that is not wanted, needed and should not exist.
4
About time our immigration laws were enforced. Thank you President Trump.
16
@Olivia You do realize that Obama deported many more illegal immigrants than Trump has?
7
"Some C.B.P. agents are permitted certain enforcement powers, including setting up immigration checkpoints, within 100 miles of a land or coastal port."
So free range in all of Boston (a port) to set up checkpoints? During rush hour? On major commuter roads? Is this intended to punish the successful commerce and tourist trade in a Blue state, one that contributes taxes to all the Red states? Reminds me of the Global Traveler ban in NYC.
Remember the NJ Fort Lee bridge fiasco? Is there a GOP playbook for such dirty tricks?
1
This is outrageous and even reading the comments here I don’t see the anger. Are we that complacent? Have we become that numb? Have we forgotten that in Nazi Germany it was first the Jews? We need to demonstrate our ire with the tactics of this administration via calls to the White House and our congressional representatives. Better yet, loudly demonstrate in front of the White House. We need to act quickly or soon it may be us.
5
@Tom - A retired American All countries have immigration laws. They should be enforced. If people object to the law then they should do the hard work of changing the law.
10
I suggest that the background of these agents is military, and that our police have been replaced by Military veterans. While this may not sound Horrific, Military police do not have a place in Civil society during peace time. They do not have the training that civil police have.
3
@dbdohler You just well and truly concluded (apparently) that military veterans should not be hired by civilian law enforcement agencies. What do you want them to do? Flip burgers two shifts a day? Beg on the streets? Rethink this, and then restate it.
4
I look forward to the next president who relishes continuing our American tradition that creates a rich cultural stew in our melting pot. The ingredients change, the flavor profile perhaps spicier, but let's allow that to happen and we we will be richer.
4
@Jody Oberfelder A rich cultural stew should not include allow mass, systemic law breaking. Or worse, selective enforcement of duly passed laws according to perceived political advantage.
That's not 'spicier'. It's abject corruption.
17
@Jody Oberfelder Legal immigration is fine. Illegal immigration should be strongly disincentivized The risk must be greater than the reward.
10
If these states would stop releasing foreign national already convicted of other crimes, this wouldn't be an issue.
Connecticut was just served with subpoenas for their ignoring ICE detainers after the release of three illegal immigrants from prison on drugs and manslaughter charges.
As a peaceful productive citizen of the state, I would like to see those officials held personally responsible for aiding and abetting criminal violation of federal law.
19
Two words are all that is necessary to describe this action: long overdue. Start prosecuting and jailing the pols behind these "sanctuaries" and the rest will fall in line and obey our laws.
16
What do you say to the family of a person who has been murdered by a criminal illegal alien who should have been detained but took refuge in a sanctuary city? The left has never had a coherent answer to that question. That is the crux of this issue. It is about the right of citizens of the United States not to experience violent crimes at the hands of people who shouldn't be there in the first place. We've got enough problems of our own.
23
All this would have never happened if the government had done their job many decades ago, President Eisenhower was the last president who really cracked down on illegals, they cause crime to increase , take jobs away and cause wages to stagnant or go down. I remember watching a documentary on PBS about this problem in 1981 when illegals were pouring across the border at Tijuana and no one did anything. Ironically the Republicans were in charge they loved the cheap labor , and as we know the trickle down theory in economics doesn t work, more like trickle up.
9
This is designed to attack and disrupt all who live in targeted major cities, most of whom will not vote for the GOP. It is designed to provoke widespread fear. It is designed to exclude people from the census and to prevent people from voting and registering to vote. This is indistinguishable from the policies implemented in fascist regimes. Let us call it what it is. And then there is Jim Jordan, Michael Flynn, Roger Stone, and so many more.
3
Well then who is doing the job at the border? And it doesn't appear that the local officials are asking for this "assistance." So, more criminals and terrorists can now enter the country, and fewer immigrants in these large communities will report crime and cooperate with local police. This scheme must have been cooked up by some irrational, immigrant hating, white supremist who isn't concerned about how weak and dysfunctional our communities become.
2
How about funding a program to go after employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers They did this in ALA at the chicken processors and opened up the job to Americans who showed to take those jobs. We need to revise our immigration policy,and make it more reasonable.
7
On a related topic, drivers licenses issued by sanctuary states should not be permitted to be used as IDs by any federal agency, such as the TSA.
12
What concerns me is this is a first step - which will set a precedent - for the militarization of our day-to-day culture/society...
5
As a NYer, I'm very happy about this. Our own city refuses to protect us from criminals, so help is on the way! Fantastic move by our President. And no, this is not a failed attempt at sarcasm.
18
The free for all that takes place in NYC and Northern NJ must be stopped. My friend is going through a whole lot right now from a suspended license, drunk driver, arrested over 27 times. My friend tried to defend himself and he is in trouble not the criminal who they should have arrested. Someone needs to step in. Local governments are afraid to enforce the law so as not to look bad to voters which are overwhelmingly democrat and of the “ progressive” left leaning end. Basically the ones that say free money for all but have no real plans on how to pay for it while the infrastructure collapses.
13
Why doesn't Trump start arresting and prosecuting the employers of undocumented immigrants? I hear AG Barr has lots of free time on his hands and loves to go after white collar 'criminals.' Trump can lie about his own illegal behavior just like he does about everything else. And he's immune to prosecution, to boot.
6
Thank you Mr. President.
Those who favor chaos and anarchy by interfering with legally enacted laws should learn us law-abiding Americans will have now of it.
Arrest and deport.
15
Republicans were all for states rights when it was southern states discriminating against their citizens of color. Now the situation has changed as they have become more and more authoritarian and demand that their subjects obey the new king.
Pay attention folks, you can see your freedom diminished almost every day under the dark rule of Trump.
2
@Jim Dickinson Will you be all for states rights when the south and the west choose to defy any new federal gun laws and create their own 'sanctuary' states?
7
Let us not forget that many Trump properties continued to knowingly employ undocumented immigrants until at least last year.
This aggressive new policy is hypocritical made-for-TV pandering by the carnival barker in the White House.
6
Trump keeps taking your country a further step down a road you do not want to take. How long before he uses military force against those who disagree with him? ‘Abandon hope all Ye who enter here.’
3
A certain out of control president needs a distraction from his doings in DC, and there are no caravans conveniently nearby.
2
This is likely a training exercise for the November election.
3
This "rounding up" technique is IMO a horrific criminal act against our Democratic way of living. These people, many of whom have families, are not imposing a threat to the US.
Trump is abusing his authority only to instill fear and scare immigrants and US citizens alike. I will get pushback from others, but the obvious comparison is when Germany did round-ups of unfavorable people.
For the past three years Trump's negative position regarding illegal immigrants has been creating negative discourse throughout the US. When you continue to attack minorities and do nothing positive to help, you create negative responses especially within the US.
This is a dangerous time for the USA.
880
@O Whether they read it or not they ignore it.
5
@Bob - You're wrong and supporting anarchy. These people are by definition law breakers, and all criminals should be arrested or "rounded up" when they are in such abundance as illegal aliens are.
40
@Bob If you get pulled over for reckless driving and speeding. Do you think you're entitled to just drive away without getting a ticket? The law is the law and you dont get to pick and choose which laws apply to which groups of people.
41
We need photos of the actions that will be taken. True photos of the evil that is being ordered by Donald Trump and carried out by his chosen, special troopers.
In the meanwhile, our tax money, being used for this, is being stripped from food stamps and healthcare for poorer folks - get the picture?
Wipe out the poor, have them go without food even, collect certain groups by military force, remove healthcare, and taint the justice system with favoritism for the chosen special presidential friends.
Do these tactics sound like history of another regime?
4
Post-presidency, Trump is likely to be pursued for "Crimes Against Humanity" for the abusive, inhumane conditions at the southern border imposed upon immigrant children.
And now this, sending BORTAC thugs to cities to terrorize residents. Prosecutors at the World Court at The Hague will have an easy task, indeed, making a case for conviction.
Eventually, justice will overtake Donald J. Trump.
4
The master of propaganda strikes again to solidify his base for the election. Immigration rhetoric probably won him his first election and will probably win him re-election. I hope Latino voters will reward Democrats for their advocacy for illegal immigrants because that advocacy loses them many other votes. There are even Democratic voters, including Latino citizens, who want to see the laws enforced and I am one of them. No one is above the law -- except Donald Trump.
2
California Gov. Newsom should order the California Highway Patrol to surround these units and keep them contained due to the threat they present to maintaining peace in the streets. Public Safety is being threatened.
4
Your average illegal entry is a misdemeanor. This is like using SWAT to arrest people for shoplifting. This stinks of fear-mongering and authoritarianism.
7
If Trump thinks this horrible decision will make him look like a tough guy leading up to the election he better think again. Even some of his staunchest supporters have had it with him. They all seem to use the word "nasty" when describing him now. They are being nice.
1
More red meat for the base. Also as pointed out by others , it's about scaring people away from taking the census.
The BORTAC guys will probably consider it a cherry assignment. They'll get paid for standing around looking "bad" in all their useless gear for 4 months.
With Trump it's all about the optics and feeding the base. This is just more of the same.
4
Justice Department is being run by a Trump loyalist, beaten into submission by tweet.
Federal elite forces deployed to cities with avowed distain for Trump.
Trump avers he can direct any federal prosecution or conviction.
The US of A has lost its footing in democracy. Without significant and timely reversal of these Trumpian policies, the US will fall irreversibly.
2
For the last several decades large corporations and businesses have eliminated what they would term as non-essential personnel such as maintenance workers, or house cleaning services and sub-contracted these services out to external agencies who provide these services at a reduced expense. This is being done to please shareholders and, of course, to support their bottom line which benefits those at the top of the food chain at the expense of the rank and file worker. At the same time, subcontracted agencies are willing to hire illegals, at less than or barely minimum wages, as long as they just keep their mouths shut and don't report any abuses in the work place. They are very unlikely to report any abuses out of fear of being deported. This practice allows the CEO's of companies to insulate themselves with a layer of deniability that they knew any illegals were working for them, Trump being one of them. It is time we started jailing the businesses owners who allow this to occur rather than the poor workers attempting to find a better life for themselves and their families.
12
Armed tactical police roaming the streets of 12 cities is going to look like what it is; military action to round up people who are not armed and have not hurt the people they live amongst.
The military are hunting a population that is not identifiable by site, and are unarmed. Those who are arrested will be put in cages in many states, primarily Florida and Texas. Not to be forgotten is that there is no oversight of the conditions in their caged detention, which has been reported to be untenable. Civilian profiteers are being paid by the government to house, feed and detain these people. Their bottom line is how much money can they make. There no legal no limits on the weeks, months or years the people can be held by the government. Terror is what we are witnessing.
6
This is the Democrats' biggest weakness. Voters will hold their nose and vote for Trump because Americans today are simply not that into immigrants. Democrats need to present a viable plan and recognize most Americans' sentiments on this issue if they want to win.
11
Federal preemption of state and local laws makes efforts to shield individuals from enforcement of national immigration laws untenable. Congress alone must make policy in this area and the President is responsible for its enforcement with the Courts as referees.
Why have immigration laws if they can be flaunted, either by illegal aliens or municipalities and states? Our country needs to strictly enforce the integrity of our borders and afford one-way passage of those who ignore it back to their countries of origin. We need to know who among us is a citizen and who an opportunistic usurper.
It can get ugly and mistakes will be made. Lay the blame on the businesses which hire the undocumented and those who aid and abet them. If there is just ONE thing - and the list is vanishingly short - for which President Trump cannot be faulted, that would be his effort to stem the flow illegal aliens by whatever means, an effort largely ignored for over 70 years.
13
ICE does not follow the U.S. Constitution, has covered up sexual abuse complaints, and is literally separating children from their parents and locking the children up.
We cannot have a illegitimate police force that recklessly violates our laws and corrupts our society with fear and violence.
ICE needs to be defunded. ICE agents who have committed crimes need to be brought to Justice. This corruption and crime is too much.
1
Imagine a State declaring itself a sanctuary for any other law breakers, say people who refuse to pay their federal taxes, which is not a violent crime either on the surface?
12
These actions are cruel and serious distractions meant to keep us afraid and from noticing what this administration and top level Republicans are REALLY doing to enrich themselves and entrench their power. It's out of control, the danger is upon us. Are we gonna step up or let it happen ???
Have any of you people that are against Trump's new move against lawlessness ever been in the United States when no illegal aliens were here in the open?
I was a child in the U.S. when illegal aliens did not live in the open in our U.S. cities and let me tell you how wonderful it was!
Only American citizens and legal immigrants have any right to be here. It was wonderful without foreign law-breakers in our nation! Go Trump!
21
Born, raised and still live in a city. Resisted some family, friends and colleagues who tried to get us to leave. Nothing against rural life, I sometimes visit and enjoy it, but I have always preferred vibrant diverse city life.
What I don't like is lawlessness. I have seen waves of various immigrants over the decades and see the difference. There is a complete lack of even trying to come here legally and almost zero interest in becoming an American citizen. There is no allegiance to the nation and just about what they can take.
Thank You Trump and there are many old school democrats who feel the same. The Democratic party is on the wrong side of this issue. I can remember when they put Americans first.
30
Roughly 11 million illegals in U.S. !
Most of comments allude to Americas fixation that any organized effort to reduce or repeal illegal immigration is masterminded by a Nazi ideology.
As a law abiding and tax payer person, it bothers me the masses unable to use The official English language of the United States, and adamant to get immersed in mainstream culture. Quite worrisome that our safety and well being are exposed to the groups of repeat border crossers coming to commit petty offenses and grave felonies.
Any actions to alleviate this or maybe a permanent solution are welcome !
However I wish a great data base to document and offer a path to legalization to all law abiding skilled and non skilled illegal manpower could be created, human capital paramount for America's infrastructure.
8
@BlatantReality correction: the US does not have and has never had an official language.
4
Good. You either have the rule of law or you don’t. And by protecting illegal aliens in our country, the Democrats are thumbing their noses at American citizens. And this guarantees Trump 2020 and beyond.
35
@JDK
and Trump "obeys the law" ?
2
President Trump, you missed one city: Seattle!!! We are badly in need of this help in our not-voted-on-by-the-citizens "sanctuary city".
21
Great! They should also not hesitate to arrest any local police official, local public official and whoever else hinders their operations. All those found guilty should be sentenced to seven to nine years in Federal Custody.
25
Lol good luck with that
Actually what will happen is ICE will not be able to do anything and the number of arrests will decline simply because people will be more protective of each other.
In addition the governor of New York will most certainly empower all state agencies to block ICE every step of the way. Local law enforcement maybe actually directed to deny ICE agents entry to any government building or to loiter in any neighborhood without reason.
5
@Bill Weber What federal (or state, for that matter) are ‘scantuary’ cities breaking? The article explains that local governments will comply with any legal (court ordered) warrants.
8
Yes, let’s start by arresting Trump.
4
Interesting how this is being done when people are being asked to complete the US Census. All people in the US need to be counted. This appears to be another tactic being used to suppress the response to the US Census in hard to count communities--ones with high immigrant populations and people of color communities. This leads to fewer federal funds for schools, roads, and social services and skewed data for redistricting for these states and communities. It is gerrymandering in another form.
1573
Illegal immigrants shouldn't count in the census to begin with.
88
It’s ALL about the census.
58
@Meat everyone had to be counted, that actually is the law. Maybe they should change the rules where illlegal residents are not to count for Federal government representation. The census is used for many other reasons like planning for social services #’s, police, fire and transportation. It would be economically burdensome to create additional censuses for these other purposes. The only reason why this is a huge enforcement issue for this administration is because of the #’s used to calculate state government representation in Congress in an effort to weaken certain states. If they were serious they would be rounding up the employers of illegal residents too!
66
I hate to sound paranoid, but doesn't this seem an awful lot like the beginning of an occupation of liberal cities by an extra-military force loyal primarily to the president? Is this a deployment against local political and law-enforcement authorities? Cities are certainly not asking for this "support".
947
@Ron cities need not ask to be under the jurisdiction of the US government. The jurisdiction applies regardless of whether cities like it or dislike it.
12
@Ron What happens when local police arrest ICE or BP for interfering on their turf?After all there's no law granting these agencies supreme powers over everybody.
40
@Ron This sure looks like the thin, sharp edge of a very dangerous wedge to me.
Post-impeachment Trump/GOP is more of a danger to American democracy than ever!
86
I am very excited about the federal government stepping and finally cleaning this up. Illegal immigrants need to be rounded up and sent back to where they came from. Hopefully they build a great society in their own homeland instead of taking from our society.
26
Typical New Jersey. Probably from “ The Pinelands” area.
Signed,
Clifton, NJ
2
@BC Then there would be a lot of cows in New York that wouldn't get milked and sick and farms going belly-up.
1
In my opinion folks, this isn’t necessarily a Trump problem. It’s how the law is written and he is deciding to enforce it. Agree or disagree whether immigrants of this status should be able to reside in this country but in the end, the laws themselves need to change to accommodate one viewpoint or the other.
9
As a progressive Democrat I don't see how sanctuary cities is a reasonable position. It reeks of lawlessness. If federal agencies want to hold and deport someone the local law enforcement should help in this effort. I don't see how pro illegal immigration is a winnable or reasonable stance.
299
@Sam
Reeks of lawlessness? Really? Nothing compared to the stench of lawlessness coming from Trump and company. When they come for you or yours, then how will feel? Can’t happen here? It IS happening here. They’re just practicing.
144
@Don - Yep. And the abuses practiced by the feds in their deplorable treatment of refugees at the border. They have no right to respect and us decent citizens have every right, in fact it's our moral imperative, to resist them.
67
@Don
It is possible to have Trump's overall agenda and still think that there should be a legal process around immigration.
You can deeply oppose the current process and still think that the sanctuary response is the wrong response.
That said I also understand the argument that the US is currently breaking international law and therefore, it's immigration laws must be met with civil disobedience.
33
It is about time. There should be NO sanctuary cities.
225
...and who decides that?
28
@Nycdweller
Correct. The entire country should be a sanctuary country.
91
Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free...from Norway according to our racist president.
Our entire country should offer these poor people hope. Instead we terrorize them in order to get votes.
Truly pathetic. But our country is so deplorable now, why would we be surprised?
Unless you are Native American, your people did not originally come from here. How would you feel if your ancestors were shut out after fleeing persecution or violence?
Stop saying what Trump wants and start thinking like a human being.
115
After they’re finished rounding up all the undocumented immigrants, they’ll come for Trump’s critics next.
1085
@LIChef so true
"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."
92
@LIChef
You don't need "next".
Redundant.
