OVER the weekend, President Donald Trump cancelled the massive Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids of undocumented immigrants that were scheduled for Sunday, June 23.
Trump’s reversal came hours before the planned raids, which were scheduled in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York City and San Francisco.
The raids were meant to target roughly 2,000 undocumented immigrants who have already been ordered to be deported by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“At the request of Democrats, I have delayed the illegal immigration removal process (Deportation) for two weeks to see if Democrats and Republicans can get together and work out a solution to the Asylum and Loophole problems at the Southern Border. If not, Deportations start!” the president tweeted on Saturday.
Democrats have been urging the White House to cancel or delay the raids since the Trump administration began considering deporting migrant families last month. Mayors, governors and other public officials have been calling on the Trump Administration to halt the raids, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) who made a last-ditch effort on Saturday to get the president to reverse the order.
“Tomorrow is Sunday, and as many people of faith attend religious services, the President has ordered heartless raids,” Pelosi wrote on Saturday. “It is my hope that before Sunday, leaders of the faith-based community and other organizations that respect the dignity and worth of people will call upon the President to stop this brutal action that will tear families apart and inject terror into our communities.”
Pelosi also denounced the president’s original order for mass deportations for lacking “distinction between a status violation and committing a serious crime.”
Trump said that he’ll delay the raids for two weeks or until Congress compromises on a solution for the U.S. asylum claims program at the border.
On the chances that Congress could arrive at a consensus, Trump said, “[It] probably won’t happen but worth a try. Two weeks and big Deportation begins!”
Many of the cities listed that are so-called “sanctuary cities” like Los Angeles have denounced the raids and offered support to at-risk families.
“No Angeleno should ever have to fear being snatched from their home or separated from their loved ones — we are doing everything we can to provide immigrant families with info and support,” LA Mayor Eric Garcetti said.
In a separate statement, the LA Police Department said it would not participate or help enforce ICE’s deportation efforts or inquiries.
Those who have deportation orders or are at-risk of being detained by federal immigration officials are encouraged to seek legal advice on how to move forward. (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)
