Photo: Alamy
The Trump administration is preparing a major expansion of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in New York City, escalating tensions with Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul over immigration enforcement policies tied to President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
Trump border czar Tom Homan said Monday that federal officials have finalized an operational plan for increased ICE activity in the city.
“You’re going to see more ICE than you’ve ever seen in New York City, and it’s coming,” Homan said, according to Bloomberg. “I just reviewed an operational plan. I’m not going to tell you exactly when it’s going to happen, but it’s coming.”
The planned deployment would represent one of the administration’s largest immigration enforcement pushes in a Democrat-led city since Trump returned to office.
Homan said he warned Hochul before she signed legislation last month that restricted certain ICE activities and prohibited masked immigration agents in New York.
According to Bloomberg, Homan told the governor that efforts to prevent ICE from taking custody of detainees already held by local authorities would prompt a significant federal response.
The administration has argued that arresting illegal immigrants while they are already in custody is safer for both officers and the public than conducting arrests in neighborhoods or crowded public areas.
New York City has long been a flashpoint in the national immigration debate, with city and state Democratic leaders frequently clashing with federal immigration authorities over sanctuary policies and cooperation with ICE.
The latest dispute also comes amid growing unrest at Delaney Hall, a federal immigrant detention facility in neighboring New Jersey. Demonstrators and immigration activists have staged protests there in opposition to the administration’s expanded enforcement efforts.
Federal officials have defended the facility as an important part of carrying out Trump’s immigration agenda, which includes increased deportations and stricter border enforcement.
The administration’s plans are expected to intensify the ongoing political and legal battles between federal immigration officials and Democratic leaders in New York and New Jersey over immigration policy and enforcement authority.
