When asked about expanding immigration enforcement operations to cities across the United States, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday that “we haven’t taken anything off the table”.
“I believe many cities are currently dealing with crime and violence. As a result, we have not eliminated any options. We’ve been making sure we have the resources and equipment to get in,” Noem said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
Last week, CBS News reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement intends to expand its operations to Chicago in the coming days, mirroring the immigration arrest operation seen in Los Angeles this year.
Noem stated on Sunday that there are “ongoing operations with ICE in Chicago, throughout Illinois, and other states, making sure that we’re upholding our laws.” However, she stated that “we do intend to add more resources to those operations.”
Though she refused to reveal details of the operation for the sake of law enforcement on the ground, Noem stated that “we will continue to go after the worst of the worst across the country, as President Trump has directed us to do.”
In recent months, the Trump administration has targeted several cities that limit local cooperation with federal immigration agents, filing lawsuits against the so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions and pursuing other forms of intervention.
Noem’s remarks come as the president has focused on combating crime in the country’s major cities, beginning with an effort in Washington, D.C., in recent weeks and hinting at larger efforts elsewhere.
Earlier this month, Mr. Trump federalized the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, deploying the National Guard to assist law enforcement.
While the president has unique authority over the D.C. National Guard because the district is under federal control, his deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles in June amid heated protests over immigration raids prompted a lawsuit from California’s Democratic governor, who did not approve of the use of his state’s Guard forces.
On Sunday, Noem deferred to Mr. Trump when asked if National Guard troops would be present in Chicago alongside the immigration enforcement operation, as they were in Los Angeles, saying “that is always the prerogative of President Trump and his decision.”
Last week, DHS sources told CBS News that the immigration enforcement plans were separate from Mr. Trump’s recent threat to deploy the National Guard to Chicago to combat crime.
J.B. Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, has responded to the administration’s threats to intervene in Chicago crime. In an interview with “Face the Nation” on Friday, he accused Noem of “inflaming passions and causing disruption that doesn’t need to be caused” with an immigration enforcement posture he deemed “dangerous” and “un-American.”
“We have people that have lived, yes in the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago for decades, working here, paying taxes,” Mr. Pritzker said. “They are law-abiding members of our communities, friends, and neighbors, so why are we arresting them? “Why are we making them disappear?”
Pritzker emphasized that Chicago is successful in combating violent crime, warning that if the Trump administration chooses to “bring people in and don’t coordinate with us, they’re going to cause enormous problems.”
But Noem argued that the governor, “if he has one murder in the city of Chicago,” should contact the president and ask, “What are your ideas?” “What can we do?”
Meanwhile, Noem urged other mayors in major American cities to collaborate with the White House to make their communities safer. Pritzker told “Face the Nation” that his administration already does “a lot of work” with federal law enforcement agencies like the FBI and ATF.
“I’d encourage every single big city, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, whatever they are, if they want to help make their city safer, more prosperous, allow people the opportunity to walk in freedom, like the people of Washington, D.C., are now, and enjoying going out to eat at night and not having to worry if they’re going to be a victim of a carjacking or a robbery, they should call us,” she told the crowd.
When asked if similar operations were planned in Republican-controlled cities in red states, Noem replied, “absolutely.”
“Every single city is evaluated for what we need to do there to make it safer,” Noem told reporters. “We absolutely are not looking through the viewpoint at anything we’re doing with a political lens.”