10
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
Niemöller
23
About time someone does something about this. I applaud President Trump for taking action where others have been afraid to lead. I am pro immigration, legal, controlled immigration that is. There is a legal and proper process to enter this country - everyone needs to follow it. No one is above the law. The creation of sanctuary cities has spun out of control - you don’t get to selectively follow the law.
314
Do you feel as passionately about the self-declared “Second Amendment Sanctuary Cities,” e.g. in Virginia? Just curious.
161
‘You don’t get to selectively follow the law’? Tell that to your president.
460
@Tyler Barkley Round ME up Tyler! I feel "illegal" in this country.
84
This is very dangerous. It is not an exaggeration to say that innocent people will die. We are all in danger when a bunch of armed cowboys are roaming the streets of a crowded city. Any one of us could end up being collateral in this deadly gambit.
36
@pb
A good question ... does a population ultimately risk more from law enforcement or from lawlessness? Is the enforcement of our laws the real problem?
Clearly the lawless take risks, but do the generally law abiding?
@pb they have court approved removal orders.
If they resist they only making things worse for themselves.
Is anyone paying attention to the immigrants from “white” countries that are overstaying their visas? Or only the people of color?
1
U.S. is on the full path to being a police state.
45
It has been since 9/11. The first words out of my mouth when the first tower fell were “Great. America will become a police state now.” Spoken to my brother and my wife based on my studies of history. I did not know that people were stuck in the tower at that time, and that I was witnessing massive death, or else my comments would have been completely different. But my intellectual, not emotional, reaction, was that such a tragedy on US soil would lead to a police state. The passage of the PATRIOT act happened soon afterwards.
4
We should acknowledge the complicity of US and European corporations’ exploitation of Central America in today’s immigration mess. Before greedy capitalists drained America’s middle class of security and hope, they spent a century destroying the economies of our southern neighbors. Make no mistake: the so-called Conservative Movement requires a peasant class in order to succeed. We paid a bloody price to end slavery, only to enact Jim Crow laws, chase cheap labor to the ends of the earth, and now show no compassion for the people we harmed. Still we pretend to be the country we once were, when we had the respect of the rest of the world. The evangelicals believe in an antichrist, but they fail to recognize him.
35
Amen. Your comment tells the truth. The great lie we have been fed in our school history books is finally being exposed. For all of America's greatness, we fail to acknowledge the abject greed, racism, and hypocrisy which founded our nation and continues to be, especially under this current Administration. Trump gives license and support to the most prejudiced of our citizens.
This is as much about intimidating U.S. citizens as it is about enforcing deportation.
42
Bingo.
@JL - lol, let them come to Seattle where they will be met by City Councilwoman Kshama Sawant and her bullhorn:))
2
If Congress had passed a very needed immigration reform bill, we wouldn't be here with this issue. During Reagan's second term, after he had granted amnesty to 3-4 million, Congress passed the 1986 Immigration Reform & Control Act, with border security, a small fine for businesses that employed them, and it failed, as the fine wasn't enough to restrain businesses. 1- 2 million people a year come over the southern border, yet Congress refuses to enact a renewable 3 yr. work Visa that would satisfy those needing workers, because the majority of Americans won't do a lot of the jobs that exist in America, such as those in agriculture, meat packing, landscape, roofing, hospitality, etc. My son had one of those jobs, he was fluent in Spanish, and he commuted with a Spanish coworker 15 miles away. The other immigration issue is that 1 million people are coming on legal Visas each year, and never going home. The fact that over the last 20 years, only a little over 12,000 of the 20 million have been sent home is a disgrace, it is not fair to the taxpayers, as these people often flew in from all over the world. If my husband and I were to ever apply for an extended tourist Visa to see my son who lives abroad, and didn't go home, they would find us within two weeks, and send us home. In a study 2 years ago, Yale estimated there are up to 30-40 million people who are here undocumented. It is the cities, counties, and states, that must deal with it because Congress refused to.
19
@MaryKayKlassen Thanks for taking the time to put together a thoughtful response--I may not agree with every element but it so much better than the meaningless left/right knee jerk responses. Clearly, years of neglect, avoidance, political/economic exploitation has aggravated this situation.
4
I don’t know of any country that tracks down people who overstay their tourist visa by 2 weeks and deports them. You would just have to pay a fine at the airport when you did finally leave.
@Kay I have no idea about "tracking you down" but it is not unheard of in Ireland to deport persons with two weeks notice( to clear up business) when they have over stayed previous stays and are seeking reentry. The only persons likely to be tracked down are ones who have already been given a notice to leave and failed to appear--BTW, this group does represent a significant number of persons in The States who failed to leave/appear when ordered to do so.
2
I'm a retired Deportation Officer. In working fugitive cases the skills that BORTAC have are essentially useless. Warrants aren't issued to knock down doors, it's either knocking on a door, or waiting for someone to come out.
What can BORTAC do? Just another warm body in the field, that the government is paying a hotel room for and per diem. Possibly it could have been more cost effective to use Deportation Officers that are not on fugitive teams yet work from the same office and avoid hotel and per diem.
What will using BORTAC do? It will make the news, like it had here and will allow any potential target to know they have to be especially vigilant during these times.
17
Exactly what should be done. If sanctuaries are going to argue the Feds should be getting more aggressive, they should definitely get more aggressive. A few well publicized operations in each sanctuary should be all it takes to undermine the perception that US immigration law doesn't extend into the sanctuaries. Long overdue.
18
ICE makes us all less safe. Non citizens have lower rates of crime than citizens. When whole communities mistrust the authorities, crime goes unreported and is allowed to grow. It's a lie that most of these people slated for arrest are dangerous.
26
@denny stern that number has been debunked many times.
2
@denny stern
Legal immigrants have lower rates ... being illegal, having & using false documents, returning after being deported are crimes.
4
@denny stern
There are all kinds of "immigrants".
And there are all kinds of "citizens".
Which "citizens" exactly have the high crime rates?
And which "immigrants" exactly have the low crime rates?
Come on now,
spit it out,
tell us the truth.
Which ones?
1
The sanctuary cities rely on these "illegal immigrants" to maintain their cities (via subcontracting) and do all sorts of necessary jobs at a price let's say 30-80 cents on the dollar. (Likewise for some businesses like agriculture .... )
This low pay is equivalent to taxing these workers 70-20% right off the bat. Few benefits of any type (vacation pay, health care, social security, workmans comp) are payed to these workers. The demand for these workers IS there. Providing these immigrants a legal avenue to come to the USA, (allowing MORE work visas etc.) would ensure that the employers hire legal immigrants. Yet legal immigrants must be paid a legal wage and have rights and perhaps benefits. Huge savings would be lost to the employers. Everything would be more costly for everyone. Do any of these politicians or staunch anti-immigrationist care about these human beings? Mostly no - it is a game of money and politics, displaced anger, and consumers that expect to pay the least possible for goods and services regardless the true worth of the goods.
16
The border issue includes not just nice immigrants but sometimes others. Have we forgotten dangerous drugs and way these items get into the country? Obviously an 'open border' is utopian. So there has to be some way of controlling border crossings and making them safe and legal. The European Union has an open border system (or they did!). How is it going now? Check it out.
9
Europe's open borders are among 26 Schengen countries, 420 million people and 1.66 million square miles. USA has 309 million people and 3.79 million square miles. Schengen is named after a 1985 agreement and was formally incorporated into EU law through the Amsterdam Treaty of 1997, efcective 1999. Several non-EU members are included. All from Wikipedia, but visiting is a better way to experience this agreement of mutual trust and protection. The personal experience is similar to driving from one US state to another. There are signs and maybe a change in language. To summarize, it's going very well.
I don’t entirely disagree with you, but when it comes to illegal drugs coming into the United States, the blame should be on the Americans who are consuming them.
2
@Patrick
Most illegal immigrants come in via plane, or by overstaying visas and green cards.
Not by trudging 1000 miles across a porous border.
Just what we need - another step militarizing the enforcement of civil law. There is a real risk of people getting badly hurt or killed just for being "noncompliant" with shouted orders they may not understand.
17
Compare this to the state of affairs when what's his name took office, to properly grasp the lunacy of now sending armed violent border patrol swat teams into our neighborhoods. Undocumented immigration had been falling for two decades when President Obama left office. Due to NAFTA, undocumented immigration from Mexico had almost disappeared. We were funding a number of programs that encouraged Central Americans to stay home. That is, there is no record of a terrorist ever crossing the southern border. At that time, the majority of people who were here illegally had overstayed their visas after entering the country legally. Most illegal opioids now come into the country from China through the postal mail or via the regular package shipment companies. The crime rates and employment rates of these undocumented immigrants put citizens to shame. The CBO itself has concluded that these undocumented immigrants pay more in federal, state and local taxes, and into Social Security and Medicare, than they ever, in the aggregate, receive in government benefits. The Democrats simply want safe, sane, and humane immigration and border policies. Congress has given hizonner several bipartisan agreements on immigration and border security that he refused to sign. He who shall not be named has exacerbated the problem at ever turn, committed crimes against humanity on the southern border, actually caused the spike in arrivals with his own actions. And for what infernal purpose?
13
@Robert
Tripe.
During the years and decades before Trump,
including the years and decades under Obama, Bush, Clinton, Reagan and Carter, there were massive increases in immigration, both legal and illegal --
massive increases -- in the tens of millions -- that were foisted on the American people by an UnHoly Alliance of pro-open-borders Dems pandering for votes and pro-open-borders GOP water carriers for the pro-cheap-labor business crowd. The American people did not want it -- not in such massive, uncontrolled numbers -- so they voted for someone who said he would do everything he could to reduce and control it.
5
@Robert - "Most illegal opioids now come into the country from China through the postal mail or via the regular package shipment companies."
You clearly know little about where drugs in Seattle/Tacoma come from. The overwhelming majority of meth, heroin, and others comes from Sinaloa up I-5 to Yakima which is one of the largest distribution centers in the country. From Yakima, it heads over to Seattle where it gets distributed to street dealers in the "open air drug market" downtown on 3rd Avenue just doors down from the recent mass shooting.
I learned this when I was homeless on the Seattle streets and was surrounded by meth/heroin addicts. Black tar heroin and meth are the most popular drugs on the streets and they come from Mexico. Occasionally, some "China White" comes through and OD's start happening since there is no way to tell what you have.
4
@Robert
During our massive recession, it is true that many jobs were lost ... including the attraction for illegals.
3
This is an opportunity for the Trump Administration to introduce heavy-handed policing tactics into settings that oppose his policies. We just recently had an instance where a family bystander was shot in the face by ICE in New York City. Such events will become more common.
We know that Trump does not believe in the rule of law and prefers non-democratic, authoritarian methods. This is why he cuddles up to the dictators in Egypt, Russia, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere.
Pesonally, I don't understand why there isn't more civil disobedience to this populist, would-be strongman. Trump does not represent the values of a democratic society. He is a giant step backward for American society - and he and his supporters will go down in history as crude, jingoistic and retrograde.
21
BORTAC? "Special Forces Trained"? Really? How is this not a violation of the Posse Comitatus Act? A trial run at rounding up the undesirables with federal troops, who are of course under the command of POTUS. I believe it is time to recognize that Trump is actually working toward a Presidential autocracy, while we dither, argue, and agree (once again) that our democracy is so entrenched that such a thing can never happen. Let's sigh with relief and pull the covers back up over our heads.
14
This is fascism. This is state terrorism.
34
How?
3
Line up the court challenges to this blatantly illegal move by the administration. ASCLU, get the big lawyers out there!
15
@Jeff Ritter these people have already ignored
removal orders. they can not challenge their removal since they already lost in court or failed to appear.
5
Trump, the law breaker, could care less about others who are in this country without permission from our government. This move is pure and simple playing to his base and the expression and sadistic enjoyment of yet another racist, hateful and controlling impulse. The man loves to assert control over others, and who is more helpless than the undocumented? Sound familiar? Germany under Hitler?
30
Marshall law next?
11
On my train to work, daily commute, catch the 4:30am train, this past week, as I got close to the platform I saw about 10 to 12 ICE officers descending from the stairs to the platform that takes all of us worker bees to Downton LA. They looked straight out of a Hollywood movie, cargo pants, bulletproof vests, guns on hip, guns strapped to their thighs, knives holstered, military grade head to toe everything. Honestly, it was pretty intimidating. Did I feel safer? Nope, because I have no idea if one of them isn't well trained, will snap and be triggered. It turns out, my train commute, 4:30am is filled with DAs, cops, firemen, sheriff types, utility workers, utility engineers such as myself, nurses, and many many clerical staff who run all the agencies where we all work. I felt safer when I sat next to the cop I typically sit next to on the last cart. The cop made feel safer, not the ICE agents. I just think those military types don't have adequate training, to deal with the civilians,legal or illegal, leading to many volatile situations. No one person in our train cart was asked to show ID, but the stare of those ex military officers, though, is conclusive enough for me, we are living with the new realities of a banana republic.
23
Great news! Wait—this is law enforcement action against illegal behavior? Well then. This is concerning, fellow liberals.
6
Sniper teams? Really?
12
White allies: Time to use your privilege for good. Rise up and fill the streets with your protests. Step in when you see a raid or arrest situation. Question the agents. Record everything. Put your bodies between these jackbooted thugs and the brown bodies they persecute. You are far less likely to be harmed, have less to lose, have more resources to fight the system. For once, muster the courage to live by the principles you claim.
22
Sending paramilitary troops to opposition cities. This is all about aclimatizing people to future repression, in my opinion. The only way a minority can exercise absolute power over a majority is through cheating, then repression, then violence. Personally, I think that’s the long-term plan here. They just need a smarter fascist.
19
Picture worth a thousand words, from DJ Trump and ICE-BORTAC to targeted immigrants, "Leave or WE'LL KILL YOU."
5
Sooner or later, a dictatorship requires thugs on the streets.
Looks like we’re here.
31
Where's all the NRA folks and all those down home freedom fighters protecting the constitution from being violated?
14
@Cadburry the courts have upheld the right of the government to deport people who are not in the USA
legally.
5
There are no sanctuary cities in any country which protects and shields Americans committing crimes on their soil.
20
I have been hoping for the USBP to come to the cities to enforce the Immigration laws for years. BORTAC isn't necessary. Well trained BPAs can do the same job. The green uniforms and vehicles will send the message to both the illegal aliens and the sanctuary cities. The liberals are only making it easier for President Trump to be re-elected.
7
The treatment of immigrants in this country disgusts me. Know the law & stand up for these folks.
20
@Barb
Um, the law says they are here illegally.
4
I don't have all the information so forgive me if I am wrong about the facts.
ICE is looking for a special group of illegals.Those who committed a crime, those who have a deportation order, those who have been deported and sneaked back in.Sanctuary cities when this group of people are arrested for a reason like DUI or other minor crimes refuse to hand these people in their custody to ICE who try to have them deported for the reasons that I gave above.If I am correct the President is wright.
18
@Gdk
The article, which I guess you could have read for yourself, tells us that you are not correct:
"ICE agents typically seek out people with criminal convictions or multiple immigration violations as their primary targets for deportation, but family members and friends are often swept up in the enforcement net in what are known as 'collateral' arrests, and many such people could now be caught up in any enhanced operations."
ICE leadership r"
8
President Trump* is completely out of control. Susan Collins should resign before morning for her part as spokeswoman to the treachery of the Senate Republicans in unleashing this monster.
*impeached
20
Why only sanctuary cities?
How about sending them into Trump resorts or into the agri farms in Florida, Texas and to the cattle ranches in South Dakota or Oklahoma?
36
Martial Law is tactical units showing up on the streets of cities in uniforms with machine guns. I guess they mean to shoot people. The president hasn’t told us there is an enemy in our country that needs to be rounded up or shot. Are we at war? What is going on?
17
@Wanda
Let us know when you see that.
1
Why do illegal-immigrant crime calculations omit the millions of crimes committed by illegal immigrants procuring fraudulent social security numbers, obtaining false drivers’ licenses, using fraudulent green cards, and improperly accessing public benefits?
28
Because they also, by the millions, contribute large amounts of taxes and other goods to the economy and you don't 'deduct' that either. This is not a one way street.
6
@Dr. John That is up to us citizens to report what we see. I am a dutiful reporter for my country and home.
2
Conservatives never, ever speak out when one of theirs commits a massacre in an African American church or a temple or at a Walmart. It’s a lot easier for them to point fingers at illegal immigrants than it is to take responsibility for the atrocities their vile ideology inspires.
No wonder Trump has such strong support from neo-Nazis and white nationalists.
1
A lot of anti-immigration people are ignoring the elephant in the room. Whether or not illegal immigrants should be deported is a different issue. Trump is sending non-military militarized troops into American cities in order to round up and deport people. How will they know who is illegal and who is legal? They will racially profile. They will terrorize and intimidate American citizens. Likely, given past events, some American citizens of Mexican and Central American descent will be caught up in the net and deported to countries they have never lived in. The few ardent Trump supporters who applaud any brutality as long as it against Californians and immigrants and in favor of Trump and his immigration policy are deplorable but honest. The rest of you are supporting fascist police state actions within US borders without giving it a second thought.
26
Good. People immigrating into the US should qualify based on merit and not by cheating the system.
26
How do you determine merit?
2
The sanctuary cities are aiding and abetting criminals....In essence, they are promoting divisiveness and balkanization... not assimilation... It has added fuel to the partisan divide in congress which has resulted in the chaos of no compromise....We are becoming a Banana Republic ironically, because of the influence of mass illegal immigration...Industry's endless need for cheap labor even at the cost of breaking Child Labor laws....Teddy Roosevelt, a progressive reformer is yelling from his grave...
20
The President is beginning to employ the tactics of a dictator. Disagree with him, and he will threaten you, attempt to intimidate you, withhold federal funding, and employ the state instruments of armed force against you. It is time to throw this President and his corrupt administration out. I don’t like it, but I’ll vote for Mickey Mouse if he’s the only Democrats can nominate this summer. We have to defeat this man before he destroys our country.
22
One can't reasonably criticize Trump for abrogating the rule of law while criticizing him for upholding it in this case.
However, using a pseudo-military unit to enforce the law opens up a can of worms that should be kept firmly closed.
5
Just read how vloggers in China are missing after criticizing the government over the virus. Thank God we live in America.
But then I read this article and saw the photo. What have we become??!
12
Could you “prove” you’re an American citizen if grabbed by a guy with a gun to his satisfaction?
Unless you’re carrying a US passport forget about it.
And that passport?
Maybe you used forged documents to get it - using the birth certificate of some poor infant who died 24 hours post-partum.
Go ahead, especially if you happen to come from a home where people don’t speak English to each other, or you have any foreign accent - or not.
The president recently accused a highly decorated US general, an immigrant from Ukraine formerly assigned to the National Security Council, of treason, because he spoke truthfully to a House Committee while, gasp, wearing the uniform he’s required to wear on the job.
