Friday we reported that the incoming Trump Administration would begin bright and early Tuesday morning — the first full day after the power handover — targeting illegal immigrants in multiple cities across the nation, specifically New York City and Chicago.
The large-scale raids were characterized by Tom Homan as targeted, as opposed to neighborhood sweeps.
The intent was to start right away going after people who have entered the United States illegally with national security concerns or known criminal history.
Today it is being reported that those plans may be on temporary hold after operational details were leaked, increasing the potential danger to law enforcement carrying out the raids.
Tom Homan says Trump admin ‘reconsidering’ details of Chicago immigration raids after leakhttps://t.co/pidrY8mvLk
— The Hill (@thehill) January 20, 2025
Tom Homan, when asked on Friday about the reports of early morning immigration raids the day after the inauguration, did not deny the raids.
In fact, he stated emphatically that there would be "nationwide" raids, not merely in Chicago as was initially being reported.
But today, the initial round of raids is being 'reconsidered' because details not intended for release were apparently leaked -- ostensibly to create exactly this scenario.
Border Czar Tom Homan has said that a leak of deportations operations in Chicago has rendered the plans too risky to carry out next week.
Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/Xb8hQjMTdb
— AF Post (@AFpost) January 19, 2025
The final decision has reportedly not been made concerning the raids planned for Tuesday, but they are being 'reviewed' according to a report in Newsweek:
Federal immigration officers were reportedly planning a large-scale raid targeting approximately 300 people in Chicago, The Associated Press reported on Saturday, citing unnamed sources.
The New York Times reported the raids were planned to begin Tuesday, one day after Trump's inauguration, and continue until the following Monday. According to the Wall Street Journal, U.S. ICE planned to deploy between 100 and 200 officers to carry out the operation.
The focus was on undocumented immigrants with criminal backgrounds. Some of those reportedly targeted have minor offenses, such as driving violations, which the outgoing Biden administration did not pursue.
Homan, the former acting director for U.S. ICE, told ABC News that the incoming administration is now "reviewing" whether to proceed with the Chicago operation following the leak.
Mario Nawfal shared the news earlier today, including information from the Washington Post which quoted Homan insisting that 'no final decision' has been made.
🇺🇸IS TRUMP’S TEAM HESITATING ON CHICAGO IMMIGRATION RAIDS?
Incoming "border czar" Tom Homan says plans for a Chicago enforcement blitz are reportedly under review after leaks exposed preliminary details.
The raids, initially set for next week, would mark the first major… pic.twitter.com/VCqqwcLcWo
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) January 19, 2025
Here is the full text of that post:
IS TRUMP’S TEAM HESITATING ON CHICAGO IMMIGRATION RAIDS?
Incoming "border czar" Tom Homan says plans for a Chicago enforcement blitz are reportedly under review after leaks exposed preliminary details.
The raids, initially set for next week, would mark the first major immigration crackdown of Trump’s second term.
Homan insists no final decision has been made, adding pressure to the administration’s polarizing immigration agenda.
Source: WaPo
In spite of those reports, the incoming Border Czar gave an interview to Fox News clarifying exactly what is being 'reconsidered'.
Homan stated that details of the Chicago operation, in particular, were leaked to the press, according to The Hill:
President-elect Trump’s incoming border czar, Tom Homan, said Sunday that enforcement officials are “reconsidering” some of the details of the Chicago immigration operation after specifics were leaked to the press.
ADVERTISEMENTIn an interview on Fox News’s “America’s Newsroom,” Homan made clear that the operation would not be aborted altogether but that officials would revisit some of the specifics to ensure officers’ safety.
“We’re not reconsidering any operation. There was a leak in Chicago. So we’re looking at that leak and find out, how does it affect officer safety concerns?” Homan said, when asked about reporting that officials were “reconsidering” whether to proceed with the operation this week.
“Chicago’s not off the table, but we’re reconsidering when and how we do it because there was a leak,” Homan continued.
Homan, former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said he is happy to talk publicly about his overall objectives to secure the border and heighten enforcement of the country’s immigration laws, but he said discussing “specific plans” can raise concerns for officers’ safety.
“What was leaked in Chicago was more specific, what was happening, and that raises officer safety concern,” Homan said.
So to be clear, the overall "operation" -- even the specific plans for Tuesday morning -- are not being reconsidered in the least.
The only thing being 'reconsidered' according to Homan is the planned operation in Chicago -- and even then, the Chicago raids could go forward.
And remember, this isn't the first time the leak of operational plans made its way to the press, forcing Tom Homan (who was ICE Director at the time) to pull back, rather than endanger the lives of Officers during raids with very little opsec.
Watch then Acting Director of DHS pushing back, because Tom Homan had blamed him for a very similar leak to what we are seeing now back in 2019:
Acting DHS Sec @DHSMcAleenan responds to Tom Homan saying he was the source of the ICE raid leak – “Categorically, I did not and would not leak details of a law enforcement operation.” https://t.co/veWu8N7dzw pic.twitter.com/lzltNndUC0
— Brian Kilmeade (@kilmeade) June 27, 2019
Without a doubt, the "operation" in the universal sense will go forward, just as Homan pointed out.
But it seems as though shots have already been fired from the Deep State in an attempt to thwart the President's agenda before it can even get off the ground.
As stated, the Chicago plan is currently being 'reconsidered', but it has not been scrapped.
Here's Tom Homan appearing on Fox News talking specifically about how the dangers of the Chicago raid, in light of the operation leaks, are being looked at closely; but he goes so far as to say the Chicago raids have not been scrapped:
It would not surprise me to see the Chicago portion of the raid go forward, with all the bells and whistles intact.
Could it be that the Trump Administration is playing fire against fire, and proactively mitigating the ability of targeted illegal immigrants to know what to expect?
Is the Trump Administration simply feeding the narrative of a plausible "pause" in the Chicago plan, simply to sow confusion and a lack of coordinated resistance when the plan is fully operational and set to be deployed?
What seems definite is the overall agenda to rid the United States and the American people of the threats from within, including threats from illegal immigrants.
While it remains to be seen if the Chicago plan will go forward on Tuesday without an "operational pause", it does indeed sound as if there will still be multiple raids across various cities on Tuesday.
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