DRASTIC

ICE Arrests 500 in ‘Sanctuary Cities’ Raids

Says “forced” to act against jurisdictions “creating a magnet for illegal immigration.”

Immigration officials have made nearly 500 arrests in a four-day operation targeting so-called sanctuary cities. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokespeople said Thursday that 167 people were arrested in and around Los Angeles, with people also picked up in San Francisco and San Jose. Fifty immigrants were reportedly taken into custody throughout Massachusetts, largely around Boston. Authorities said the sweeping arrests were meant to send a signal to jurisdictions that are reluctant to cooperate with federal authorities in President Trump’s crackdown. “Sanctuary jurisdictions that do not honor detainers or allow us access to jails and prisons are shielding criminal aliens from immigration enforcement and creating a magnet for illegal immigration,” ICE Acting Director Tom Homan said in a statement Thursday. “As a result, ICE is forced to dedicate more resources to conduct at-large arrests in these communities.”