Trump orders ICE to expand deportations in Democratic cities – DW – 06/16/2025

US President Donald Trump on Sunday directed immigration officials to prioritize deportations in cities run by Democrats, amid growing resistance in Los Angeles and other major US cities.

He called on officials to “do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest mass deportation program in history,” in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.

The post read: “We must expand efforts to detain and deport illegal aliens in America’s largest cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, where millions upon millions of illegal aliens reside.”

“These, and other such cities, are the core of the Democrat power center, where they use Illegal aliens to expand their voter base, cheat in elections, and grow the welfare state, robbing good paying jobs and benefits from hardworking American citizens,” Trump’s post added without providing evidence for his claims.

Trump called Democrats “radical left,” baselessly claiming they were destroying the “inner cities” with their belief in open borders and transgender rights. He said that is why he has directed his entire administration “to put every resource” to focus on “sanctuary cities.” 

Protests sweep US cities

Deporting undocumented immigrants has been a prioritze for Trump in his second term. A number of public detentions and hastened deportations have caused fury among Americans over the last few weeks. Protests have only grown as Trump called in the National Guard and US Marines. There were reports of an increase in arrests, clashes, and the use of tear gas. 

Trump’s post came hours after “No Kings” protests broke out across the United States on Sunday, reportedly garnering a larger crowd than the US president’s $45 million (€51 million) military parade.

In these protests, dissenters went beyond anti-ICE slogans to criticize several Trump policies, which they claim eroded the US democracy. 

While Sunday’s protests were largely peaceful, authorities recorded a few cases of isolated confrontations.

In Utah, police said they were investigating a shooting “possibly associated” with a march which killed a protester who is said to have brandished a rifle. 

Edited by: Wesley Dockery