Trump’s ICE Raids Take Out Thousands of Illegals, Sanctuary Cities Are Feeling It [WATCH]

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested 7,412 individuals across multiple states in the span of nine days, as part of an intensified immigration enforcement effort under the new Trump administration.

The agency has also placed nearly 6,000 detainers on individuals in custody, according to daily arrest totals released by ICE.

ICE officers have been conducting operations at homes, workplaces, and other locations, targeting individuals in the country illegally.

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Many of the arrests have taken place in sanctuary cities such as New York City, Chicago, and Boston, where ICE agents have apprehended individuals accused of sex crimes, rape, gun violations, and drug offenses.

Among those arrested are members of violent transnational gangs, including Tren de Aragua and MS-13.

One high-profile arrest occurred in New York City, where ICE detained 26-year-old Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, an alleged ringleader of the Tren de Aragua gang.

Zambrano-Pacheco was identified from a viral video showing heavily armed men kicking down the door of an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, last summer.

In Massachusetts, ICE officers arrested 19-year-old Luis Adolfo Guerra Perez, a Guatemalan national and MS-13 gang member.

Guerra Perez had been facing state gun charges and had previously been ordered for deportation, but was released by a Boston court.

NEW: @EROBoston has arrested Luis Guerra-Perez, an MS-13 gang member, after a Massachusetts court ignored a detainer request and released him earlier this month.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is one of several mayors called to testify to Congress over local sanctuary policies. pic.twitter.com/X4IWHBxLJv

— Off The Press (@OffThePress1) January 29, 2025

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees ICE operations, said federal immigration authorities are focused on apprehending the “worst of the worst.”

She joined ICE agents during the raid that led to Zambrano-Pacheco’s arrest in New York.

“The streets are now safer as a result,” Noem stated.

7 AM in NYC. Getting the dirt bags off the streets. pic.twitter.com/AlDD819K89

— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) January 28, 2025

Many of the recent ICE raids have been conducted alongside the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

ICE has provided details on more than 60 individual cases, while the White House has posted information on at least 20 others.

For the majority of those arrested, further details on their criminal records have not yet been released.

The arrests come as the Trump administration confirms plans to temporarily house some of the most violent criminal migrants at Guantánamo Bay.

In an interview with Fox & Friends on Friday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated that the “worst of the worst” criminal aliens would be sent to the U.S. military detention facility in Cuba.

He also suggested that military action against cartels remains an option.

“All options will be on the table,” Hegseth said.

BREAKING: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announces that the U.S. Military can now perform special ops against Mexican cartels, following President Trump’s designation of them as terrorist organizations.

“All options are on the table.”

pic.twitter.com/BnhJwkgMEp

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 31, 2025

President Trump made a related announcement on Wednesday, stating his intention to instruct the Pentagon to prepare Guantánamo Bay to detain 30,000 “criminal illegal aliens.”

“Today I’m also signing an executive order to instruct the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to begin preparing the 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantánamo Bay,” Trump said.

“Most people don’t even know about it.”

JUST IN: Trump announces new Executive Order to prepare a 30,000-person illegal immigrant facility at Guantanamo Bay.

“I’m also signing an executive order to instruct the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to begin preparing the 30,000-person migrant facility at… pic.twitter.com/b2iLmxoLp8

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 29, 2025

It was later confirmed that Trump signed a presidential memorandum, rather than an executive order, to begin the process.

News of the ICE arrests has received support in many affected communities.

Ramses Frías, a local activist and city council candidate in Queens, New York, expressed approval of the enforcement efforts.

“Many residents, from immigrants to citizens, welcome ICE coming in and taking the criminals out of these communities,” Frías told Fox News Digital.

“They welcome law and order and want safe streets.”

However, opposition remains from some city leaders.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu have reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining their cities as sanctuary jurisdictions, despite the ongoing federal crackdown.

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