CHICAGO — Top Trump officials, including Tom Homan and Emil Bove, visited Chicago on Sunday to observe the launch of enhanced immigration enforcement efforts in the nation’s third-largest city.
This operation came as federal agencies highlighted arrests made across the country.
Although the number of arrests and specific details of the operation were initially scarce, the involvement of multiple federal agencies emphasized President Donald Trump’s commitment to using law enforcement agencies beyond the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to carry out his mass deportation agenda.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced 956 arrests nationwide on Sunday, with an additional 286 made on Saturday.
These operations, while part of ongoing enforcement efforts, were significantly larger than the average daily arrests of 311 made by ICE during the fiscal year that ended September 30.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, observing the operation, noted that it involved DHS immigration agents along with personnel from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
While Bove did not offer specific details, he highlighted that expanding immigration authority to DOJ agencies like the DEA and ATF was critical to the initiative.
“We will support everyone at the federal, state, and local levels who joins this critical mission to take back our communities,” Bove stated.
“We will use all available tools to address obstruction and unlawful impediments to our efforts to protect the homeland. Most importantly, we will not rest until the work is done.”
The operation was observed by television personality Dr. Phil McGraw, who interviewed Homan and livestreamed the event on his MERIT TV network. Other media outlets, including the Associated Press, were also invited to witness the operation.
The DEA’s Chicago office shared images on social media showing Bove and Homan with agents from ATF and Customs and Border Protection. / AP