Following a weekend of nationwide protests and the Army's "Grand Military Parade and Celebration," President Donald Trump directed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to ramp up efforts to detain and deport migrants from large Democratic-run cities including Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. Trump called for the expanded deportation June 15 post on Truth Social.
Since Trump took office, the average number of people held in immigration detention centers has increased 25%, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The uptick in detentions comes against a backdrop of a divisive national debate over immigration enforcement. Trump deployed California's National Guard to Los Angeles to quell protests over immigration policies and ICE arrests.
California is one of six states with laws preventing local and state agencies from partnering with ICE to enforce federal immigration laws. Under the California Values Act – the state's sanctuary law – state and local police are prohibited from investigating, detaining, or deporting its residents for purposes of immigration enforcement, according to CalMatters. The law does not prevent the federal government from deporting undocumented residents living in California, but rather limits local and state police cooperation with federal immigration officers.
