Former ICE chief explains how company decides which cities to focus on

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Whereas some Democrats have accused the Trump administration of politically concentrating on Democratic cities for enforcement, former appearing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Sandweg shared perception about how the company selects the following metropolis for operations.

Sandweg, who served as appearing ICE director beneath President Barack Obama from 2013 to 2014, instructed Fox Information Digital throughout an interview that the existence of sanctuary insurance policies harboring unlawful aliens does play a serious function in figuring out cities for concentrating on. Nonetheless, Sandweg stated that this isn't for purely political causes.

"The most important driver can be immigrant inhabitants, how vital a inhabitants is there in that exact group. After which the second factor is, is there one thing like a sanctuary policy that will enhance the variety of at-large targets, that means individuals who ICE desires to take into custody who are usually not at the moment in a jail or jail," he defined. "These are the standard components that ICE would depend on in making determinations about the place to do at-large surges."

In 2025, the Trump administration surged ICE brokers to cities like Minneapolis , Los Angeles, Portland and Chicago. All of those had been main cities with vital immigrant populations, and all had sanctuary insurance policies. Sandweg stated that he expects crackdowns reminiscent of these to be "simply starting."

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ICE agent seen standing in entrance of a home in a residential space. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg by way of Getty Photographs)

"You wish to go the place the criminals are … and so, you are going to be information about the place is it that we will discover the largest bang for our buck," he defined, including, "Historically, that is going to be in bigger city cities, simply because they're increased density inhabitants and also you're extra more likely to discover your legal populations there."

In the case of the function of sanctuary cities in ICE’s concentrating on course of, Sandweg stated that "sanctuary insurance policies are usually not all equal."

"ICE is admittedly good at getting folks in prisons and jails. There is not an individual booked into a jail or jail in the US at this time that ICE would not get visibility on," he defined. "Whereas we're paying lots of consideration to those sorts of very public standoffs between protesters and DHS brokers in Minneapolis and different locations, there's so much happening behind the scenes the general public would not perceive, together with the selecting up of individuals in prisons and jails, federal, state, native, throughout the nation."

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Residents encompass federal and Border Patrol brokers who plan their escape after an immigrant raid on Atlantic Blvd. in Bell, Califonia, June 19, 2025. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Occasions by way of Getty Photographs)

Although he stated that some sanctuary jurisdictions are keen to cooperate with ICE in arresting illegals with critical legal expenses, reminiscent of violent crimes, there are some that aren't keen to do this.

Sanctuary jurisdictions that refuse to honor requests by ICE to carry unlawful aliens, known as "detainers," current its personal operational problem, stated Sandweg. This, in flip, can doubtlessly result in the company deciding to surge extra brokers and assets to the world.

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US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) brokers look over lists of names and their listening to instances and areas contained in the Federal Plaza courthouse earlier than making arrests on June 27, 2025 in New York. ((Photograph by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP by way of Getty Photographs))

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"There are jurisdictions … which have very restrictive sanctuary insurance policies, the place you are sitting there scratching your head saying, these are unhealthy guys, why will not they offer us custody of this individual in jail?" he stated. "In these jurisdictions, you are going to discover extra targets as a result of these folks, ICE usually would take custody of them in jail or jail."