Trump orders mass deportations focused on Democratic cities amid growing protests
Protests against ICE raids continue across the country
Protests over federal immigration enforcement raids flared up around the country as officials in cities large and small prepared for major demonstrations against President Donald Trump. Elizabeth Ricci, an immigration attorney, joins LiveNOW from FOX's Carel Lajara to provide legal insight into the protests and discuss the broader implications of federal immigration enforcement policies.
WASHINGTON - On Sunday, President Donald Trump directed federal immigration officials to prioritize deportations from Democratic-run cities after large protests have erupted in Los Angeles as well as other major cities against the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
What they're saying:
Trump in a social media posting called on ICE officials "to do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History."
U.S. President Donald Trump takes questions after signing a series of bills related to California’s vehicle emissions standards during an event in the East Room of the White House on June 12, 2025 in Washington, DC.(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty I
He added that to reach the goal officials "must expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America’s largest Cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, where Millions upon Millions of Illegal Aliens reside."
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The backstory:
Trump's declaration comes after weeks of increased enforcement, and after Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff and main architect of Trump’s immigration policies, said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers would target at least 3,000 arrests a day, up from about 650 a day during the first five months of Trump’s second term.
Democrat compares ICE raids to "Gestapo operation"
Congressman Stephen Lynch (D-MA) got heated at a hearing on sanctuary cities, calling the ICE raids happening nationwide, saying it all looks a lot like a "Gestapo operation." The comments came at a House hearing with testimony from Democrat governors, Kathy Hochul, JB Pritzker and Tim Walz.
At the same time, the Trump administration has directed immigration officers to pause arrests at farms, restaurants and hotels, after Trump expressed alarm about the impact aggressive enforcement is having on those industries, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter who spoke only on condition of anonymity.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story comes from a public social media post by former President Donald Trump, where he outlined his directive to immigration officials. This story was reported from Los Angeles.