PLAYING POLITICS

Trump Administration Plans Immigration Raids in ‘Sanctuary Cities’ as Pre-Election Stunt, Says Report

Officials with knowledge of plans reportedly described it as more of a political-messaging campaign than an important immigration operation.

The Trump administration is reportedly making plans to raid sanctuary cities in the coming weeks—and officials are said to have privately admitted it’s a stunt to reinforce the president’s “law and order” campaign message. The Washington Post reports that an “immigration enforcement blitz” will take place next month in U.S. cities and jurisdictions that have adopted sanctuary policies, and it could begin in California as soon as later this week. Two officials with knowledge of plans reportedly described it as more of a political messaging campaign than an important ICE operation. It would help Trump underline two themes of his campaign: Cracking down on immigration and attacking Democrat-led cities. Mike Alvarez, an ICE spokesman, said the agency doesn’t comment on operations.