Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been targeting sanctuary cities with increased enforcement operations to pressure those jurisdictions to cooperate with federal immigration agents, CNN reported.
Citing an unnamed immigration official, CNN reported ICE officials have talked in internal meetings about carrying out more raids in more than 100 jurisdictions – cities, states and counties – that have policies limiting cooperation or involvement in immigration operations.
According to CNN, the increase in "operational activity" in sanctuary cities is one of the ways ICE is turning up on the heat on local authorities – and part of a broader strategy to coerce cooperation.
ICE has also denied any enforcement operations are meant as retribution against sanctuary jurisdictions, and asserts the raids are a continuation of the agency's normal actions aimed at keeping the public safe.
The report comes in the wake of the released this week of the Department of Homeland Security's first weekly report naming jurisdictions that refuse to hold and release immigrants who could be subject to deportation.