The night before his kick off rally in Orlando, President Trump tweeted that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers will begin deporting millions of undocumented immigrants next week:
Next week ICE will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States. They will be removed as fast as they come in. Mexico, using their strong immigration laws, is doing a very good job of stopping people…….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2019
In San Diego, there is an estimated 140,000 to 180,000 illegal immigrants, according to Pew Research Center. Under current California law per SB 54, state and local law enforcement officials are essentially forced to withhold information from federal law enforcement agencies regarding known or suspected illegal aliens. This policy can and has caused strife between local law agencies and their federal counterparts, exacerbating the ongoing crisis at the border.
California is a sanctuary state, with Governor Gavin Newsom taking a firm stance against President Trump’s position on illegal immigration. This may complicate the president’s mobilization of ICE to detain and deport illegal immigrants in California and other sanctuary states.
The Washington Post reported that Trump may be referring to a plan championed by his senior immigration adviser, Stephen Miller, to arrest and remove thousands of family members whose deportation orders were expedited by the Department of Justice this year under a program known as the “rocket docket.”
It is unclear how extensive ICE will be next week and thereafter in capturing illegal immigrants, but the president has clearly made it a priority as he enters the campaign trail.
