ICE arrested over 500 criminal migrants first week, White House says

Immigration officers under the Trump administration arrested 538 illegal migrants with criminal records and kicked off deportation flights, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted Thursday night. The detained included a suspected terrorist, four Tren de Aragua gang members, and several convicted child sex offenders, Leavitt wrote. Trump officials already deported hundreds of criminal migrants with more deportation flights underway, she added. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also issued notices to local officials of their intent to take custody of 373 more illegal migrants, ICE said Thursday. Leavitt described the administration’s plan as the largest deportation operation in history.

How are officials locating the criminal migrants? ICE officials launched raids to arrest illegal migrants within days of Trump taking office. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka accused ICE agents Thursday of conducting unconstitutional searches without warrants and arresting legal U.S. citizens along with undocumented migrants. Newark will not stand aside as its people are being unlawfully terrorized, he said in a Thursday statement. Baraka promised more details on the city’s plan to defend the civil and human rights of residents.

Chicago Public School administrators on Friday barred ICE agents from entering Hamline Elementary School, a local outlet reported. Administrators would not cooperate with ICE agents unless presented with a signed criminal warrant, according to a Friday press release from the district. Chicago Public School CEO Pedro Martinez also insisted that administrators would not admit immigration officers even when presented with an administrative order, an ICE detainer notice, or other civil immigration law documentation. The district is also training teachers and staff on how to handle interactions with delinquent ICE agents, he added.

Dig deeper: Read Addie Offereins’ report for more detail on the immediate effects of Trump’s immigration order.