So, go ahead, get out the papers you usually carry and prove you’re a citizen.
17
Whatever Trump wants, I will not comply.
14
I was almost attacked once by illegal immigrant youth whom I tried to reprimand for smoking weed on subway. If you are not checking who is coming, you will get into trouble sooner or later. What is the point of these "sanctuary cities"?
The jobs could have been done by high school students, etc. If nobody is willing, then they should increase salaries.
18
I have been very much attacked, fully and physically, by many American citizens. The last time it almost happened was on election night 2016. By Trump supporters. Most of time it has actually happened it happened in the Carolinas. Both red states. I’ve been attacked by a foreigner only once, while I was living in Europe. A drug dealer on the street tried to sell my Canadian friends drugs. When they said no, he kept following them down the street, repeatedly hitting on and touching my female friend, right in front of her husband, even though he told the guy to stop. He went in for another touch and I clotheslined him in the street. So he came after me. To be fair, I hit him first. And last.
14
@John
I've been physically attacked a few times myself. Each time my attacker was a natural born citizen white male. I also remember a time (before cel phones) when my car broke down in the middle of a rainy night on a highway far from any town. I sat there for an hour while car after car passed by. The only person who stopped to help me was a young hispanic man who spoke barely any english. I have no idea what his immigration status was, nor do I care. He drove me to the next town where I could get help.I am grateful that there are still some kind people out there who have empathy and will help someone who is having a tough time.
10
How did you know they were illegal?
6
We shall defend our state, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender...
10
i hope they have thoroughly checked the employees at trump's multiple properties, along with his wife's family.
26
Hopefully some of these expert teams will visit my sanctuary county. We have wonderful legal immigrants here but we also have a really big problem with the violent gangs. Gangs like MS 13, they deal drugs, kidnap, human traffic and slice each other up w machetes. Every time the Feds do a sweep and arrest a batch our crime levels drop, so this article is good news for us here in Maryland. Thanks for your thoughtful reporting!
24
So he's fencing us in and sending SWAT teams to inland points of egress. He already tested out takeover of airports. This has nothing to do with immigration. He's eventually going to declare an emergency. We will be told that for our safety, we need to be screened. For our safety, they need to search everyone coming, going, moving within. Are you loyal to Trump? Your phone had better say so when you are searched.
11
I support liberalizing and accelerating LEGAL immigration into our country, and, like the vast majority of our citizens, strongly opposed ILLEGAL immigration. If you want legal immigration expanded the only way it will be politically viable will be to prove illegal immigration is being stopped to the greatest extent possible.
17
As an exercise in reducing the census count, it at first seems like a calculated risk, since states like Texas and Florida will be as hard hit as California, New York, and New Jersey. However, it will likely support redistricting in high-immigrant red states in favor of Republican districts, so the GOP clearly sees it as a risk worth taking.
8
I can only guess what a debilitating effect this will all have on any attempt to go door to door for the 2020 census. Ultimately, the voter suppression it will cause may be the entire point, in order for the Republicans to stay in power.
22
A terrible waste of our money. I’m not ready to declare gloom and darkness. Inspired by a third listening of Timothy Snyder’s, On Tyranny, I’m supporting and volunteering for a Senate candidate to turn a red state blue. Do not be defeated, people. There’s work to do! We all have to do what we can to make a change in whatever way we can, small or big. “We are the change we want to be.” Every single American should read, On Tyranny. A tiny but enormously powerful book.
13
Aliens that are unlawfully present in the United States are deportable. That is the law that is on the books. President Trump is enforcing that law. If you don't like the law then ask your legislator to vote to repeal it. In the mean time, don't accuse the president of not following the law. This is entirely lawful and he has every right to pursue this.
22
Nobody disputes that. It is the HOW that people have a problem with.
2
@Me Well, they tried to elicit a non violent approach by asking to pick them up at jails and such, these sanctuary cities have denied that approach. So, this is what you get.
I applaud this.
6
I'm in an immigrant family. Trump's approach is good for American. Yes to legal immigration - moderate, managed and merit based.
No to illegal immigration. No to sanctuary states and cities -- the federal government has sole responsibility for the nation's immigration laws. Hold sanctuary city politicians personally liable for any crimes committed by detained/freed illegal aliens.
29
Trump is against legal immigration.
This is one of the nuttiest thing Trump has done yet. Are they coming with tanks or heavily armed vehicles? Wow, get that immigrant cleaning lady and her children.
Hope they support the states (e.g. Virginia) where guns right folks are setting up Sanctuary 2nd amendment towns. Why should they be allowed to violate states' laws that are enacting reasonable gun control laws. If they can interfere with cities why not states for other "illegal" actions. Yes, I know immigration is National and gun control laws are State enacted but it is still a double standard.
7
I’ve heard Trump has gotten rid of a lot of the “ illegal immigrants “ over the past year working at his resorts. So now he can go after them right. Let’s go after the employers to if we’re really gonna tackle this problem. That’s where this all begins.
10
Federal immigration law,
like all other federal law,
is
"...the Supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.
"...and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution."
--U.S. Constitution, Article VI, clause 2.
15
Why weren’t any Trump properties targeted? He loves the illegals for his beautiful golf courses, lame wine, building his buildings and even as a wife. trump can even bill them for staying at the properties for surveillance.
11
Targeting liberal cities and laying the groundwork for a ratcheted-up police state?
17
Not all sanctuary cities are actually liberal....
1
How legal is this?
Our country is lost to Republicans...my God
10
Awesome! I hope they come to San Francisco, arrive in tanks and wear their SWAT uniforms. If they arrive in June, they would make a welcome addition to the Gay Pride Parade.
19
"our officers are forced to make at-large arrests of criminal aliens who have been released into communities,” he said. “When sanctuary cities release these criminals back to the street, it increases the occurrence of preventable crimes, and more importantly, preventable victims.”
This is shameful and inconsistent with the rule of law in a democratic state. These "at-large criminal arrests of criminal aliens" constitute round-ups reminiscent of the actions of Nazi Germany, not a democracy. Moreover, a criminal is one who has been convicted of a crime, not someone suspected of a crime or simply "rounded-up" en masse.
The next step in this "processing" is shipment to a detention center (concentration camp), illegal separation of parents from children, and incarceration in cages.
I am ashamed of our country.
10
@Frank Baudino Funny that you mention "...rule of law..." yet you champion those that break it.
10
@Hat Trick
Rule of law? Trump’s AG is busy getting Trump’s buds’ court cases fixed and drumming up charges on his political enemies.
There’s no rule of law anymore. This is your man’s banana republic.
And, sooner or later, it rolls up on your doorstep.
3
"the U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Unit, known as BORTAC, an elite group "
You're kidding, right?
ICE is home to killers, rapists, sexual abusers, crooks, corruption that seems to know no bounds and even the "good" agents, the ones who moan ever so loud about feeling disrespected and unloved are afraid to speak out against their criminal peers.
And now you're sending more of these clowns, this time with heavy weaponry, into the hinterlands to deprive citizens of their freedom of choice, and to stand around at a cost of millions of my dollars for "appearance sake"?
The cowardice and sloth that define Trump America, and the vile, undisciplined, dangerous troops of ICE are shameful, cowardly, un-American in every respect.
May they feel unwelcome and despised wherever they set foot.
17
Long overdue!
27
I am proud to support Sanctuary Cities
15
There's a desperate criminal in the White House. I strongly suggest these 'elite' units start there.
19
I got a bad, bad feeling about this.
11
Why the photo with the tank? Will these soon be rolling in to our cities in defense of, wait, let me think, ourselves?
6
Previous administrations from both political parties did little to stop the flow of illegal aliens. They looked the other way. President Trump campaigned on stopping illegals from crossing over our borders. This is one of the reasons why he was elected. He actually kept his promise and is being criticized from the left. If this was a Democrat participating in this action, they would be praising him/her. It is because it is President Trump, a man they detest, that is enforcing this. It is for no other reason why they keep defaming him.
We cannot continue allowing illegals to break our laws. We must think of America first. Our president is trying to make America great. He wants to make America safe and secure from those who do not. President Trump should be applauded for this sensible action.
20
@KMW: You are a strict Catholic, by your own repeated statements. What did Jesus say about how to treat the poor stranger in your homeland? What does the Church say? What does Pope Francis say? So, after considering that, why is it okay to use Catholicism as a justification against abortion but completely ignore it when it comes to immigration? I am not trying to attack you. I genuinely don’t get it.
9
One of my grandmothers was a strict Catholic. I have a lot of respect for certain aspects of the faith. Thomas Aquinas comes to mind. I once told two of my best (atheist) friends, when we first met, that I had gone to many different churches and synagogues as a child. They asked me, “Do you still believe?” I said, “I never believed in the sense that they defined it. I would be considered a heretic now.” They both gave a very relieved sort of laugh. Later on when I got to know them and their potential, I told them about people closer to my heart like Spinoza, Wittgenstein, William James, Rumi, Buddha, and de Chardin. That confused them for a while, but they eventually came to appreciate the subtlety of my position. Nothing is black and white.
1
I am not a Christian, but I do love Jesus fully. I consider myself a heretic.
Lawrence Payne said CBP was deploying 100 officers to work with ICE, “in order to enhance the integrity of the immigration system, protect public safety, and strengthen our national security.”
Mr. Payne is dutifully repeating Mr Trump’s lies about immigrants being a threat to public safety and immigration being a national security threat to justify deploying what amounts to a right wing goon squad in all but name. The deployed officers are SWAT (special weapons and tactics); heavily armed officers who use military tactics to confront violent offenders. There is no need of them except to give dubious substance to Mr Trump’s lies.
Watch how this develops; the goon squad will provoke violence is confrontational aggressive storm trooper tactics, then Trump will squeal about national security and criminal immigrants.
4
It’s all about hating brown people. You don’t see Trump sending armed troops into cities in order to deport white and Asian immigrants who have overstayed their visas. And you never hear Trump supporters or anti-immigration activists talking about arresting and deporting white and Asian immigrants who have overstayed their visas. It’s always Latinx people. How many white and Asian people are currently in our immigration prisons? It’s not as if there aren’t white and Asian people living here who have expired visas.
13
Bravo to President Trump...Sanctuary cities don't want to uphold Federal Immigration laws...and work with ICE...so tell me why can't ICE do what is necessary and apprehend people here illegaly...as far as I'm concerned sanctuary cities should not receive Federal money at all...I'm all for a guest worker program...however allowing illegals to stay here is not a good example for people following the law when it comes to entering the United States.
22
Well I hope we are all prepared for the price of beef, pork and chicken to skyrocket.
Who do you think works in slaughterhouses these days? Immigrants!
Are these people taking Your job? Do You want to work in a slaughterhouse?
5
@Almost Can’t Take It Anymore Those jobs were held by Americans until they busted the Unions. Bring back Unions and a decent living wage and Americans will do those jobs as they once did.
5
Immigration (legal/illegal) is destroying the US and has been for many years. Immigration has led to HUMAN OVERPOPULATION and destruction of the environment, loss of wildlife habitat, overcrowded classrooms and ER's, overdevelopment, loss of many jobs for Americans, billions in welfare payments...the president has to be tougher on the subject of immigration and sanctuary cities.
18
carol can you bring any valid and truthful facts to backup your comments please? I'm interested in hearing them. Thank you. .
2
I’m terrified.
3
@Ben Of what, exactly? If someone is in the country illegally they should be deported. Period.
18
Exactly.
“I’m terrified! Why would they do this!?”
Gee, it’s almost like they’re :pauses: enforcing the law.
4
This is why the Republicans should be elected in 2020. They want to secure our borders. All the Democratic presidential candidates want open borders with no control on immigration. They do not care who enters our country and are promoting illegal immigration. The rights of the illegals take precedence over our own citizens. They do not care about American safety and security. The Republicans must stress this fact during the 2020 campaigns. President Trump no doubt will. Most Americans want secure borders. The radical left does not.
22
They only want to secure our borders against people from the Central American countries we destroyed through 200 years of exploitation and interference. They do not care about people from other countries.
6
@Ben Central America destroyed itself with over population. Birth control and one child only would work.
4
I would argue that sending an 'elite force' to seek out undocumented immigrants who located in this country comes very close to violating the Posse Comitatus Act. Will the government even bother to obtain warrants if they suspect undocumented immigrants are in the private home of an American citizen? This looks far too much like 1930s Germany.
12
Why are these highly trained agents being moved from where they are needed to deal with drug gangs to where they are not needed, in the middle of cities like New York City and Boston? Their training will be going waste. In any event, Congress needs to cut funding for ICE as well as the US Border Patrol. What they doing under Trump is meant to largely appeal to Trump's white supremacist base. The role of both federal police forces needs to be more limited and be compatible with a liberal democracy. Of course the Republican Party which has thrown its lot in the white nationalists is preventing this from happening. As a whole, this all appears to be heading in a fascist direction.
7
We really are racing toward "jackboot stormtrooper" territory under Trump here.
Regardless of where you personally fall on the opinion on sanctuary cities.. the proper venue in a democracy to address and resolve this is in the courts... Not in unilateral paramilitary action under executive order.
13
So while these militarized, highly lethal border SWAT forces are being diverted inland to terrorize struggling minimum-wage families just trying to keep their heads down and get by, who's going to be taking their place in safeguarding the lawless hellscape that President Trump assures us our border consists of?
...
Nobody, you say? Ok, just wanted to be sure we're on the same page here.
9
Political stunt. I thought we needed to secure the border not Central Park.
10
Your tax dollars at work. All in the name of making our cowardly, insecure, weasel of a president feel strong. One has to seriously wonder about his upbringing. The depths of his feelings of inadequacy are profound. Those who need therapy the most never get it. And to think that the whole world is paying the price.
9
The United States is so doomed. If Trump is re-elected be prepared for all the prisons this insane dictator will have built for anyone who contradicts him. And if he loses the election be prepared for the White House being surrounded by his flunkies with AK 47's cause he won't leave without a fight.
6
STOP!!! We will not accept this outcome. Please stop spreading gloom and doom. It depresses people. We have to think positive and unite to defeat this president.
2
@Jo LOL! you will have to defeat the American people. Not Trump. Even If Trump did nothing we would stand up and defend and secure our country from invaders because that is who we are. He's being civilized about it. So be grateful its not left up to American citizens to do it ourself. I am not going silently into the night while my country is being invaded. Im old but i still have a lot of fight left in me for the future of my grand children.
1
I'm a wild-eyed liberal but this may drive me to join a self-defense militia.
5
Ya know, I used to say everyone is welcome here so long as they don’t commit murder or mayhem. Now, we’re supposed to welcome murderers and mayhem makers, too. What’s wrong with this picture?
17
This is a losing issue for the don’t re-elect trump camp. If they are illegal and criminals why are we wasting political capital on these undesirable and on top of it illegal immigrants. A lot of people that don’t like trump agree with him on some issues and this is one of them. Pick your fights please.
24
Sanctuary Cities would dry up over night if these cities passed and enforced a living-wage law.
Sanctuary Cities are all about building up a cheap, exploitable labor force. That explains why Sanctuary Cities desperately need the power to issue drivers' licenses to illegal immigrants. It's all about cheap labor.
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
14
When ur a hammer, everything looks a nail. I am comforted that heavily armed hammers are going to be unleashed on my fair city. Nothing like a couple stun grenades and some sniper fire to make me feel safe in this densely populated city. Problem though, is I had been feeling pretty safe without an occupying army in the streets.
So scary...
8
Feds coming into sovereign states and enforcing federal laws - never heard of such a thing.
Next thing you know the Feds will be telling you who you have to live next door to. They ought to keep such actions limited to the folks in flyover country.
3
Not even in flyover country.
@Jo :"Not even in flyover country."
Promise? Next time you hear about DOJ investigating a police force, remember what you said.
Those pesky Feds.
I wonder how many ICE and BP agents might vote against Trump so that they can go back to doing the job of going after the hardened criminals instead of Dad's and Mom's and children who are going about their lives and contributing to America. I am sure there are some agents that are gung-ho on all this, but there must be a goodly number who are really troubled by it.
6
Tucker Carlson recently did a series on obscure new proposed Democratic legislation called "The New Way Forward" Act. You can google it, because the media hasn't covered it. It would make it illegal to detain illegal immigrants at all, and would also raise the bar for criminal illegal aliens to be deported even if they committed serious felonies. This refusal to cooperate with ICE is just the tip of the iceberg, there's a far more radical agenda afoot -- and no one is reporting on it, Tucker Carlson is pretty much the only one.
13
Let us bear in mind it is Republicans who are endorsing this invasion of "the homeland", this intimidation of citizens, this abandonment of law and tradition to enforce warped ideology and to cover for their decades long refusal even to discuss immigration.
Republicans who have brought us to bitter edge of "show your papers" bad-WW II-Germany-movie oppression.
Actually, well beyond the edge. They have made of our country everything we used to tell ourselves we were fighting against. They have made me consider, for the first time in my life, what a blessing it is my Marine lieutenant father is dead, spared this disgusting mess.
7
Some of th same people against this had no problem with military weapons and tactics being used on peaceful protesters in Ferguson. So it's wrong against illegal immigrants breaking multiple laws while in the country but OK against American citizens asserting their rights. No wonder democrats and the extreme left can't get Black votes.
8
A great day for authoritarians, xenophobes, and I-got-miners everywhere!
5
A study published in the journal Urban Affairs Review in 2017 found that cities with similar characteristics but for their sanctuary policies had “no statistically discernible difference” in their rates of violent crime, rape, or property crime. Using data from the National Immigration Law Center and the FBI, researchers compared crime rates before and after cities passed sanctuary laws, finding that they had no effect on crime.
Trump and his supporters are full of baloney. As usual.
9
All reputable studies show that illegal immigrants in general commit fewer crimes per capita than native born Americans in general.
6
@Cousin Greg because they are breaking the law by being here they're already counted as being a criminal. That means lower property value. Higher crime rate, less safety. Lower quality of living for everyone.
2
Every alarm and bell should be ringing throughout the country. The troops are on the move. "One if by land and two if by sea."
9
In 1930's Germany, the Waffen SS went into the neighborhoods to round up Jews, and others deemed enemies of the state. It appears we are watching as a nation as the same thing is being set in motion. How long will people stand by passively and allow this to continue? Will there be passive resistance, blocking these tanks (apc's) or will it get messier with more active resistance? Sending armed quasi military units into City streets is a show of force not far removed from what martial law will look like. It is dangerous to get comfortable with this.
21
Thank you, my thoughts exactly. To all those that cheer for the strong show against illegals, please consider for a second how fast, in 1930s Germany, you found yourself in that same defined group. They started with one part of the population and soon everybody - even if only of different political opinion - was labeled 'illegal' and prosecuted, often to the death.
