(NewsNation) — Around 11,000 undocumented migrants have been arrested under the Trump administration in major cities around the United States, “border czar” Tom Homan told reporters Thursday.
Earlier this week, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement targeted more than 100 alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua during an early morning raid at an Aurora, Colorado apartment complex. But Homan said a leak greatly hurt the number of gang members authorities were able to arrest.
“When you go on these operations, and an operation got leaked somehow, it makes us less successful,” Homan said, adding that as they address what’s happening, arrests will increase. “As the aperture opens up beyond criminals, you’ll see more arrests. I’ve made it clear — if you’re in the country illegally, you’re not off the table.”
Homan has threatened prosecution by the Department of Justice for those who leak raid plans.
ICE has arrested around 130,000 people a year over the last eight years, or more than 300 each day. The Trump administration is on pace to surpass those totals in the first year of the president’s second term, especially if it meets the reported daily arrest quotas of 1,200 to 1,500 people a day.
Fact check: Did White House pay Politico?
Noem visits Guantanamo
On Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is visiting a migrant detention site in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, which was previously used for suspected al-Qaeda members.
Trump wants daily flights of migrant detainees to Guantanamo, with the first happening Tuesday evening. He has ordered officials to prepare to house up to 30,000 migrants at Guantanamo.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was assigned to Guantanamo Bay when he was on active duty, has said the location is a “perfect place to house migrants” while organizations have decried the transfer. Amnesty International called it a “profoundly cruel, costly move that will cut people off from lawyers, family and support systems.”
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DOJ files lawsuit against sanctuary cities
In other immigration news, Trump’s Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Chicago and the state of Illinois, accusing local officials of impeding immigration efforts.
Chicago and Illinois have policies limiting how much local law enforcement can cooperate with ICE. Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office said in a statement, “Unlike Donald Trump, Illinois follows the law.”
“Instead of working with us to support law enforcement, the Trump Administration is making it more difficult to protect the public, just like they did when Trump pardoned the convicted January 6 violent criminals,” the statement said.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered a 60-day pause on federal funding for sanctuary cities including Chicago until a review has been completed. The lawsuit argues they “impede the federal government’s ability to regulate immigration and take enforcement actions against illegal aliens.” City and state officials say they’re protecting public safety and prioritizing police resources for fighting crime.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
