Donald Trump’s hardline border czar has again threatened to dispatch a surge of immigration agents to New York City, as the administration vows to press ahead with its controversial crackdown.
Tom Homan said on Monday that he had reviewed a plan to expand Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) operations in New York and deploy “more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen” in the city.
Homan said in an interview on Fox News that he was making good on a promise he made to Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York, that he would increase ICE presence in New York if the state passed legislation barring state and local law enforcement from working with immigration in New York jails.
Hochul signed the bill into law at the end of last month.
“I made her a promise: you’re going to see more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen in New York City, and it’s coming,” Homan said. “I just reviewed an operational plan.”
Homan has repeatedly threatened to send more ICE personnel to New York, as well as to other Democrat-run sanctuary cities around the country that limit the cooperation between local agencies and federal immigration authorities.
Such a move has yet to materialize in New York.
Homan’s latest threat comes as millions are expected to flood the region to celebrate the New York Knicks in the NBA finals, as well as for the Fifa World Cup final, which is taking place about 10 miles outside of the city, in New Jersey.
Immigrant rights advocates have issued travel warnings for the 10 million visitors expected to travel to the US for the World Cup, the world’s largest sporting event, that they risk “serious rights violations” under the current political climate, including “arbitrary denial of entry and risk of arrest, detention and/or deportation”.
At least 18 people have died this year in ICE custody. In January, amid an enforcement surge in Minneapolis, immigration officers killed two US citizens, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, in a matter of weeks.
Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s mayor, said: “Soccer would not exist without immigrants. Immigrants play and coach the game, work in the stadiums, fill the stands, and make celebrations like the World Cup possible. Six of the players on the US men’s national team are immigrants.
“We will not allow ICE or anyone else to sow fear in our communities – especially at this moment. As the world comes to our city, we will stand proudly with our immigrant neighbors and reject these attacks for what they are: an attempt to divide us.”
