The proposed raid in Chicago will come a day after Trump will assume power as the new US president on January 20.

“(We are) going to start right here in Chicago, Illinois,” the report quoted Tom Homan, Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency head, as saying at an event in the city.

“And if the Chicago mayor doesn’t want to help, he can step aside. But if he impedes us, if he knowingly harbours or conceals an illegal alien, I will prosecute him,” Homan added.

Enforcement to intensify

Trump’s transition team did not respond to news agency Reuters’ request to comment on the proposal. However, a source confirmed that the Republican administration will intensify enforcement of its immigration measures nationwide.

“We’re going to be doing operations all across the country. You’re going to see arrests in New York. You’re going to see arrests in Miami,” an official said. However, he ruled out a special focus on Chicago or an increased deployment of personnel in the city.

Trump on immigration

The rhetoric of mass immigration into the US remained one of the main focuses of Trump’s presidential election campaign. “Within moments of my inauguration, we will begin the largest domestic deportation operation in American history,” Trump said in January 2024.

Homan said the new administration will look for a “third country” to accept deported illegal immigrants if their home nations delay or refuse to admit them back. Homan said the strategy will be a significant part of Trump’s measures to implement the “largest deportation in history”.

“It’s not going to be a mass sweep of neighbourhoods. It’s not going to be building concentration camps. I’ve read it all. It’s ridiculous,” Homan had said when asked about the impact of proposed measures on immigrant families and their children.