According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, White House officials, including President Donald Trump and Advisor Stephen Miller, discussed possible plans to carry out mass immigration arrests in ten U.S. cities. Among the cities targeted for the proposed “Blitz Operation” were:
- Los Angeles;
- New York City; and
- Chicago.
Alarmingly, sources told reporters that the purpose of the plan was to “show force” and stated that both “families and children” would be detained and deported. An anonymous member of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told the Washington Post that the plan was eventually shelved for logistical reasons.
The Trump Administration Purged DHS Officials Soon After the Meeting
It should be noted that some of the top DHS officials that were involved in this meeting with the White House— officials who pushed back against this plan — have been removed from Administration. Most notably, this includes former United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen. To be clear, it would be both a mistake and inaccurate to view former Secretary Nielsen as any sort of an ally of immigrant rights. As reported by CommonDreams, her objections to the administration’s immoral plans were purely logistical and not on “ethical or moral” grounds. Still, it is nonetheless worrying that the Trump Administration consistently pushes out officials who challenge the president’s ill-advised and often illegal requests.
Los Angeles Was Targeted Because of Its Sanctuary Status
Los Angeles has long been a target of the Trump Administration, in part, because the city has some of the most effective local policies in place to protect immigrant rights. Trump Administration advisor Stephen Miller reportedly wanted to make a statement by rolling out orchestrated ICE raids in the country’s largest and most prominent sanctuary cities. Notably, California has also enacted some important sanctuary state protections on top of L.A.’s local regulations.
New Study Proves Trump Administration’s Anti-Immigrant Claims False
During this time, it is worth mentioning that the justification that the Trump Administration and other immigration hawks consistently push in support of their draconian immigration policies — that being the claim that undocumented immigrants are more likely to commit crimes — has once again been proven false. As reported by The New York Times, a fresh analysis of cities across the United States has once again found no link between high populations of undocumented immigrants and the overall crime rate. In fact, the cities with the highest percentage of undocumented immigrants actually had slightly lower rates of crime.
We are Proud to Fight for Immigrant Rights in Southern California
At the Goldstein Immigration Lawyers, we are strong advocates for the rights and interests of immigrants and their loved ones. Our legal team handles all types of immigration law matters in Southern California. To arrange a strictly private consultation with our immigration attorney in Los Angeles, please call us today or contact us directly online.
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