“WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security had planned nationwide raids to target 8,400 undocumented immigrants later this month, according to three law enforcement officials and an internal document that described the plan as “the largest operation of its kind in the history of ICE,” an acronym for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
But after NBC News reported the plans late Thursday, the agency issued a statement saying it had cancelled nationwide enforcement actions due to Hurricane Irma and the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey.
. . . .
It is not unusual for ICE operations to target immigrants by the hundreds or even low thousands. The higher-than-usual target number may have been partially driven by an effort to reach a deportation goal by the end of the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, one of the officials said.
The cancelled operation comes on the heels of Trump’s controversial decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, that allows some immigrants who were brought into the United States as children to stay.
ICE had been planning the operation internally since mid-August and had instructed officers in the field to target adults deemed to be gang members or perpetrators of serious crimes, said one of the officials. Other undocumented immigrants not suspected of crimes may have been swept up in the raids as “collateral,” the official said.
Immigration agents often only arrest one-quarter to one-half of the target population due to the difficulty of locating individuals and getting them to open their doors to agents.”
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Read the full story at the link.
Yup, gotta jack up those fiscal year-end numbers with plenty of “collaterals.” Year-end performance bonuses could be at risk here!
Of course, a more rational factor might be that we’re not going to be able to rebuild and recover from multiple major hurricanes without the help of immigrants, both documented and undocumented. Gonzo’s fabrications notwithstanding, there aren’t enough other American workers available with the skills and work ethic to get the job done. And, if Gonzo has his way, the worker shortage will become chronic and tank our economy. But, ruining America is well worth it to build the White Nationalist Empire that Trump, Bannon, and Sessions envision.
Also, congratulations to the fantastic Julia Edwards Ainsley on starting her new gig at NBC News! Julia formerly was the Washington Reporter for Reuters. Different organizations, same incisive reporting!
PWS
09-07-17