President Donald Trump said the immigration raids “didn’t go far enough” because “liberal judges held us back,” blaming former US presidents Biden and Obama for appointing them. He made the comments during an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes when asked about the tactics seen in the videos, including throwing people to the ground, smashing car windows and using tear gas in residential areas.
Trump defended the immigration agents’ tactics, saying they were acceptable “because you have to get people out” and repeated his claim that many of those detained have criminal records. He added that he could invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy professional military forces, rather than the National Guard, into American cities “if I wanted to.”
“If you had to send in the army or you had to send in the marines, I would do it immediately. And no judge could challenge that,” he mentioned.
The Insurrection Act gives the president the power to deploy military force when local law enforcement is overwhelmed. It was last used in 1992, when former President George HW Bush sent troops to Los Angeles to control riots. But state and local officials say protests against Trump’s immigration raids are not unmanageable.
Trump’s remarks follow his administration’s expansion of a federal program that deputizes local police to enforce immigration laws and has signed up nearly 16,000 officers in 40 states to increase deportations, according to Bloomberg data.
Although the expansion has led to more arrests, especially in Florida, many local agencies are still hesitant to participate. The initiative also raised concerns about racial profiling, warrantless arrests, and pressure on law enforcement to politically support federal immigration enforcement.
“We’re buying more buildings in Chicago,” says Homeland Security Secretary
Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told President Trump she wants to acquire additional buildings in Chicago for immigration agents as the administration works to fulfill its promise of mass deportations.
“We’re buying more buildings in Chicago,” Noem said at Thursday’s cabinet meeting, according to Bloomberg. “We’re not going to back down. In fact, we’re going to double down and be in more parts of Chicago in response to the people there,” Noem said, adding that she recently toured potential locations in the city for expanded operations and security improvements.
(With inputs from Bloomberg)