This move it not about cracking down on illegal immigration. It is about harassing so called sanctuary cities and their inhabitants first, the rest of the country later. For years my mostly conservative friends have argued that the 2nd amad. and weapons in the hand of the citizens were a checks & balances for the time that 'they' (the federal government) came for good Americans. Well.... They're here. Where is the combined Republican outcry?
America has lost its way and soul.
2
I'm surprised they'd deploy BORTAC agents in cities like these where there's a better than likely chance they'll be met by armed resistance. But perhaps that's the war Trump wants. I wish I were joking. I'm not. Personally I can't fire a gun, don't own one and wouldn't know what to do with one. But this looks like Trump and Miller trying to make a point. There are others who will be pressing, let's call it an alternative perspective. They may come prepared. Scary. But again, it feels like this is a standoff Trump wants. He's itching for armed conflict in the streets of Blue States.
10
Can someone explain why these cities need “stun grenades and enhanced Special Forces-type training, including sniper certification” in response to their status as sanctuary cities? I see New Orleans on the list and I can say that having lived in the city post-Katrina when the streets were patrolled by the National guard for months was eerie but at least they were there in a supportive capacity. I can envision so many scenarios that BORTAC could go off the rails. All off these cities already have there own SWAT teams in place to handle crime. Trump has encouraged bullying tactics within his administration to try and achieve success but it’s unclear just how successful such methods are as alluded to in the article.
8
Remember what happened to Gov. Brewer when she tried to enforce Arizona’s own immigration laws? President Obama and General Holder fought her policies and won. Arizona had a huge and costly problem caused by illegal immigrants. She tried.
Sanctuary cities and states are wrong. They cost us financially and let criminals roam free. Common sense Americans will not vote for candidates who back such policies, are for benefits for illegals or are for open borders and amnesty. Common sense dictates that most illegals are sent home. Common sense should mandate employers to use E-Verify or fine them heavily.
Immigration levels acceptable a hundred years ago will not work in 2020. Amnesty acceptable in 1986 turned out to be a disaster. Time to rethink immigration to fit this century, this economy, and first and foremost the needs of the American people.
19
It is NOT the responsibility of either the cities or the states to enforce Federal immigration policies. Arguably, ICE and CBP are violating local sovereignty by barging in and bigfooting local authority and arresting people they deem to be in the US without proper status.
If American citizens get caught up in this net (as they have), what then? Too bad? Sorry for the inconvenience? You've been unjustly incarcerated for months, lost your job, whatever and the Feds say, 'sorry'?
Here's the thing. The Federal government doesn't care. They don't care about state's rights, they don't care about civil rights and they don't care about YOUR rights.
This is an administration out of control. Lawless. Neither knows nor cares about the rule of law. Except for the defenseless.
7
Sorry, but this issue has already been resolved by the Constitution: federal law prevails when state law conflicts (Supremacy Clause), and the federal government indeed has the power to go into the states to enforce. Recall in the 1960s when states refused to abide by federal law requiring school integration and US Marshals were brought in to make it happen (remember the famous Norman Rockwell painting of Ruby Bridges being escorting to school by federal officers). More recently, the Clinton administration in 2000 sent federal officers to forcibly remove young Illian González and transport him back to Cuba when he lost his case. Now as then, federal agents can go into states to enforce the law.
States cannot pick and choose which laws to ignore or follow. If a different result is sought, get Congress to change the law.
13
Typical trump move. he is taking these elite troops from where they provide a critical national security function and putting them in places where their only function is window dressing. “Promise made, promise kept...” as trump likes to brag. Of course, he won’t explain why it’s taken his entire first term to do this when he could have done it day one, nor will he tell everyone, once the election is over, the squads are going back to their original mission.
And of course his minions don’t care. he has done nothing of consequence in terms of border security, and they’ll still vote for him.
5
I will open my doors to my neighbors and they will be safe in my home. I have been blessed and am grateful for the opportunity to share my good fortune with anyone. I will not judge nor demean their humanity because they want a safe home for their children and family.
22
It’s not just your doors you are opening, but those of your neighbors, too.
8
@Ed Brady -
Based on that statement, Mr. Brady, DJT & ICE-BORTAC may well be coming for you next.
2
What would you do if, all of a sudden, people in your town started parking in handicap spots without proper authorization? Or if they stopped renewing their tags/license plates every 2 years at the Motor Vehicle Administration, as is required by law? Or if they started discreetly stealing food at the self-checkout in the grocery store? While you ponder these small infractions of civil order, consider also that legal immigrants from many countries have to wait years to come here. And even when they claim legitimate asylum, their entry isn't immediate, and they still have to go through a process. Otherwise there's chaos and corruption. Now for some reason, many immigrants from Latin America have decided that they can disregard US laws. Why do they have more rights than, say, an Iranian Christian who is religiously persecuted and still has to follow the law?
27
@Eugene thank you. very insightful.
4
What would you do, if all of the sudden, a masked man in camouflage with an assault rifle jumped out of an armored vehicle and threw you to the ground, pointed his rifle at your head, and demanded to see proof that you were an American? How do you think these men will determine who is here legally and who is here illegally? I’m guessing you’re white enough that you don’t have to worry about such a scenario.
10
@Eugene Right. Our president should go all out againsty people who illegally park in handicap spots.
4
The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 tasks ICE to arrest and deport aliens present or residing without authorization in the United States. Instead of criticizing ICE for enforcing the law, Americans who believe illegal immigration should be legalized should urge their U.S. representatives and senators to introduce legislation to make anyone who sneaks past the Border Patrol a citizen or legal resident.
12
@William Case
Ooooor - and here me out here - we could instead urge them to fix our existing immigration laws so that people trying to come here legally aren't routinely told, in essence, "Sure, let me put your name on this list here, and in a decade or so, maybe somebody will give you a call about it if you're lucky."
If our legal immigration system was actually functional, people wouldn't be driven to try to "sneak past the Border Patrol" in the first place.
2
What other event coincides with the timing of these raids?
2020 census.
Obvious attempt to thwart an accurate count.
15
@Jonathan Behnfeldt Okay. But why?
@Kenneth: l will assume you are genuine in your question. non-white legal immigrants and US citizens are swept up into the frenzied attempts to “enforce the law” They stay away and don’t answer the census takers knock. The census is the basis for the allocation of resources.
How many raids will occurs during the election in / near November in order to suppress the voter turnout?
3
Where are all the conservatives at that should be denouncing this? They're anti overreach, pro state's rights and small federal government. They should hate this. Imagine this happened to the 2A sanctuaries, they would lose it.
11
@Jared ' Imagine this happened to the 2A sanctuaries, they would lose it.' and you would applaud it right?
2A sanctuaries are now inevitable because they have been allowed for illegal immigrants. the entire legal playbook is well laid out. congratulations
"localities that have refused to cooperate in handing over immigrants targeted for deportation to federal authorities."
The power of the Federal Government is enormous - sending in federal law enforcement officials to enforce federal laws that locals do not care to enforce.
Federal authorities have been sent into many states, Alabama comes to mind, to enforce federal laws that locals considered oppressive.
Yep watch out for that power, the next thing you know the Feds will be telling you who you have to send your kids to school with or who you have to live next door to.
But don't worry that won't apply to NYC or SF.
4
Oh, the irony. Trump is only concerned about law enforcement for other people. If it weren't for immigrants, none of Trump's children would exist.
13
This screams of distraction; efforts to cause low participation during a census year on an extremely large scale to skew federal funding and create the illusion of the budget being less unbalanced prior to the election.
The mayhem this appalling tactic elicits from the public at large is just more icing on the cake for Trump and his following.
There will be no mass deportations; American corporations will not stand for the loss of their workforce. It's as sad, sick and simple as that.
7
Enough! This is starting to mimic 1930s Germany.
13
@Paul
Not in the slightest.
However, it is starting to look like immigration law enforcement...finally.
8
@Paul
Godwin's law --
You lose.
1
What's next? Martial law in liberal cities?
10
@dukesphere martial law not needed if people obey the existing laws.
4
My point is that I don't trust this administration to enforce equal justice under the law. At this point, given all that we are seeing in the way this president takes retribution against his political enemies, I suspect this is a way for him to use the MILITARY to get a toe hold into taking over liberal cities that oppose him. It's patently UNAmerican and thoroughly disgusting. Yeah, he wants people to "obey" the whims he will call "the law."
1
DHS has been militarized. We need legislation to expand the provisions of Posse Comitatus to apply to them.
Based on the direction Trump is taking ICE, CBD, and BORTAC, they will go down in history next to the SS, the Gestapo, and the Stasi.
"First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me"
16
So Trump is invading California? Awesome.
16
This is the real "Witch Hunt"
9
I'm confused. I keep hearing that it's just a "right wing talking point" to claim that Democrats support "open borders" Yet this comments section is full of people comparing our government to literal Nazis for attempting to lawfully deport people here illegally.
Please explain how a complete refusal to allow anyone here illegally to be deported is not de facto "open borders"
27
@I want another option
They are saying that because of the historical parallels.
3
Straw man argument. Take a look at the picture at the head of the article again. That’s why people are comparing them to fascists. Masked men in armored vehicles and camouflage attacking American cities. People get deported all the time, even from sanctuary cities (if they commit felonies).
5
For starters, Melania Trump and her parents.
Anything else I can help with?
7
Wow. Militarized police hunting immigrants....goes well with our immigrant concentration camps, I suppose.
And most Americans can’t be bothered by what our country has become. Shame.
14
you mean police looking for people who have committed a crime which has been illegal for decades compromising the entire immigration system which further erodes the desire for future hopeful citizens to follow the legal process. those camps exist because due process is supposed to be a pillar of American society and they must receive a trial before a judge or jury, before being deported. those camps exist because of the sheer number of people who have entered this country illegally without any fear of prosecution, which has led to a population that the immigration courts cannot keep up with a timely manner. this issue and those camps exist because of previous administrations failure to actually address the problem. while I have genuine sympathy for those people who are in these detention camps the reality is they are there because they failed to go thru the legal process. every one of the people held in camps waiting an immigration hearing with a judge is there by their own actions.
17
Pseudo enforcing Orwellian Two Minute Hate.
8
@sean: The enforced two minute hate in 1984 is something I have thought about a lot in the last few years.
Clean sweep is in order....
6
Really! Our autocrat is now turning our country into a police state.
"Round 'EM UP!"
When do we lock up this guy?
Every day he does something that excites his base.
It the women don't vote this goon out of office we soon will see them being sent to jail for having abortions. Christians will love it.
We are doomed to become a dictatorship sooner than you think.
11
This is fascist. How can an alleged democracy allow a sanctuary to be violated?
5
@ellen luborsky And exactly who designated our unfortunate cities "sanctuary cities" in the first place?!!! I guarantee you that if we had been allowed to vote in it in MY city, it would have been soundly quashed.
5
With SO MANY avenues to come here legally one has to ask "why are you here illegally?" None of the answers are valid. With so many hardships in may of these "sanctuary cities" one has to ask why are they giving priority to non-citizens? None of the answers are valid. With so many people suggesting we are becoming Nazi Germany why are so many people desperate to get here to start a new life? None of the answers are valid.
15
@Mystery Lits There... really aren't "SO MANY" avenues to come here legally. It's actually absurdly difficult, with waiting times without even a guarantee at making it in routinely stretching multiple years long.
People are here illegally because putting their lives in limbo for years if they're lucky, when they're already facing conditions so dire as to prompt them to leave behind everything they've ever known, is not an option, and asking them to do so is ridiculous.
2
Love too see my tax dollars paying for masked men with suppressed assault rifles being deployed to my city, just a gift.
Seriously though, if you don’t think we live in a fascist country yet, we need to talk.
9
Small minds with large guns.
12
Are we concerned yet?
6
Keep in mind the same Trump supporters shrieking about how horrible sanctuary cities are, are the same people who refuse to kick the neo-Nazis and white supremacists out of their coalition, or even criticize them.
13
Kind of sounds like the S.S., doesn't it?
16
he's coming after all people of color, that's what MAGA mean Make America White Again.
7
This is an effort to intimidate immigrants and to use militarized federal law enforcement resources to run roughshod over local communities' desire to avoid the real public safety threats that come when immigrants are demonized.
When America's own Gestapo, ICE and the Border Patrol, are done with immigrants, they will turn next to the political opponents of the regime. What we are seeing here is the birth of an American internal security agency just like the Russian FSB. The Republican goal is to discourage and punish political dissent and to rid the nation of all individuals who are not white and evangelical "Christian."
9
So-called Sanctuary Cities and their apologists are the grist of the Trump re-election mill. He is going to win because of the Democrat/Progressive/Liberal ideal that no immigration law whatsoever should be enforced. Additionally, counterintuitive as it may seem, many naturalized US citizens, myself included, support legal immigration. After paying the fees, enduring the interviews, and waiting for years to become Legal Permanent Residents and US citizens, it isn’t unreasonable to expect that other immigrants do likewise.
21
I would like to think that I am as liberal and inclusive as they come, but I simply can not understand anyone who thinks removing people who are here ILLEGALLY is a bad thing. I am all for immigration, but it should be done through legal means.
I lived in London when I was younger, and wanted to move back a few years ago. I contacted an immigration lawyer, but it would not have been possible for me to move back there legally. I work for myself and a fair portion of my business is in Europe, and I could have lived there undetected for a while, but I didn't move. Why not? Because I would have been breaking the law. I would have been taking advantage of public utilities and services that I was not entitled to.
Yes, people want to live in the USA, but wanting to should not be an automatic "come on in" card. There are ways of emigrating, and I welcome those who do it legally. Those who just come in? No, they should not be here, regardless of whether they are otherwise law-abiding citizens and have families here. What part of "illegal" immigrant do people not get?
26
As much as I am loath to recognize conspiracy-type thoughts, it would appear that our country is moving towards a martial law situation. Federal law enforcement, heavily armed with few restrictions, deployed around the country to various cities. A president, Trump, who admires authoritarian leaders. Republicans who won’t push back on Trump and practically bend-knee to his every wish?
We are entering ever more dangerous territory every day.
13
I hope people realize that sanctuary cities have a policy of not cooperating with ICE to aid in the enforcement of federal immigration law. But this is very different from a city that doesn’t cooperate in any enforcement of any other laws. Sanctuary cities are not lawless.
You can still address the criminal aspect of capturing truly dangerous people by going through non immigration enforcement channels and you’d probably get a lot of cooperation without issues from such cities.
The problem with our government’s approach is that they are overemphasizing the minimally dangerous aspect of immigrants, to instill fear in immigrant communities (documented and not), along the way they have absolutely no concern about collateral damage and even inconveniencing citizens of these communities.
This is the reason sanctuary cities are sanctuaries. They are sanctuaries of an overarching government that doesn’t seem to care about the damage to so many more people while achieving their goals, not because they are lawless lands.
I wish people would understand this better.
9
It's high time to plunder and clean out more than 40% of Newark, NJ, a gravely impoverished city that is trying to rise.Illegal immigrants who are not held to account for any crimes ( driving without documentation or car insurance, using false SS#, being in possession of a criminal record from a foreign country, failure to pay child support in one's native country, etc. ) need to be removed so that the limited amount of resources, housing included, can be distributed and shared among the needy disabled, the seniors and the American working poor who have been law abiding citizens and deserve to have the benefits they need by virtue of the taxes that were withheld from their paychecks for years, if not decades. It's high time for someone to speak up for levelling the playing field for the earners and not the claim jumping takers.
Why the H should I collect and demonstrate 6 points of valid identification for my driver's license when illegals can't furnish any but the license is just handed over ?
People who walked into the US without a bag of lunch or an air mattress for their children and expected every need and want to be fulfilled at our expense must be returned to their homeland promptly. No American would be allowed to overstay their visa in the Netherlands, home of the Hague to the degree that this invasion of foreigners has been able to usurp resources here in Newark without legal scrutiny.
19
President Donald John Trump has employed illegal immigrants at his golf properties and wineries for many years. These individuals, until he recently for political calculated reasons fired them, were the most loyal and hardworking of all his employees. Trump openly admites this fact. He knew they were illegal but hired them anyway because they worked hard and for less money than American citizens. It seems hypocritical and dishonest to now turn on these people. Our country needs a comprehensive bipartisan immigration policy one implemented based on scholarly research and facts and verifiable data not political games. Until then corporations should be held liable for illegal hirings.
10
"Sanctuary City" is a polite word for "City defying US law"
19
"We're from the police state, and we're here to help you. But first, you're under arrest."
10
Shameful, cowardly, cruel -- not to mention heartbreaking.
14
Let’s lay this at the feet of greedy corporations, including Trump businesses. If there weren’t work, they would not have incentive to come. Citizens too lazy to do real work, and corporations too cheap to pay living wages. We are such hypocrites.
15
Nothing like election season to assign people with military training to round up undocumented people. What could possibly go wrong?!
15
I am sure that Stephen Miller is behind this.
26
...We get just a little bit closer to undisguised fascism, and I get just a little bit closer to buying a gun before all the dealers start doing ad hoc political litmus tests.
7
I’ve considered buying a gun recently as well. I have never considered it before. It seems paranoid, but as author and gun enthusiast William S. Burroughs once said, “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean there aren’t people out to get you.” But I hate guns. I will just move out of the country and become a stateless refugee first.
2
William S. Burroughs. What an interesting person. Norman Mailer said he was the only American writer who was conceivably possessed by genius. But Mailer also said that Burroughs’ genius was damaged by the problems Burroughs had as a person. Primarily addiction. He also shot his wife in the head. That’s something. I’ve read a lot about the incident. It seems like Burroughs genuinely loved his wife despite being gay and that he was extremely upset about shooting her. In St. Louis, my wife and I went around the cemetery looking for his grave. We found it at the very end of our seemingly endless circling. I put a penny on it. Burroughs loved the Egyptian Book of the Dead. My wife, a couple of years later, got me a copy of “Interzone” with an authentic Burroughs signature as my Christmas present. He is actually extremely troublesome as a person, especially by modern standards. But, as he often said, writing was far behind the techniques of art, and he was trying to advance writing to that level. Hence the cut up technique. What I really love about him is his genuine knowledge of other writers and their talent. He used to say, “I’m a sergeant in the Shakespeare squadron.”
With many churches offering sanctuary the inevitable next step will be that ICE will move in on places of worship.
5
I hear Trump properties are a great place to start.
14
About time! More please.
13
This is an ominous development. Trump would love to have a Federal police force that can arrest his political enemies. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) could be that force. It is the nation's largest police force. Despite its name, it has jurisdiction over most Americans, since "borders" extend 100 miles inland from oceans, where most Americans live. They are already harassing travelers on buses and trains far from the border with Canada.
