An Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation to arrest thousands of undocumented immigrants in 10 cities, including Chicago, is scheduled to begin Sunday, two senior officials with the Department of Homeland Security confirmed to NBC News.
The raids will take place over multiple days and include "collateral" deportations, The New York Times first reported, citing two current and one former homeland security officials who were not named. In those cases, ICE agents might detain people who were not initially targeted, but happened to be there during the raids. The final details of the operation "remain in flux" for security reasons, the report said.
At least 2,000 immigrants who have been ordered to be deported yet remain in the country illegally are expected to be targeted, the anonymous officials told the Times and NBC News.
The raids are expected to target 10 cities that were previously revealed, though some of the cities may change before Sunday, a source told NBC News. Previously named cities were: Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York and San Francisco.
President Donald Trump delayed the nationwide deportation raids on June 22 after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked him to call them off, The Associated Press reported. At the time, ICE officials were concerned officers' safety was jeopardized because too many details of the operation had been made public.
"At the request of Democrats, I have delayed the Illegal Immigration Removal Process (Deportation) for two weeks to see if the Democrats and Republicans can get together and work out a solution to the Asylum and Loophole problems at the Southern Border," Trump wrote on Twitter. "If not, Deportations start!"
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday that the city had cut ICE off from access to any Chicago police databases and would not cooperate with the department in any raids.
"Chicago is and will always be a welcoming city that will never tolerate ICE tearing our families apart in our communities. The threat of raids has forced our residents to hide in the shadows, live in constant fear and not go to school or show up for work," Lightfoot said when asked about potential raids at a news conference.
"I've personally spoken with ICE leadership in Chicago and voiced my strong objection to any raids and the things that are happening that are terrorizing and traumatizing our community," she continued, adding, "We've also taken measures over the past few weeks to ensure that the Chicago Police Department will not cooperate with ICE. That means that they will not team up with ICE to detain any resident. We have also cut off ICE access from any CPD databases and that will remain permanent."
"And the city is working with a number of organizations that are defending the rights of immigrants to make sure that we are crafting solutions not only to our welcoming city ordinance to eliminate the exceptions but also to make sure that we're doing everything we can on the ground to support immigrants," Lightfoot said.
A coalition of immigrant advocacy organizations held a news conference Wednesday to offer support and resources for undocumented immigrants and to announce a rally planned for 11 a.m. on Saturday at Daley Plaza in Chicago's Loop.
"We're here today because the Trump administration is threatening our communities again," Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights Board President Mony Ruiz-Velasco said, speaking outside Chicago's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office.
"We are also here today because we will not allow that to happen and we are ready. We are ready to defend each other and defend our communities and we are organized," she continued.
Ruth Lopez-McCarthy of the National Immigrant Justice Center offered undocumented immigrants information on their rights in the event that ICE officers approach them.
"You have the right to remain silent. You do not have to say anything or provide any information," Lopez-McCarthy said. "You have the right to walk away. Calmly ask if you are under arrest if you are not under arrest, there's no reason for detaining you, then you can walk away and leave."
"You have the right to be represented by a lawyer, a right to due process. This administration may not believe so, but every single person in this country has a right to due process and a right to be represented by an attorney, a right to make that phone call if you are detained, a right to contact your family. That is your right, please use it, express it," she continued.
"You have the right to privacy, whether it's in your home, in your car, in the street. There needs to be a warrant for an individual to try to arrest you, especially in your home. You do not have to open the door to anyone who comes to your home if they do not have a warrant. They will find a way in if they do, so do not open the door if an official comes to your door."
"You have the right to not sign anything that you do not understand," Lopez-McCarthy added. "Please make sure everybody, who you are, no matter if you're documented, undocumented, that you express these rights."
