By Elijah Qualls
AFRO Intern
The 47th president of the United States has vowed to redirect deportation efforts to the largest cities in the country which he says serve as corrupt “Democratic Power Centers.”
On June 15, the president said via social media that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents must stay dedicated to the task of “delivering the single largest mass deportation program in history.”
The president said he plans to now target his immigration raids at cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.
The information came just days after the president’s June 12 promise to cut back on some mass deportation efforts, as they are negatively affecting the country’s agriculture and hospitality industries.
The president alleges that the major cities identified “use illegal aliens to expand their voter base, cheat in elections and grow the welfare state, robbing good paying jobs and benefits from hard working American citizens.”
The claims are not new. Investigations have already been conducted, yielding miniscule results.
Trump’s enumerated cities were intentionally chosen as they have some of the highest immigrant populations and are notoriously liberal.
According to a study done by the Pew Research Center in 2024, among the top six states with the highest immigrant populations in 2022, California was first with 1.8 million, New York was fourth with 650,000, and Illinois was sixth with 400,000. A 2022 Migration Policy Institute study highlighted the fact that Democratic cities are home to some of the largest Sub-Saharan immigrant communities such as the New York area with 194,000 and Atlanta with 90,000 Sub-Saharan immigrants.
“You can’t talk about Los Angeles, Chicago, or New York without acknowledging the contribution from communities of color, including immigrants,” said Diana Konaté, deputy executive director of policy and advocacy at African Communities Together. “This isn’t about safety. It isn’t about democracy. And it’s certainly not about a love for America. It’s a shameful display of xenophobic and racist policies.”
The cities on Trump’s radar refuse to take the threat to partisanship quietly. Congressman Ritchie Torreis (D-NY-15) weighed in on the matter.
“He (Trump) is going after our neighbors, coworkers and classmates instead of narrowly focusing on violent criminals,” said Torreis. “New York stands for dignity, fairness and the rule of law– none of which Trump comprehends.”