Think Trump won't do this? Who is to stop him?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Border_Patrol
11
So who's going to catch the smugglers? All the storm troopers will be in downtown America, scaring the bejeezus out of law abiding Americans. This is horribly, terribly wrong, I'm thinking many legal citizens will be hurt or killed. Thanks Republicans.
13
Will this help us get our global entry program back?
2
"With additional gear such as stun grenades and enhanced Special Forces-type training, including sniper certification, the officers typically conduct high-risk operations[..]."
Are they that afraid of poor working people? Or does their thuggish boss just posturing again to impress his aptly-named base?
10
No alternative. Both parties ignored illegals immigration fir 40 years. That’s how Trump got in. I’m California the illegal thinking is “I got in. I want to stay. I deserve money and a home”. With a child on each hand and pregnant it’s a reality. Too bad the birther baby clause still exists. Illegals created Trump and if democrats don’t have a border plan they’ll have a hard time. All that and today on the climate 1/3 of all species will be gone. A secure border but a sinking planet. Corona virus is just getting started. Trumps the nightmare of ignorance given to us my illegals. Legal immigration good. Illegal immigration no. Registered DACA people should be already ok on their path. All problems are a mix now. Food supply in real jeopardy.
13
NYT please clarify, if The Global Entry ban is due to “state’s decision to offer driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants and bar Homeland Security agencies from accessing the state’s motor vehicle database,” then why did Trump offer to reverse it on the condition that NY drop their lawsuits?
6
Me.... I'm getting a resident visa for Canada.
8
@Odysseus
No one in the USA will stop you.
Of course, you have to convince the Canadian authorities that they ought to let you in. Let us know how it works out. Can't wait to hear from you.
6
@Odysseus Why not just sneak across the border? Oh, that’s right, the enforce immigration law in Canada as well.
6
Between this story, highlighting a modern day pogrom, and the story about the spat between Trump and Barr, I’m amazed that this is the story further down the feed and the story about two men bickering is top of the scroll.
8
Here's the deal. Yes illegal immigrants is wrong. Stop hiring illegal immigrants Mr Trump and the GOP buisnesses that profit from cheap labor. You keep creating a crisis so you can beat the political pinata with it for patriot political points. So you are just horrible people for that.
The number of actual citizens that are American that happen to be of Latin decent will be terrorized will happen on the crowed streets. As a New York I don't need SS officers on the streets terrifying people of Latin decent. It's not like you are going after the immigrants from Europe or Asia just the brown people so it's totally wrong in every way. If you improved and changed the immigration laws first to a set standard and implement those with proper law enforcement that would be the correct and moral thing to do. Now we will have more armed militants on the street overturning fruit stands and the like all in the name of the Republic. That's sick.
12
Militarized police forces are always a bad thing, even when they are your local police department. But even worse is a militarized federal force invading cities that don’t want them there. You would think the states rights people would be going crazy about this. But it doesn’t target white people, so we probably won’t have a bunch of armed nut jobs occupying a federal wildlife refuge over this.
15
Undocumented immigrants are LESS likely to commit crimes than US citizens. Therefore, if Trump was most concerned with safety of people in the US, he would deport all US citizens and keep the undocumented immigrants in America.
10
@Dan Romm Being an undocumented immigrant IS a crime. That person is engaging in theft of public resources and benefits. There is no authorization for people who didn't go through the legal process to be here. It makes a mockery of all the hardship legal immigrants had to endure.
9
@eugene - you are totally misinformed. they do not take up resources. on the contrary, they try to be as invisible as possible. can you wait 10 to 20 years to enter legally while your family is massacred. not making this up. this is real. don't repeat trump talking pointless words.
2
And we’re still not going to help ICE.
9
With such fire power available why can't they stop drug trafficing? Why can't they go after the cartels? And why no comments about the over 14,000 homicides in America last year? And boy, they are so flexible when it comes to states rights?
8
@Mr. K. Sorry, but immigration enforcement is one of the powers specifically granted to the federal government. Always has been.
6
The standing army once feared by our founders.
11
To think that overwhelming percentage of personal in Border Patrol are of Latin heritage.
4
Remember when Republicans supposedly believed in “state’s rights”?
10
Identity politics are dangerous. And so are sanctuary cities...I live in one of them, and it's frightening to see such lawless behavior on the streets.
An example: I was driving in broad daylight, and all of the sudden I heard endless gunfire. I was terrified that a bullet was going to hit my car...or me.
Later I found out in the news that the police were trying to arrest some criminals-- this was an armed robbery, and when they were caught the police discovered that they were in the country illegally.
Controlled legal immigration supports democracy.
Illegal immigration supports: a)corruption, especially the exploitation of desperate poor people, and even worse b) murder.
People in sanctuary cities have been killed by illegal immigrants. The Democrats don't care about this tragic reality because they look at these people as potential voters. Yes, I'm a Democrat.
And the Republicans want cheap labor.
It doesn't matter that most illegal immigrants aren't murders, what matters is that illegal immigration should not be above the law. Never.
26
Lawless behavior isn't because of sanctuary cities. The point of police not going after undocumented immigrants is because they are trying to fight crime and need the help of every community. That includes undocumented immigrants. If that population is afraid they'll be asked for papers they will hide away, and it's guaranteed they won't assist the police in any way. I'm a believer in legal immigration and immigration reform. I'm also accepting of the need for police to look the other way so they can do their job of keeping the peace in the community.
3
@WS
A bunch of cops nearly got you killed and you blame immigrants? Wow.
@Tony FYI:The police were defending themselves. The armed robbers, who were in the country illegally, fired the first round of bullets. And, yes, I blame the armed robbers for the crime.
And to clarify, my car was never in the line of fire, but because the gunshots were so loud, I thought I'd get hit.
6
They're coming for all of us, ultimately.
8
They should conduct these raids at all the Trump properties and see how that plays out!
13
Here come the tanks into American cities. You know he is doing this because the wall is a failure. And it looks great to the base since the “caravan” ploy isn’t working any more.
6
Brown shirts, anyone?
This is all optics. BORTAC training is NOT for close range apprehension of perpetrators, its for open areas such as what is found at borders. Stun grenades? Really? Lob one of those in NYC and their will be so many civilian casualties, the law suits would be thick as molasses. There are too many jurisdictional problems with local law enforcement to count.
9
@Dragoons-2MARDIV
Perhaps this will be DJT's way to demonstrate that he could kill someone on Fifth Avenue and get away with it.
2
And those cities should ecort those "elite" agents to the city limits and advise them never to return.
15
There is a difference between going after criminal suspects pernicious to society and harassing undocumented inhabitants who live here and work, blend into the social fabric, and contribute taxes. Unfortunately, the agenda from Washington, D.C. is about numbers and racism and not about humanity or justice.
8
There is little doubt that Trump is relying on his team of xenophobes, Miller and the rest, to come up with and execute such a perverse and dangerous deployment of police state tactics into large cities. This country is quickly devolving into a pale shadow of its former self, sinking into a sickening climate of escalating fear and peril for everyone. Is there nothing to be done?
8
There are immigration laws. No open border.
27
Good they should start with arresting the mayors of said cities.
26
@Gustavo
Everyone should be rounded up and coralled into a pen with big strong walls. Didn't Trump have a childhood fantasy of becoming a cowboy one day?
So, will this go down in history as the first blow of the new American Civil War?
5
they should start in Devin Nunes District.. Put his farmer supporters there all out of business.
10
The Statue of Liberty must be crying!!How are you going to vote on November 3rd?
4
And from here, it's just one short step to declaring a national emergency and instituting martial law. Think it can't happen here? Think about all the things we never thought Trump would stoop to. He is a bottomless pit of cruelty and vengeance, bent on ridding the country of all those he's decided don't belong here. The confluence of evil and power is incredibly frightening - particularly since the Senate will do nothing to stop it.
22
As a taxpayer, I wonder how much this childish nonsense is costing me? What is the agency spending to conduct this fool operation?
10
Thank God someone is doing something about these horrible illegal aliens. We need ICE to round them all up and deport them immediately! Just put them on a bus and send them to Mexico City. The cost of the bus tickets is far less than caging them, and more humane. Just get them outta here.
20
@Samara
Horrible legal citizens are next. Hmmm... now where should we bus them to?
How amazing would it be if Trump's mob cared a fraction as much about the white nationalists and neo-Nazis among them who actually massacre and murder Americans in surging numbers under Trump's watch, as they do about "illegal aliens" who haven't done anything more than cross the border because they're trying to survive?
It will never happen, but we can dream.
When will Border Patrol arrest, imprison and deport the Czech Ivana and the Slovenian Melania Trump for illegally entering and working in America?
When will Border Patrol be deployed to the American and Canadian border to keep them from sneaking into America?
12
Comes the revolution.....
3
Make sure to send them to Mar-a-Lago. Once Trump and the Republicans prove they are willing to punish the rich white American businessmen who hire illegal aliens in huge numbers in order to save a buck, then I’ll take their hysteria and talk of a national immigration emergency seriously.
14
Perhaps I’ve read too much history? But this has very ominous overtones. Once folks get used to it, what next? It feels like Trump is getting ready to control liberal states for some future occasion. A forward scout position so to speak.
I’m of dubious mind on sanctuary cities per se, but this is like having Red Coats monitoring our cities.
14
If destroying our ability to hold fair and free elections wasn't enough...
If punishing anyone who disagreed with him wasn't enough...
If using the DOJ for his bidding with total disregard for the law wasn't enough
Now he is sending Special Forces to parts of the US, disregarding States rights
This is absolutely terrifying.
If, in November, people don't rise up for our rights, if they are silenced, intimidated...
If people don't come together and say it is wrong to disregard basic tenets of democracy, freedom, and decency...
It will be evidence that this noble idea of democracy has already failed.
7
Trump is again demonstrating to his base that he should be re-elected, at the peril of further energizing people of color, especially Hispanics. This may backfire and help Democrats make gains in the senate and hold onto the house.
6
Keep securing the safety of Americans please. Thank you Mr President . Outstanding President!
22
How does this keep you safe?
3
IF immigration enforcement was not being conducted in a cruel, racist fashion, cities and states would have little reason to legally refuse cooperation with federal agencies.
IF the president was not a vicious, vengeful, hate-filled person, the federal government would not be sending heavily armed agents to occupy and oppress the populations of major cities.
But here we are, with another boundary of modern civilization destroyed to feed Trump’s ego, the darker wishes of some of his supporters, and of course his re-election campaign.
We can only hope that the number of people injured, tortured, or even killed in this attack on America’s cities will be small, because you can’t unleash a force like this without expecting casualties.
11
NYC stopped corroborate with ICE long before Trump became president https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3459498&page=1
...and just in time for the census...
9
Read up on the fugitive slave law if you want to know what Trump is trying to do to local law enforcement and the people they protect and are employed by.
8
@Mike Iker
It is really insulting to compare slaves held against their will and trying to escape to freedom to illegal immigrants who come here willingly.
You need to read about and learn the definition of slavery.
7
Should the "no one is above the law" claim apply to more than the President?
I so wish Congress would face realities and rewrite our immigration laws to something similar to Canada's - several tiered laws that work so much better than our antiquated ones dating from the 1960s.
The fortune spend on enforcing the impractical/failed laws we have and our borders could be so much better used for an administrative system that managed these issue within reasonable, enforceable laws.
No one wants (or believes it is feasible) to deport all law abiding dreamers or illegals aliens. Americans will not accept the equivalent of a mass amnesty either. Controlling immigration remains an inalienable right of every sovereign nation on this planet.
However, it is unimaginable to say it is fair to offer the same benefits as are to legal immigrants. There are viable solutions like registration and permanent residency/work permits rather than green cards for those who have not respected the legal process for legal immigration.
We were able to go to the moon, surely we can find pragmatic, doable solutions if we can avoid emotional and ideological battle lines.
For more details of a system that works:
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/immigration-citizenship.html
8
So the round-ups begin. Please tell me again what is the difference between #45 and any given dictator? Thanks a bunch Senate Republicans.
9
I guess, since they have moved their tactical elite troops out of the border area, that there really is no more emergency situation at the border.
Clearly, elite tactical troops are needed to break into churches, schools and hospitals to find and capture all those horrendous, murdering women and children who don't have papers.
What could possibly go wrong?
6
This can’t end well...it is just Kent State wrapped in different packaging. And, what can we expect to happen when it isn’t immigrants that are “collateral damage” but but home grown American citizens?
7
The next step if those cities do not comply, could be the Marines
4
The Border Patrol needs to have access to cruise missiles and bunker-busting bombs.
2
We will have a Tiananmen Square moment before he’s done.
8
Do cities and states have the right to decide on who immigrates to the US. That is the fundamental question here. Everything else is false logic used to defend your bias.
17
There are humanitarian concerns as well. But in order to see them you need to have concern for other human beings.
6
Here’s the thing— for years and years and years the federal government has been unable or unwilling to put forth reasonable humane and workable legislation. For years and years and years industry has depended on a cheap malleable workforce based on undocumented workers. Cities and states stepped in to deal with a situation for the sake of public safety, yes, for American Citizens, like, presumably you.
Why do we care? Well, these are people like you and me with families and dreams, that may have been here for decades, adding to the economy, educating their children. “We” have “let” these folks into our country for decades. Why weren’t they stopped at the border in the 40’s 50’s 60’s 70’s 80’s 90’s? Because big industry relied on their cheap labor. Over the years proposals and proposals to bring order and sanity to the immigration process at our southern border die in congress or White House.
And so here we are.
7
@John Sanctuary cities are not deciding who immigrates - simply declining to assist ICE, which they have no legal obligation to do.
5
Yah, this is no good. Agree with the many commenters that this begins to look a lot like fascism. For decades undocumented workers have been the backbone of the California agricultural industry. It all depended on a malleable pliant workforce— the vulnerable hard working migrants. So. For decades the powers that be just let it go— a tacit agreement to look the other way. Undocumented workers are building your houses, tending your lawns, growing your produce, prepping your restaurant food— even training your racehorses at Santa Anita and expertly tending to the vines of your beloved Napa County Cabernets. You bet that horrible Latin American gang activity persists— and perhaps in these areas tactical gear would be welcome. But the majority of undocumented workers just want to live and work in peace— and want better for their children. For years and years and years no workable humane strategy has been put forth— except for the dreamers act—which was a start. (No amnesty for law breakers, they cry... well of course they do... who would want to lose this very cheap and vulnerable workforce?) This whole thing of moving tactical swat teams to sanctuary cities is a ruse, a show of power and intimidation, a dog whistle. Because, really who will pick your lettuce and your strawberries? A fearful intimidated workforce will be all the more cheap— and the hardline yahoos, the internment/prison camp industry, and the industrial agricultural industry will all the more happy.
12
How is that these cities need the"elite forces" how are the undocumented people any different.
2
It’s admirable that journalistic integrity requires objective labeling of authoritarian actions: “…an increasingly hawkish approach…harsh steps…aggressive enforcement.”
But a Trumpist reading this article would praise the narrative.
How ARE Trumpists ever to see the wrong being done to desperate immigrants here?
That’s not a rhetorical question—not, in other words, “Will they never learn/” or “Shame on you.”
The headline here might just as well have been—as an opinion piece, I guess—“Trump serves the bigoted voter he needs for re-election,” because without serving bigotry, he’s just a one-term swamp thing.
Thank goodness for the lawfulness that constrains ICE employees—“the legal limitations that ICE officers face.” It is PROPER that “their jobs have become increasingly difficult.”
But the Trumpist applauds his pretense of being above the law. Maybe they require no accountability in their own lives, too.
Where are the philosophers for “The Stone” here who can decisively, yet appealingly, prove why accountability is vital? A large plurality of Americans missed the relevant units in school and in life, apparently. Trump’s future depends on their dissociative (if not illiterate) cluelessness.
3
I am a mexican and past farm worker. As a foreman, my dad used to hire a bunch undocumented workers to work the fields for a large california farming corporation.
I am so disappointed with democrats and republicans for not coming up with a comprehensive immigration policies that allows for a full spectrum of economic classes to immigrate to the U S. We enjoy cheap labor but we do nothing to recognize them legally. Sanctuary cities and DACA programs are bandaids for a much larger problem.
Slowly Mexicans are becoming the new slaves; another mistreated group in the land of the free.
15
@Mariquis
How are they slaves if they come here willingly? Obviously too many posters trivialize and have zero understanding of the definition of slavery.
6
To all those border patrol agents coming to New York, there are a few things you need to know. First, when the light turns green, it means go; go now; come on already and go. If you don't understand that one, someone will remind you pretty quickly. Secondly, the Spanish Language is spoken here by many American Citizens. Third, sandwiches very often cost $25 dollars, coffee $10, and food purchased in restaurants frequently tastes "fishy". Don't take it personally. Finally, if you hurt someone, you will be arrested, indicted and tried by a jury of fair and impartial Native New Yorkers, all of whom come from immigrant stock.
14
Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils. ~General John Stark July 31, 1809~
3
What an ugly time in our nation's history. It pains me so much to witness my fellow man being treated so. The word 'torture' comes to mind. If what the ICE agent said is true, that the man is a smuggler, then okay ... but I cannot trust anything that a Trump administration says anymore.
Our next presidential election cannot come soon enough.
8
What an ugly time in our nation's history. It pains me so much to witness my fellow man being treated so. The word 'torture' comes to mind. If what the ICE agent said is true, that the man is a smuggler, then okay ... but I cannot trust anything that a Trump administration says anymore.
Our next presidential election cannot come soon enough.
1
Elite agents? I thought ‘elite’ was a swear word in TrumpWorld, the kiss of death.
4
They will be sent packing. State sovereignty prevails for health and safety of our citizens.
4
weird. I mean I assume a lot of these units were doing work on the border that is now.. I dunno.
Are they all going to ride around in armored vehicles wearing masks and threatening people with assault weapons? Reminds me of the Blackwater soldier-of-fortune types we used to laugh at in Afghanistan and Iraq.
7
So sunglassed, "Elite tactical agents" wearing balaclavas, camouflage and carrying automatic weapons driving armored HumVees are going to pull over landscaping trucks laden with Juans, Joses, and Antonios?
I can't wait to watch the first TV-news helicopter footage of the foot chases that result.
5
Instead of sending in the "storm troopers", how about enacting legislation to punish those employers who hire illegal immigrants, like for instance, Donald Trump.
15
@Bob
Every State can make E-Verify mandatory within weeks, yet not one blue State has.
We also know that E-Verify is not perfect given the massive use of stolen identities and falsified Social Security documents sold on the streets out there.
6
Is this our version of the SS?
What about freedom doesn't our would be Reichsfuhrer get? What don't his followers get about him? About what he is doing to our nation?
After WW2 the school I attended was flooded with the children of displaced persons much as we are flooded with refugees from Central America who have been displaced by policies favoring the ruling class which in turn have led to overwhelming criminal activity.
How any American can support the apparent dictator, who, along with his contemporary version of the Schutzstaffel, is running our once proud nation into a burial pit, strains my practiced credulity.
While we may have always been the people who were first exposed to my naive eyes by the actor who occupied the White House during the 1980's the would be dictator who presently occupies our White House is no actor and we are not the people I thought.
I am not sorry i fathered my children, but I do fear for the now fractured and heartless United States in which they live.
9
Stop calling them elite, they're not.
5
Call it for what it really is. A blatant tactic to suppress the census count in the Sanctuary cities.
Having failed to put a citizen query on the census form; they've resorted to heavy-handed storm trooper threats to scare undocumented residents from participating in the census.
Where are the decent Republicans who should be appalled at such a blatant misuse of power? Are there any decent Republicans left?
Mitt?
13
Classic Republican play. Take a problem and find the most expensive destructive solution. We will now have expensive swat teams busting down doors to collect the dishwashers, cooks and housekeepers in our major cities. How about we fine the employers turning a blind eye and accepting false documents to secure cheap labor. Or even better, how about we stop creating refugees by messing with other countries in support of oil and mineral interests.
7
So these "tactical units" will be deployed during a census year, when we need the most accurate population count possible, as well as in large cities that just happen to have large liberal-voting populations during a year that's also an election year. I can't wait for "early voting makes it easier for illegal immigrants to illegally vote" as a reason why voting access will be restricted, expected sometime in October.
This is a crisis that Trump has made up in order to fire up his base, and it's expensive, false, and offensive to human rights and humanity.
12
Will the far left take the bait and demand the end of ICE?
That’s what this is about. Are people smart enough to recognize it? Or will they start barking like dogs tormented by their mirror image?
4
Another small step.
Today it is just 100 specially trained elite looking for the "other."
7
America needs a clean slate from which to start. At some point the US law enforcement should say enough is enough. Let us clear the country of the undocumented and illegal entrants and then start welcoming back those who wish to immigrate in a lawful orderly manner either on a temporary basis with work permit or permanent basis with green card.
The lawless sanctuary cities have gone too far to the extreme. It is good that finally there is an administration not afraid to enforce the law of the land by all means possible.
16
@Girish Kotwal Sanctuary cities are not lawless - they have no legal obligation to help ICE. Not breaking any laws, so not lawless.
2
@Girish Kotwal
You're on their list too, believe you me.
2
what is the next step? a pogrom?
9
Will this finally convince Trump’s millions of Latino supporters to jump ship?
9
@Bronx Jon Probably not because the majority citizens.of Latin descent oppose ILLEGAL immigration. They didn’t jump the line and resent those who do.
5
If you want to come into this country, enter legally. If you are here illegally, you are cutting the line in front of those who strive to do the right thing.
I support legal immigration. I think it's a horrible thing to teach our children that this is a good thing to do.
We have laws that protect people who need to come here in emergency circumstances. We obviously can't support the entire world.
Brown shirts, Nazis? Shame on those of you who would compare our ICE staff to those murderers. You have no idea what you are talking about.
If you are so concerned about protecting the rights of people trying to get here, SPONSOR someone in your home.
Stop bashing law enforcement.
36
@Ralphe So actually most do enter legally now. It's called getting a VISA and then not leaving. This, not border crossings has been the biggest problem for the last decade.
6
@Ralphe I'm not bashing law enforcement. I'm bashing the deployment of this TYPE of law enforcement officers (that tend to intimidate immigrant communities INCLUDING LEGAL IMMIGRANTS) during a CENSUS year.
History has shown that the census already tends to undercount urban areas which affects Federal infrastructure funding -- that helps ALL OF US, not just immigrants. It benefits YOU to have ALL people counted -- illegal or not.
8
And you’ve forgotten the lessons of Kent State, Newark and Chicago, not to mention the Bonus Marchers in the Hoover 30’s. Police and National Guard, beating and killing fellow Americans. Don’t think it can’t happen. We see mistakes and misapplication of force all the time, especially to people of color. This isn’t “Stop and Frisk.” This is not an open borders issue; this is paramilitary-like deployment in our streets as we see in banana republics.
In 2000, It was the Right who cried-out over the photos of the armed and masked officers seizing custody of Elian Gonzales from his family’s arms, blaming Clinton and Gore. Now the Right lauds kids in cages.
5
If you're redeploying people trained in potentially intense, risky operations at the border and using them to assist with enforcing civil infractions where they are explicitly NOT to be taking advantage of their combat training, is this really the best use of their time?
Do we have so many tactical teams ready that this *isn't* weakening border security in order to simply add people? If they're not going to be engaging in SWAT-style ops, you shouldn't be sending trained operators, no?
8
The question people I know ask most frequently is this:
Why aren’t we out in the streets protesting?
I’ve got the answer. We have gotten way too comfortable. Our addiction to comfort is now our ruin. Because letting this stand is unforgivable.
21
@Elizabeth Grey To me it is simply that it will be ineffective. This is about capturing headlines in an election year and nothing else. If they were serious they would address the VISA overstay issue as well as comprehensive immigration reform. That of course can never happen as this issue is needed to push the GOP agenda. They will round up a few hundred people, release 90% of them, get headlines and be done with it.
3
@Elizabeth Grey I couldn't agree more! I say the same thing every single day. We need mass demonstrations just like during the Civil Rights and anti-war movements.
2
The FACT that the cities mentioned in the article all "just happen" to be ones that vote "HEAVILY Democratic" in elections -- DURING a census year when STATISTICALLY URBAN AREAS ACROSS THE COUNTRY TEND TO BE UNDERCOUNTED ALREADY -- stinks to high heaven, and of a desire to make certain that those cities do NOT get the correct amount of Federal funding for the next DECADE.
19
@Ann Hatzakis And more importantly, representation. This was to be expected and we will see this and much worse between now and November.
5
or the correct number of Representatives in ,"the People's House." this is a tactical plan to take our tax dollars while reducing our clout.
7
Cities occupied by the military. Soldiers training their weapons not just on immigrants, but on anyone who opposes the Trump administration. This is a future Trump dreams of. And there is no one in the government who can, or will, stop him.
His protective umbrella extends to rich donors, fossil fuel, mining and chemical corporations which pollute America's air and water, cherry-picked elected and appointed Republican supporters -- all who happen to be Trump loyalists, white and largely, male.
Trump's allies are Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Brazil, perhaps North Korea.
His talk of hating journalists is real. Notwithstanding the law and the Constitution, with current Republican support, Trump will punish free speech as it has been known in the U.S. Propaganda will be available on all airwaves and through social media. Russia will help.
There will be a Resistance, as there is to any dictator. Perhaps Europe (France) and Canada will fly to America's defense to protect individuals and democracy.
But can they withstand the might of the U.S. military?
14
The Obama administration had an agreement with sanctuary cities. ICE would make arrests only the most severe cases. The act of crossing the border was considered a misdemeanor, not a felony.
The Obama ICE would share information, on why they wanted to arrest the individual, with the local law enforcement. Often, the local law enforcement agencies would allow the arrests.
Under the Trump ICE all undocumented border crossings are effectively treated as a felony. Under the Trump ICE they do not share information and act without the cooperation of the local law enforcement agencies.
I know this because I read the NYTimes daily. People's memory is soooo short. I wish the NYTimes would provide links to articles on how the relationship between the local law enforcement agencies have changed, and why. There is a dance going on where each side has solidified/fortified their stance like a choreographed dance routine.
9
I knew it was only a matter of time before some drastic actions were taken to enforce the law, and as much as I dislike Trump, he's right on this one. Sanctuary cities give protection to those afoul of the laws in this country. Seek entrance the right way!
19
Why does the federal government get to overrule state law? What happened to states’ rights?
6
@saints: Why? If some states and cities want to welcome immigrants, and others don’t, why not let each community decide?
It’s show time! Carnival Barker with amazing resources and no guard rails. You can’t make this stuff up!
5
I had repeated contacts with ICE before I retired after 27 years as a peace officer. That agency had a deserved reputation for racism, unprofessional behavior, and lying. It was well-known among members of local law enforcement that ICE could not be trusted to tell the truth or to act responsibly.
19
Trump's purpose of this action is to provoke the identity liberal wing of the Democratic Party to overreact in the run-up to the election. I'm sure we'll see other provocations in the months to come. I'm also sure that Democrats will take the bait and overreact and start calling for ICE to be abolished, etc. You can already see it in these comments.
4
Don't forget US military action in the next 8 months somewhere in the world where we aren't actually needed.
2
Sanctuary cities are the target because they are not part of Trump country. A dairy mega-farm in upstate NY is 90% staffed by undocumented workers ( as everyone here knows) but ICE will never raid because it is in Trump country and such raids would harm the local economy. It's in Stephanik's district and she has to know about it. This whole deal is all about political weaponry against blue districts.
20
What we are seeing now in Sanctuary Cities is peanuts compared to what will happen to Blue America if Trump gets another four years. If there’s one thing we know about Trump is he believes in vengeance. He will try to cobble Blue America in anyway possible. Changing tax codes, withholding infrastructure money, withholding educational grant money to universities. There’s a lot he can do and will do. He’s not, nor will he ever be the president of all Americans. I don’t think he has or will ever say he even wants to be. 
12
I would just like to see one of those BORTAC teams rolling down the streets of our leafy Boston neighborhood with kids playing ball in the street. Even better, to see a human fence formed spontaneously to block them. They won't be welcome in our town.
Our local police departments have no responsibility to help a federal agency that can't do its job properly on their own.
8
"The specially trained officers are being sent to cities including Chicago and New York to boost the enforcement power of local Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, according to two officials who are familiar with the secret operation."
"Secret Operation"? Well I guess the cat's out of the bag now.
5
Read "The Handmaid's Tale" as an analogue.
4
Now that Trump feels he can do anything he wants as president and get away with it he has decided to deploy his jackbooted brown shirts to our nation’s cities. Fascism is, without a doubt, on the march in America.
23
Good. The more boots on the ground the better. Every last illegal alien needs to be rounded up and sent home as quickly as possible.
19
@DRS
And if you get your wish the economy will collapse.
Who's gonna clean your malls or your offices?
Who do you think does the dirty work in this country?
4
Saints Fan... And a large majority of these employers are Republicans who will NOT raise a finger for higher wages. So now what??
This kind of fear tactics is absolutely unAmerican and these agents are no different from the German black shirted SS thugs. Let's drop the pretext and dress them with jackboots, black shirts and blackjacks. At the same time the House should fund only half the number of ICE agents as we have and reduce their salaries by 20 percent. Make it clear that blue states will stop funding red states. According to the Constitution the federal government has no police power in the states except for crimes and it is not a crime to be here without papers. The states are also entitled to equal justice under the law and the executive branch has no power to punish a state for exerting their sovernty.
15
Why don’t they go after the REAL criminals, such as the ones in the White House and administration?
36
How can any liberal justify letting criminals walk free and put others in danger? Really, how low must you go?
21
Yes, it is intolerable that trump is walking free. I empathize with you and the nation.
7
@JGaltTX
Because at best these people are just committing misdemeanors, you don't need swat teams to go after such people.
These people are no harden criminals who are going to be committing crimes. Trumps tells lies about what they are calling them murderers and rapists.
The truth is they commit fewer crimes than any other group.
That was the problem with sherif Apairo, he went overboard on arresting people who had't committed a major crime while ignoring real serious crimes like rape and murder. He let major crime cases go unintended while he bragged about the illegals whose only crime was a misdemeanor.
So we are wasting resources going after the minor crimes and ignoring the major crimes. Those are the people who are walking free and putting others in danger. Which is why cities with limited resources go after the major criminals and ignore the misdemeanors. It is safer that way.
And as the article states, when you go after the minor crimes, the people are too scared to help with those major crimes.
3
@JGaltTX how can anyone be so misinformed? Who’s in danger from people coming here looking for a better life after we’ve wreaked havoc in their countries because we want access to their resources? I’ll go as low as Jesus told me to. I’ll help take care others any way I can.
5
Excuse me hasn’t anybody been listening to the news that MS13 have been targeting the police. For Pete sake. Trump is full of problems but if the politicians had taken care of immigration (both sides) years ago, instead of pandering to a certain voting constituency, we would not be in this situation. This has nothing to do with the Nazis. This country is full of law abiding legal IMMIGRANTS.
18
The next step. I have always felt that ICE would be weaponized as Blackshirts. Now we see it plainly. Not only will the supposed targets be rounded up, those citizens who dare to stand up to ICE will be "targeted" in the literal sense. "First they came for the Jews....."
By July, the complete take down of America will be accomplished.
10
Yes, we definitely need an army style SWAT team to protect us against impoverished unarmed men, women and children!
15
So we waste billions of dollars chasing people who are here only to earn a living and to prepare a better life for their children. ICE has become the weapon of racist, intolerant politicians; including this fake president!
21
What a waste of resources, and all-out takeover of law-enforcement that should be managed by states. I thought the GOP was all about "states' rights." What a bunch of hypocrites. The GOP is a circus revival tent that is enthralled by the orange carnival-Barker-in-chief. I am a former Republican, and at this point in my life I don't think I can ever vote for another Republican for the rest of my life.
16
Are they going to raid Trump properties?
24
Here in East LA where I am and when caught in the needless crossfire between heavily armed BORTAC and some local gang I'll thank the bleeding hearts over in City Hall for that.
15
@John Doe
You can thank trump from being in that crossfire. He is the one who start the needless fight.
3
The ICE activity differences from Gestapo activities are becoming smaller...
8
For those posting so keen on enforcing immigration laws, where are your concerns regarding POTUS? How about you put your energies into enforcing constitutional laws!!
15
One more move toward a banana republic.
13
Sheer madness.
9
I challenge anyone to show me how the Trump administration is not like what the Nazis and Hitler did in the 1930s. They started by going into cities and "rounding up" undesirables. Using every excuse imaginable. This is an escalation of the militarization of our country and for tactical teams to go into sanctuary cities is an intimidation move to bring all citizens to their knees to go along with this violence against families who are here because of our heinous drug policies in their own countries. This is fascism. There is no other word for it. Today, it may be refugees, but once those military teams are in place in "liberal cities" they will round up anyone who speaks out against the government.
60
The President's private federal police force, elite and beyond the control of local authorities, is now roaming our nation acting under his orders to detain whomever they see fit. Gestapo comes to mind.
28
Maybe they should start with Trump's country clubs.
23
fascism -this how it starts- it ends badly for all
21
Here are my thoughts:
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."
22
How apropos for a story about a heartless president deploying specially trained officers to gear up and "boost the enforcement of power of local ICE officers" to run on Valentine's Day.
12
Amidst all the turmoil of the past few days, it's clear that Stephen Miller is continuing to pursue his and his boss's agenda of hatred against people with brown skin. Just business as usual. I never realized how just much hatred I was capable of, but every single day, with every appalling act of cruelty, corruption, and stupidity, it grows deeper and deeper. I do not like feeling this way, but what else does one feel when confronted with evil?
22
If it quacks like a duck, if it goose steps like a stormtrooper…
21
The haunting words “goon squad” come to mind. This Fake President acts more and more like a lawless mob boss in his blatant attempts at intimidation, fear-mongering, and control by cynically manipulating the organs of government.
15
Heartless move
8
@Maggie With all due respect to you as my fellow American, I suggest to you that this move is heartless only to criminals who have broken our laws and deprived our most economically vulnerable citizens of jobs or, at least, suppressed their wages. What about those American citizens dependent on social safety net programs, programs which are at the brink of collapse due to the intense strain imposed on them by illegal immigrants? If you please, where is your heart for all the Americans who have been, or still are, hurt by illegal immigration, most especially Americans of Color? This new policy is full of heart for the Americans I have mentioned.
15
This has been set-up as a attention grabbing stunt by this potus/administration. "Look we are doing something about Illegals!" In the end nothing positive will come from this. These men and women are trained specifically to deal with violent smugglers, etc. Not to grab Mothers & children off the city streets of our country. Not to take much needed workers out of the jobs that 'normal' U.S. citizens shun. Very Storm-Trooper like. Vote Blue!
25
The latest offensive more in Civil War II
6
I agree with many here Brown Shirts supplemented with storm troopers seems to describe what I see in the photos. Round -up has a bad reputation. These are not cattle, they are people. Some here support legal immigration. When the administration closes all the avenues and availability for legal immigration, how is that suppose to work? The system has been broken for more than a decade and now is just shut down. How do we get better results when the administration and government refuse to address the real problem?
15
Finally. Someone is addressing this.
I am glad to see this.
31
Why do you care over in Belgium? US citizen?
1
@Randy L.
In Belgium?
1
@Randy L. Because illegal immigration is affecting you on the other side of the Atlantic?
1
So is it safe to assume these agents will be stopping at all Trump properties as well?
32
I’m no fan of Trump but come on, how can Democrats with a straight face say than no one is above the law in one breath, then turn around and support sanctuary city policies in defiance of federal law?
38
@James "in defiance of federal law" - exactly, federal law, federal problem - not state, county or local police. Trump wants to make a big show, let him take up a collection to pay for it, I don't.
5
@James "in defiance of federal law" - exactly, federal law, federal problem - not state, county or local police. Trump wants to make a big show, let him take up a collection to pay for it, I don't.
Iowa? Isn't that where that girl was murder by an illegal immigrant and a big fuss started in the media until it turned out the illegal guy worked for a prominent Republican farm family... then the media dropped it. Strange how that works.
6
@James There's nothing written in federal law that requires local authorities to cooperate with ICE.
3
It’s unfortunate this activity will suppress an accurate count in the April 1 census count in heavily immigrant communities. Just when we would like individuals to open their door to talk to a census worker we are intimidating them into not opening their door for any reason.
13
And this was the plan all along, no?
At first glance, it looks like a tactic timed to: 1. instill fear in everyone in urban areas 2. suppress voter registration and the actual votes and 3. depress the Census count in blue cities/states.
Am I the only one thinking that this could be another step to create a national emergency so that the election will not be held in November? Not a crazy thought at all. What could Congress or all voters do with that 'executive' decision, enforced by Attorney Lieutenant Barr's DOJ, the courts packed with unqualified MAGA jurists, and enablers like the McConnell gaggle of senators-in-name-only?
What could anyone do? BORTAC could come next for any Democratic candidate, public employee, or voter.....
18
Bravo! It's about time these so-called "sanctuary cities" are brought to heel. I don't understand why the people governing sanctuary cities are not arrested by Federal Marshals for their refusal to help enforce the laws of our nation. By any sensible understanding of the words of the English language, illegal immigrants are criminals simply because they are here. What’s more, they either take jobs from, or suppress the wages of, the most economically vulnerable of U.S. citizens, for example African-Americans. Additionally, they are stretching our social safety net programs to the breaking point. It all comes down to this: are we going to enforce the laws which were written to protect our nation and our people from invasive threats to our sovereignty and prosperity or are we not? Now of course I ardently support Second Amendment sanctuary communities. Sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants are aiding and abetting people who have broken our laws. Second Amendment sanctuary communities are defending the Constitution of the United States.
26
Gun control laws are laws too, and they are not unconstitutional. Read Federalist 29, then read the second amendment again.
5
@S. Richey It is not the job, nor the responsibility, of local law enforcement agencies to help ICE. ICE should do their job by themselves.
Besides. You're in Montana and know nothing about sanctuary cities. My sanctuary city has seen crime drop to less than 1/2 what is was when they became a sanctuary city in the 80s.
4
@S. Richey
Immigration is a political pinata that the right gets to use to justify bigotry. Change that laws first, stop hiring illegals Mr Trump. STOP telling my state what to do with our immigrants. Montana ain't paying for NYC btw quite the opposite. So excuse me if I deal with immigration as a process and not a political weapon meant to beat compassionate and hard working citizens who want to help people live lawfully and get there legally. Also those white people don't want to do those jobs anyway or you would be and again stop giving them jobs m. Till them I'm not going to let people starve if they are willing to work. Some Patriot!! Some Christian!
"BORTAC's work can involve breaking into stash houses maintained by smuggling operations that are known to be filled with drugs and weapons."
As Bloomberg said, we must go after "neighborhoods where the real crime is." Bloomberg and Trump are 100% correct.
People in sanctuary cities know it has turned into a hot bed of crime and drugs. We may be in for a big surprise in 2020 when these people vote for Trump fearing for their own safety and those of their families.
14
The vast majority of drug use is by native born white people, not that that inconvenient fact will deter Trump supporters from trying to blame it on minorities.
2
@Bhaskar Sorry to burst your disinformation bubble, Bhaskar, but crime has plummeted to less than 1/2 what is was in my sanctuary city since becoming one in the 80s.
2
This, and I am not being glib, is EXACTLY how nations begin to walk the plank towards an ocean of blood in a civil war. This very much makes me think of King George antagonizing the colonies with his troops.
16
@Adreana Langston
It would be a very short civil war given the fact that most Americans believe the rule of law...
6
I do not have an issue with the idea of what ICE is doing. However Trump completely overreacts to what illegal immigrants do, they’re less likely to commit a crime than a citizen. Should illegal immigrants be here? No. But we don’t need to dehumanize them as “rapists” or “aliens”, especially when it’s simply not true.
21
@Jake
Legal immigrants are less likely to commit crimes. There are no hard figures on illegal immigrants.
4
@ann the issue is illegal immigrants and they have all
Broken at least one law.
5
Democrats are so quick to say no one is above the law when it’s expedient. As soon as illegal immigration is brought up though, that line is conspicuously absent.
23
Actually illegal immigration is of interest to all if one looks at its total manifestation. Trump himself employed many illegals at his properties for decades. They got slave wages and no benefits. Trump did not stop this practice until January, 2018 when he got caught. How did Stephen Miller feel about what his boss and the Trump kids were doing?
2
I agree that’s a problem too. There are always so many angles to issues like these.
This is total insanity!
Why are people not calling for protests in the streets?
This will end badly for Trump and every one else....
8
@GladF7
Are you serious? Most Americans believe in the rule of law... If necessary, federal troops can be called upon for the purpose of enforcing the laws of the United States, including the nations immigration laws...
7
After they’re finished rounding up all the undocumented immigrants, then what? Are there jobs waiting for them at Trump's hotels and resorts? Trump is a serial illegal employer and a big fan of cheap labor.
8
When fascism comes it’ll be wrapped in the flag.This action by the president is a chilling first step towards that end.
19
How long will it be before we have machine gun toting police on every street corner and tanks rolling down our streets? The Trump police state is upon us!!!
15
Trump’s callous anti immigrant policies are without compassion and humanity and are reminiscent of the Nazi’s policies against the Jewish people. How does any so called Christian support this terrible inhumane man and his horrifically unkind policies?
Immigrants are people with souls and children and spouses. They work very hard to survive in this terrible climate of great stress and fear. If we are a truly great nation, they deserve a lot better treatment than this. What is wrong with Trump?
He seems devoid of any decency, any compassion, any kindness. What is wrong with us?
21
All they had to do was come in legally... it is literally that simple.
31
@Mystery Lits : However, Trump is systematically shutting down avenues of legal immigration. Do you really think that people will stop coming?!? Not on your life.
This is just about terrorizing immigrant communities, where crime levels are demonstrably lower than in comparable ones. It’s about militarizing cities where Trump perceives (rightly) that he’s disliked - a macho show of force.
2
About time, even if it is just a show of force.
So many comments decrying the “stormtrooper” presence. Oh, the fear... Oh, the intimidation...
Oddly enough, this legal immigrant isn’t afraid.
20
@S Adams : Just make sure your papers are in order, and it’s probably a good idea to carry them with you at all times. ICE and the Border Patrol make plenty of mistakes ...
3
WaPo's Paul Waldman - "How about considering new legislation to punish employers who hire undocumented immigrants? Like, say, Donald Trump?"
... commenting on 'What Democrats must do when impeachment is over'.
12
US Marshals, State police and local task forces use this kind of force tactics on a daily basis in every city in this Nation.For apprehension of any criminals and/or citizens or not citizens who violate the law which all citizens,or not are required to obey.The only outstanding controversy here is that certain municipalities are subverting the law themselves by attempting to prevent law enforcement authorities from carrying out the completion of their duties. Once the subversives are arrested and charged with interfering in these legitimate investigations the ruse will subside.
12
Haven't read through all the comments yet, but I wonder if others felt that this is evoking the image of a tank facing off with a protester -- or an immigrant -- in Times Square.
8
The unfettered cruelty of this guy truly knows no limits, does it? The delight that he clearly takes in upending the lives of others is simply disgusting.
14
I started reading this article but could not finish it -- the more I read the more I thought of the Nazi's on the night of "Crystalnite" (I know this isn't spelled right) and the purging of the Jewish people. Made me sick to my stomach that this could happen in America. Sure, there are illegals here, but a lot of them were seeking asylum, but were denied fair treatment. There is a better way than this!
18
This will end very badly for all involved.
10
@Marge Keller
Particularly for those municipal and state authorities who think they can defy federal law with impunity... There will be a day of reckoning...
10
Yesterday, two agents identifying themselves as ICE attempted to gain access to a worksite owned by my employer.
They did not have a physical warrant signed by a judge in their possession.
I told them, “No warrant, No access” and that I would wait until they could produce one- but otherwise they’d need to stay on the sidewalk. They eventually left, but not without threatening retaliation via audit, etc.
This was in the middle of NYC.
I’m terrified.
49
@A Worker
You shouldn’t be...unless, of course, your a law breaker...
4
I’m pretty sure the German SS were also considered as elite too.....
33
No comparison.
2
@USMC0846 I'm pretty sure a lot of people in Hollywood are considered elite too... like the ones who employ many of the illegals to clean their pools.
1
I do agree that the current immigration laws need major revisions. However, that does not excuse anyone from breaking those laws until they are revised. Any measures to capture those who have broken laws, as long as the recognized civil rights of the defendants are not infringed, are legitimate; no matter if the law is immigration, fraud, or murder. If one breaks the law, one should be caught and tried.
22
All these years of ICE actions should cause a change in laws about illegal aliens. Maybe there has been laws proposed on a national level but there should be more publicity about current legislation or proposed legislation. There are a certain number of people who's main complaint is that by definition, an illegal alien has broken the law. Change the law and their presence will no longer be illegal.
Legally doing something and illegally doing something are two different issues, no matter what the issue.
Being against illegal aliens does not mean being against all aliens.
6
They are obviously hoping to provoke violent incidents. Vile.
18
First they came for the illegal immigrants, etc.
This isn’t hyperbole. This is fascism.
28
He’s just the most terrible, horrible person in the history of the universe! All illegal immigrants should be given unfettered access whether it be crossing the boarder or coming by plane or boat.
What this country needs is millions more uneducated, unskilled immigrants who can’t speak english and will require free health care, free bilingual schools and subsidized housing.
Go Bernie and AOC and the squad!
14
@Auntie Claribel
Beautiful! I love satire...
3
Well, this should end well..........
2
Under apartheid, South Africa also sent armored personnel carriers into cities and townships to reassure whites and terrorize blacks. Trump knows the despot's playbook for stirring dread and projecting power.
12
sorry he is a vengeful angry man .... there is no logic to what he is doing except rage... Michael Cohen warned us
13
No American should ever again be harmed by a criminal illegal immigrant that was released by a sanctuary city.
22
No American should be harmed by a legally obtained gun... wonder which has more of a body count?
4
Too bad conservatives never, ever speak out when one of theirs commits a massacre in an African American church or a temple or at a Walmart. It’s a lot easier for them to point fingers at illegal immigrants than it is to take responsibility for the atrocities their vile ideology inspires. No wonder Trump has such strong support from neo-Nazis and white nationalists.
3
@Jon Ham two wrongs cancel each other out?
It’s unfortunate that they send out more tactical teams to launch into communities that already dealing with corrupted law enforcement that has been working to rebuild the communities trust after what happen a few months ago of law enforcement falsifying reports on folks that had no criminal records to be criminalized for false reports made by pay enforcement authorities . They now looking to send tactical force on top of border patrol into communities affected by the judiciary system from the very top system that in itself is involved in corruption starting from the top leadership and covering themselves up of not being corrupted to place others to blame to show that leadership from the top is not corrupted but pivot the attention to those that don’t follow the rule of law because leadership is all about following the rule of law and justice and how could they not follow the law . It’s no doubt going to make some negative and positive results in some communities but it’s going to come to the point where authority over steps boundaries and plenty of issues will arise within communities that have dealt with a corrupted system already .
First they came for the refugees. . .
17
Wait, I thought conservatives were strong proponents of States’ Rights...
29
That was back when it was the “Party of Reagan”. That party died 4 years ago. This is the new GOP: the Party of Putin.
8
States don't have the right to nullify federal immigration laws. The Constitution gives gives Congress the exclusive power to legislate immigration laws and the Executive Branch the power to enforce those laws. The states have no such power. This is not a state's rights issue.
17
@David H. Points taken. By the same token, the federal immigration agencies are trying to force localities to partake in immigration policing. If it's the feds' purview only then it's the feds' responsibility to do the work and not usurp state and city rights and try to force them to engage in policing that is supposedly only the feds' job. THAT is at the heart of Sanctuary City Ordinances.
7
Isn’t this a state’s rights issue. What is Trump trying to do, start another Civil War?
20
Could be, but he's so dense I don't thinks very far ahead.
2
@Indy1 It genuinely appears that way; this is not his only action that leads to that conclusion. It is part of a sick pattern of self-aggrandizement. Connect the dots. Start a count of the victims. The ugliness continues.
Gotta go. Sooner than later.
3
To combat a tyrant, elevate those that oppose tyranny into heroes.
This requires you to act.
For example: Only Senator Romney spoke against Trump. What have you done to ensure his behavior goes noticed?
11
@Phil, I don't think it's a matter of Trump's-behavior-not-getting-noticed. Surely everything is out in the open, and Adam Schiff has made a strong case in prosecuting Trump. But rather, it's a matter of whether GOP establishment has the spine to stand up and speak up against Trump, as Romney has done.
For once, Romney should be proud of himself.
5
"Many ICE agents say their jobs have become increasingly difficult, three years into Mr. Trump’s presidency, because of robust campaigns by immigrant advocacy organizations seeking to safeguard undocumented immigrants by educating them on the legal limitations that ICE officers face."
Poor ICE babies. Having to comply with the law and all that fol-de-rol.
14
This is the beginning of Trump's secret police, all dictators have them. There is absolutely know reason for deploying this type of military asset into a metro area. Its Trump's first step in his plan to not leave the oval office in January if he loses. We should all be very concerned about this dangerous new course.
31
When he pardoned Eddie Gallagher, my first thought was that he was going to use him as the head of his new secret police. He doesn't do ANYTHING without expecting something in return. In this case, he will get an evil and brutal man, with excellent military skills, at his beck and call, and in return, Gallagher will be able to kill and train others to kill with impunity. This may very well be the beginning of that scenario.
3
Why not hire more agents if they are needed?
7
It is heart wrenching to see children crying when their parents are arrested but to be honest, these sanctuary cities are contributing to the chaos. These are cities that are thumbing their nose at the laws of this country. Boy I'd like to be able to do that. I don't think I should have to pay income tax, for example. Think I could get a pass on that? The migrant agencies that are pulling together to thwart the laws should be charged with aiding and abetting, or a conspiracy to assist in a crime. Maybe they would work together to safely remove those who do not belong here. As long as sanctuary cities exist, it will send a message to illegal immigrants that it's still wink wink, sneak on in.
19
Under a fascist regime, there comes a point where what is good and what is legal become diametrically opposed. Which side you choose matters.
6
The purpose of this policy is to force the Democratic party to take pro-illegal immigration positions before the election.
It is a good strategy. The Democrats will, of course, go overboard and the Administration will point out really violent illegal criminals.
Immigration has been out of control in this country for decades.
25
@Willt26 That is why Obama wanted to negotiate a bipartisan immigration bill.
4
Let us be clear that, despite rhetoric from both sides, there are no "sanctuary cities" in America. All jurisdictions will hold a prisoner for the Federal government when there is a proper warrant.
For most places ICE accuses of being a "sanctuary city" the only issue is whether local jails will hold a prisoner (too often a legal resident, naturalized citizen, or even US-born) at the just the request of ICE without a judge's warrant. Others go futher to separate local law enforcement from active involvement in enforcing Federal immigration law except as ordered by a court. This is hardly unusual: IRS agents make most tax-related arrests.
But what ICE is doing now is a use of Federal power to harass local jurisdictions for wanting to stick to local matters. The closest analogy is when local police in many Northern cities refused to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act. ICE should not be comfortable with the analogy.
28
Sanctuary cities have little to fear from this latest attempt by trump and his gang of thugs to wreak further havoc on cities and certain populations. Anyone who follows the actions of "Homeland Security" (a classic misnomer) knows that there is no elite force within that organization. Border Patrol, TSA, BORTAC, and any other group operating within this agency are poorly trained and have little knowledge of how to perform their duties. The agency was created by "W" (which says much about its credibility) and has under-performed every year since no matter who was in the oval office. It appeared to hit rock bottom under the incompetent reign of Kristjen Nielsen but trump somehow has managed to find interim heads to perform even worse than Ms. Nielsen. This is just another scare tactic by trump to rile up his electorate base.
9
Anybody remember the late '60's? This is not going to end well...
7
Oh yeah sure. Protect me from the dishwashers and farm workers. They are so ascary. If the feds were not so thorough at abusing their power, like locking kids in pens and covering up physical and sexual abuse at their facilities, then perhaps there would be no sanctuary cities. Trump does not care about illegal immigrants. He hires them and pays them low wages. This is about appealing to the bigots among us. His base.
34
Bravo! It’s about time we closed down each so-called Sanctuary City permanently, reformed our broken immigration policies, and admit only documented legal people into our country.
Bravo, President Trump! Bravo, ICE! Bravo, DHS!
25
@John Save your "Bravo" for the opera and remember, "What so-ever you do to the least of my brothers, ...."
4
Vote out every single Republican. Every single one.
Don’t let them drag us further into fascism. Vote as if your freedom depends upon it, because it does. Otherwise, one of these days Trump’s goons with guns will be coming for you and your family because you weren’t obsequious enough to satisfy them.
Vote blue no matter who.
31
@MorningInSeattle President Trump, why aren't you sending these people to us in Seattle?!!! And, please, would you start activating sanctions on "sanctuary" cities?! A lot of us here are sick to death of the illegal alien situation we've been stuck with. In fact, our ridiculous mayor wants to increase our property taxes to provide funding for an annual illegal alien defense fund of around $5.5 million. That money should be going to pay for infrastructure/fire/law enforcement/street repair needs, among other things. As the saying goes "What part of "illegal" don't you understand?" (Oh, btw, MorninginSeattle, I automatically vote for every Republican on the ballot now, not that I support them all, but more as a political protest statement against the extreme liberal left that is turning our city into a third world country full of homeless people and illegal aliens and people with drug and mental illness problems they choose not to deal with. Enough!)
5
Nothing like a dictator to get things done.
10
Why can't our two major political parties agree that: we need immigrants; they must be carefully vetted; there must be enforceable check points at the borders? The culprits: businesses which want cheap labor; religions trying to fill pews; immigrants trying to bring in family members without vetting; illegals.
20
@R. Anderson
And don't forget Democrats trying to fill voter rolls.
14
No evidence ever.... except of republican gerrymandering and attempted voter fraud. Actual fact, not alternative ones.
Good! Illegal is illegal. There's a correct way to enter the USA.
Don't follow the rules? You'll eventually pay.
No sympathy for self-inflicted wounds.
37
Yes, illegal is illegal except if the crimes are committed by Trump or anyone who is loyal to him. The hypocrisy of the GOP has reached a comical level.
19
Melania spent years here with no visa. Throw her in jail first, then we can have a conversation about the others.
Put up or shut up. Jail, it’s not just for black and brown people anymore.
9
It's about time we start enforcing our immigration laws.
31
Well, Melania resided here illegally for years. Until the lopsided application of this law is corrected there is no point in talking about it at all.
@MorningInSeattle
Well if that's you attitude then there's no point in enforcing any laws at all.
5
Everyone from Obama to Clinton has admitted at some point that we need to deal with the illegal immigrant problem, yet liberals today want to welcome these criminals.
Bravo, Mr. President, for continuing to work to enforce our nation’s laws.
27
"Enforce our nation's laws" HA! As he attempts to bribe foreign officials, and poke his nose into his corrupt allies facing charges. Trump caring anything about 'The Law' is laughable.
1
How long do you think it will be before Trump starts making ICE and Border Patrol wear brown shirts? How long before white people who disagree with Trump end up being deemed persona non grata and worthy of being rounded up and arrested as well?
27
I hope NYPD handles the intel. That department has many immigrants. They know what to do..
6
Let me see if I can get this straight:
There are violent felons, drug dealers, drug smugglers,
smugglers of un-documented immigrants who
have been arrested by the local and state police.
Some are making bail and some are ending their
prison sentences.
The Federal Government has warrants out for these
Felons, but some people think that local and state
governments should not, should not in any way
co-operate with the Federal Government via ICE
because...
They want violent felons released on the streets ?
They want drug dealers in their neighborhoods ?
They want drug smugglers in their neighborhoods ?
They want smugglers of immigrants in their neighborhoods ?
If I were to rob you and then drive across State Lines
where the police arrested me for drunk driving, don't
you think it would be right thing for the police in your
neighboring State to tell your State that they had
me under arrest ?
If an un-documented immigrant is charged with a felony
either by the State or the Federal Government then please
turn them over to ICE so they can be deported.
Why is that even a moral question ?
45
@John Brown Because most of what you are claiming is not true.
14
@John Brown Let me get this straight: you're a herring fisherman, and you've just pulled up a net of red ones that you're eager to share with the public.
13
@John Brown And what do you think happened to federally authorized agents who came to Massachusetts to round up what they and the federal government declared to be fugitive slaves? https://www.masshist.org/features/boston-abolitionists/resisting-fugitive-slave-law
1
About time! We need to enforce our laws. Thank you President Trump.
48
@Meat As Brad Burns stated earlier today:
Welcome to Day 8 of The Authoritarian Regime
12
@Meat Are you joking? This will end up with innocent legitimate citizens being hurt and possibly killed. Time and time again Trump implements policies that may make his base exultant but it goes far to alienate even more Americans.
17
Yes, I agree! Especially the laws that make it illegal to solicit help from a foreign country in aiding your reelection campaign!
8
Sending military-type personnel into urban areas to support or conduct operations of a kind for which they are not trained is little more than a license to maim or kill people, including those who are legal residents or citizens. The resort to force is a Gestapo-like tactic to deal with misdemeanor offenses not much more serious than parking tickets. BP and ICE organizations are the incubators of a national police force/Praetorian Guard serving at the president's pleasure. (Ironically, those who possess guns to protect themselves against a tyrannical government should fear for the eventual seizure of their weapons.)
14
Read history. We will see goose stepping in our streets soon and the end of our 2 party system.
Scary times friends.
19
What is meant by "elite"?
4
All this instead of Immigration reform. Armed special forces in our cities. The dark America of our nightmares is here.
13
One step closer to martial law. One step closer.
14
Outrage and hysteria over "storm troopers" marching into sanctuary cities will harden already formed opinions on both sides of this issue. Despite the anger fomented by Trump on so many issues, I don't see it making Democrats and others coalescing around an opponent likely to defeat him. That is far more worrisome (and important) to me than worries about storm troopers. An army whose troops are angry but not effectively organized fails to win the war....
4
If anyone of the many commentators here that are concerned about undocumented immigrants being detained snuck into Canada or England or Mexico would they be surprised to eventually be arrested by federal police? It is a fair question. An honest answer would be a pleasant surprise.
21
@Billy H. No federal police force conducts arrests of non citizens without cause i.e. without an arrest warrant. A deportation order is not an arrest warrant. That goes for Canada, the UK and Australia (the 3 countries I know about with certainty). Many thousands of people overstay and don't live in fear of the police coming for them. Once you're "in" your status is an administrative issue. Fearing militarised police, sweeps, raids and such, well, that's the kind of thing people worry about in dictatorships. It's definitely not the kind of thing one imagines happening in a place like the USA.
You asked for an honest answer so, I gave you one.
1
IMO, Trump's actions and "tweets" in the last few weeks is a result of the fact that, regardless of his acquittal in the Senate, he is one of the few Presidents in our history that have been impeached. That is history now, and he can't get away from it. So he is a bully unleashed that will try to use any executive power he thinks he can use, to show that he is in charge, the supreme ruler!
I'm not sure the courts would uphold this newest action, because our Constitution does preserve States' Rights and Trump is enforcing his own executive orders, not laws passed by Congress.
Also beware of the large legion of Trump supporting internet trolls who are just getting starting in 2020. Watch for comments that have similar talking points, but different names.
11
@Margaret Gaston
Should we also watch out for large numbers of similar comments about "goose stepping", "dictators", "martial law", "dark times", etc. as indication of Democratic trolls?
7
Guess those neighborhood patrols in Brooklyn will be active again and I’ll be there- telling people their rights.
9
Welcome to the reality of militarized law enforcement.
19
Oooh...I imagine that Senator Collins is writing a sternly worded letter as we speak.
14
Police are not allowed to assist ICE in most sanctuary cities.
They cannot even provide traffic control and other security during a detention. This prohibition increases danger to both ICE agents and civilians. The problem is worsened when ICE cannot get sufficient advanced notice of when an undocumented criminal is being relased from jail or prison, and instead has to go into the community to make the arrest. It is irresponsible on the part of local politicians but it it politically popular.
So now ICE is forced to replace the lost local law enforcement resources. No one should be surprised. Local governments have no one to blame except themselves.
23
Exactly, exactly, exactly! Well said!
8
@Hugh
Yep.
Democrats own this, lock, stock, and barrel.
7
Oh yeah, the citizens of cities like Chicago will surely welcome the sight of these U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Units with wide, open arms.
Even the troops that were sent to Chicago in1968 to help "restore order" during the riots were not as intimidating nor terrifying as the agent shown in the photograph.
This is a bad idea and a dangerous approach to "boost the enforcement power of local ICE officers" which will not end well.
13
Niemöller’s poem has meaning for me today.
5
Susan Collins said that President Donald Trump has learned a "lesson" by being impeached. That was part of her rationale for not voting to convict. I wonder if she honestly thought that he could be chastened. All I see is emboldenment.
As yesterday's outages become old news, only even more outrageous, reckless and dangerous behavior like this can keep the headlines on himself.
4
Yet another step on the downward spiral to fascism. And Congress and the majority on the Supreme Court are complicit through their inaction. We are all witnesses to the destruction of our republic.
13
Anyone else see Stephen Miller's fingerprints all over this? Makes me almost miss Kirstjen Nielsen who, if one believes some of the reporting about her, may actually have tried to stay within the Constitution despite her boss. But then, Stephanie Grisham makes me miss Sarah Sanders, who from time to time did something other than say nasty things. I guess the toxic magnetic field of this administration has disrupted my moral compass.
9
One issue I am 100% with Trump on. Those who give sanctuary to law breakers are hurting Americans citizens. If Trump can put an end to illegal immigration and deport all undocumented intruders,as much as I despise his character I will vote for him,if and only if it could be proven that it actually happened. We have laws that are violated by people who break them without scruples or fear of retaliation or penalty. We are a country of laws for US citizens only.
22
@JG; You don’t know what you are talking about. If all the “undocumented intruders” are deported I assume YOU will be willing to work in the fields harvesting lettuce or in the meat packing plants so that we can all have enough food to eat!
The decision to send BORTAC into “sanctuary cities” is a unnecessary & dangerous escalation of the current administration’s efforts to undermine the American citizens constitutional rights. Indeed, the purpose is to undermine the US Constitution & the rule of law.
This is not to say that illegal immigration is just fine. It isn’t. However there are other options open to the federal government which are both legal & effective actions.
Those avenues are just not dramatic statements to sate the appetites of the president’s faithful base!
What’s more, these actions are extremely polarizing to the American public & a distraction from real issues which require well considered solutions by our elected officials & general public.
I fear these tactics, once “normalized” will continue to erode our freedoms & lead us down the path towards totalitarianism.
Right now these aggressive actions are directed at minority communities & persons from third world countries.
Soon, other “non-majority” groups will be targeted & the United States of America will cease to exist as the nation it has been.
6
I wonder if what is currently happening in the US is not a coup in the background.
7
Blatant militarized retaliation against political opponents. This is going to get worse. People of sanctuary cities, time to step up or shut up.
6
Yet another step in Trump’s descent into despotism and the emboldening of white nationalism. ICE is a militant terrorist organization, and Trump’s personal SS for rounding up and terrorizing immigrant communities.
Fellow readers, if it hasn’t been clear before, if it isn’t clear now, you need to know - Trump is a white nationalist who will stop at nothing to fully realize a white supremacist state. It is not enough to read The Times and feel distraught! Please, if you live in one of these cities, reach out to local organizations that are helping to fight ICE in your community. If you live elsewhere, connect with your neighbors and discuss safety and community defense in the face of this ever growing threat.
“... Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.” Now is the time to speak!
10
I fully support ICE enforcing immigration law and arresting and deporting illegal aliens.
6
This is not about picking up "illegals", this is the beginning of something much much bigger. Step back a little and see the entire picture. They are testing our citizenry, how far will this SWAT team be allowed to go. Start with the undesirable who no one really cares about, then transit into picking up the extreme opposition like antifa, then pickup the far leftists deemed public enemy, then pickup those deemed danger to America, the tipsters reporting to the MSM and leftist organizations. All in the name of the rule of law. If we don't pay attention, this will end with a civil war.
22
So our local systems' are being asked to do this kind of work I hope the elite units are going to pave the roads, help pick up recycling, make themselves useful.
8
I suspect that the timing of this, just when people are expected to respond to the U.S. Census, is not coincidental. It will certainly decrease response from the typically underserved communities of color and immigrants, both legal and illegal, all of whom are expected to fill out the census form.
40
Terribly similar to Germany in the late 1930's. Very troubling. Is this what the Senate Republicans were blessing? I am afraid it is. There may be no going back now. If there is any resistance of any type this weekend or at any time going forward Trump (and the Governors) will have the right to declare martial law, regardless of anyone else's opinion on whether a "war" exist. He and the Senate Republicans can refer to this as all a part of the "war on terrorism" and may therefore feel justified in to carry out curfews, the suspension of civil law, civil rights, and habeas corpus, and the application or extension of military law or military justice to civilians. Civilians defying martial law may be subjected to military tribunal and imprisonment... meaning camps like the ones where we intern immigrant families.... or much worse. We sensed this might be coming. Now what do we do?
37
@Swamp Fox I would like to think that our military would refuse to take part in such an exercise, and if Gen. Kelly is correct, it would. Trump does not have the right to suspend habeas corpus.
2
@Susan One of the many problems here is that the DHS has a rather unusual reporting structure as a "Cabinet Agency" reporting directly to the White House... and is outside the military, which has a different reporting line. The Department of Defense is charged with military actions abroad, the Department of Homeland Security works in the civilian sphere to protect the United States within, at, and outside its borders. Its stated goal is to prepare for, prevent, and respond to domestic emergencies, particularly terrorism. It therefore falls under the Executive branch. Trump can declare martial law pretty much under any circumstances but may have some input from Congress (Mitch McConnell) and his cabinet (his fellow thugs). Not much comfort there. Trump also has a very close relationship with Erik Prince (founder of Blackwater/Academi and Betsy DeVos's brother), and Trump could quite easily contract Academi to act on his orders and in concert with the DHS... under Trump's command. In the end he would have a separate military/intelligence/enforcer group just as Hitler, Stalin and others have had. Susan, this is very serious.
3
Let's be 100% clear on what Trump is trying to do here: He's trying to intimidate communities that he views as his political opponents through the deployment of a paramilitary organization. He also believes (probably correctly, unfortunately) that his base will love the optics of him sending in the troops to crack down on those big city "elites."
23
This move is also, no doubt, a further attempt to intimidate and ensure that the census severely undercounts the population in these areas.
19
Never heard of the BORTAC squad but it sounds awesome. The Trump administration is long overdue to apply the necessary manpower to deal with this scourge, so it's about time we got some real action.
However, why alert the drug and human smugglers to the fact that these teams will only be deployed until May? Let's use some common sense here please.
10
@Bearboy: Let’s see how “awesome” you think they are when they come for you.
3
I worked as a mental health professional in the sheriff's department of a so-called "sanctuary city" (a moniker given by the US government).
Here's what I saw:
A person is brought into the jail for domestic violence.
The person is processed and local agents discover the person has no legal immigration status.
Local police officers follow the law by diligently informing the US government an undocumented person is in custody. The US government requests locals hold the person til the BP can take custody.
Then nothing happens.
Repeatedly.
A crowded jail is being told to use county tax dollars to house, feed and give medical care to someone who is now a federal offender for whom there is no warrant.
Said jail can't legal defy a local judge's directives that set very clear consequences for things like domestic violence.
Consequently in direct violation of the law county employees hold a person while the US government tries to do its job and can't/won't.
When will the US government take responsibility for it's decades-long bad job managing the movement of migrants, for the absence of funding to hold migrants, for a national ID card issued to citizens and legal residents and for its myriad policies that allow a person without legal status to for instance get a bank account, a home loan and/or open a business?
6
Since it is held by most legal scholars and the majority of citizens in this country that Trump is violating our laws as well as the Constitution, it should come as no surprise that he is pursuing his vision for the United States as an aggressive authoritarian country.
We need more discussion and debate about whether the United States is capable of conducting a fair election this November. I hope the Democratic candidates are thinking long and hard about this because they are not talking about it enough to suit me.
9
Another Trump tempest in a tea pot. With the local limitations on what "force" can be used, and where they can operate (not able to bust down doors or shoot out tires), they will amount to a reinforcement of the ICE agents already there. If anything, BORTAC's extra training could be a hinderance to their acting as locally required. Trump is pulling our chain again. "100 officers" will certainly make a lot of man-power difference, particularly if they work in shifts. This will be another flash-in-the-pan idea of great Bloviator.
2
I’m hoping this is just another of what Steve Bannon calls Trump’s “stink bombs” he uses to distract us.
First they came for the asylum seekers.
But I'm not an asylum seeker, so I kept silent.
Then they came for the children at the border,
But they weren't my children so I did nothing.
Then they came into my community with weapons
But lots of people have guns, so I didn't think it was worth saying anything.
Then they started taking people away, but it wasn't my family ....
We all know how this story ends.
10
I totally and completely agree with President Trump on this decision. Sanctuary cities break the law.!
14
Last week, in Gravesend, Brooklyn, ICE shot a US citizen in the face, with no warning, when he apparently intervened in an arrest. The problem was that the ICE officers failed to identify themselves and the man who intervened didn't know what was going on. So, what's going to happen with this paramilitary group shows up and start kicking down doors? Are they going to set up random checkpoints and ask for everyone's passport and birth certificate?
18
Take a stand New York and don't let them in. This is not a police state.
15
Great and long overdue.
11
I became an American citizen for this? I should have stayed in peaceful social democratic Denmark. This is not good.
20
Excellent. If these cities flagrantly disobey laws, send in the Feds to enforce the law. It would be wonderful for these migrants to come via a legal process, but those who enter the country illegally (knowing full well they are breaking laws) do so with their first action in the country being criminal.
12
Approve, indeed encourage. No jurisdiction is above federal law, and any that releases an illegal alien should be held criminally liable as accessory to any crime that person commits.
I was a legal immigrant. Had to prove my health, my ability to support myself, my lack of any criminal background. Am now a very proud citizen.
The flood of the very needy, from countries where they are not persecuted by the government and so not entitled to asylum, must be stopped. And don't quote Emma Lazarus; that was a different time, when America needed people. That time is well over; we're full, and should accept only those that will help the country, not drain it.
17
@AustinLiberal: How about we reform our immigration laws BEFORE we start terrorizing people.
1
@Anaboz By "reform" you mean "open the borders". I like them just as they are. They need rigorous enforcement, is all.
Only law breakers will be "terrorized." Great! Let that message get back to others that would violate our laws.
5
This is an extremely dangerous move towards a dictatorship. Sending armed, militaristic ICE Tactical Units into American cities is an inciting provocation. What are these ICE enforcers going to do if the mayor's of these cities refuses entry or prevents local, city law enforcement to cooperate? Who will back down first or worse? Are these fellow Americans who are ordered to invade our cities going to risk having civil war like gun battles on our streets in pursuit of illegals? These units are coming in locked and heavily loaded. How are they going to know when to shoot or not to shoot on a crowded public street? They do not have the same training or laws governing their actions as our local law enforcement does. What will they say if innocent, legal citizens get wounded in the crossfire? Collateral damage...
10
hmmm, another way to suppress the census count? The citizenship question didn't fly, so this is plan B? Terrifying people is always a fallback when bureaucratic measures fail.
12
Tanks, men in helmets and camo in our streets? Militarization in our neighborhoods? Normalizing men cosplaying as soldiers in our communities has been going on for years, but these are real soldiers invading our communities.
So, what will it be that Trump will use as an excuse to declare martial law. Coronavirus? Losing the election? Governors and mayors refusing to do his bidding. Oh, that's where we are now. So what happens next.
Look at the photo accompanying this article. Are we blind?
14
The real clean up starts after his RE election. Nationalism trumps trump. The next president will be a lot worse, this is just the warm up.
3
Are we heading into some kind of movie scenario in those sanctuary cities? It doesn't look good.
5
That's cute. When are these "elite units" being deployed to the big farms, hotel chains, golf resorts, etc. that we all know depend on illegal labor?
10
We on the left have argued that the rule of law is not being upheld by our opponents and then turn around and fail to distinguish between legal and illegal entry. We exalt illegal entry. I don't get it!
9
This show of force is agitprop for Trump’s campaign.
It’s an infringement on the 10th Amendment.
It will please the paranoid supporters.
Frightening families seems to be fashionable for some.
8
There are plenty of real enemies to be fought by our country; why does the president insist on finding fake ones to fight?
11
@Rick: Because he is a fake warrior?
2
Because he doesn’t want to alienate his base, of which a large portion are bigots.
1
Trump's militarization of domestic policy and political differences is a very disturbing development. Like other tin-horn dictators, his resort to force and the threat of force implicit in this deployment is both a sign of his weakness and a clue that things will only get worse from here on in as he faces more stubborn resistance.
And what is to be gained here if Trump is permitted to continue his naked power grab of presidential power at the expense of our institutions of co-equal branches of. government? It won't be pretty. His capacity to dodge accountability for his brazen attacks on the Constitution and Congress will only grow in order to feed his egotistical designs to remake our government into a subsidiary of Trump, Inc.
We can also see one unstated factors at work in the ballooning of DoD's budget proposal. This will make more funds available to be misadministered to provide the funding that Congress has refused.
For all the silly handwringing from the Trump team about impeachment as a sinister plot to undo a past election, let's just consider that Trump's creation of obstacles to our elected representatives doing their jobs is a far worse and much more concrete abuse of public office. The elected representatives of the people must instead prostrate themselves before His Excellency. This is leading to the steady erosion of democracy, accelerating Trump's dynastic grip on power.
8
The Elite Unit means soldiers who didn’t night raids that scared and trashed homes without a warrant in Iraq and shot people there just for going about their life if they happened to be too close to the soldiers’ vehicle or something.
6
More evidence that the United States is turning into a Banana Republic. At least in the others the victims have the benefit of actual bananas.
6
It is not just immigrants who are afraid, I, a 72 year old citizen, am afraid, too. SWAT teams are going to invade my city,
If I see a vehicle like the one above, I will stand in front of it. This invasion must be stopped.
Now Trump is trying to start a civil War against those of us who don't back him.
Talk about a coup........
12
this is how the occupation begins folks. I thought republicans were fond of state's rights.
10
Not as fond as they are of scapegoating and targeting people based on their religion and skin color.
2