As President Donald Trump continues to push for immigration arrests and raids in Los Angeles, he’s vowed that other cities are next.
On Sunday, Trump announced on his social media site, Truth Social, that he wants U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to prioritize deportations from other cities controlled by Democrats.
“ICE Officers are herewith ordered, by notice of this (post), to do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of achieving the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History,” Trump wrote.
Trump’s order came on the heels of a national day of protest organized under the banner “No Kings” that drew millions of people into the streets to rally against immigration enforcement and executive overreach.
To do this, Trump added, “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.”
Trump’s post doesn’t mention Oakland, but he has demanded that ICE and other federal law enforcement focus on sanctuary cities. Oakland reaffirmed and strengthened its status as a sanctuary city in 2019, prohibiting cooperation of city employees and departments with immigration agents.
Immigration officials have conducted targeted enforcement against specific individuals in the city in recent weeks, according to OPD. But large immigration raids haven’t occurred yet, despite rumors.
It’s unclear how Oakland officials are preparing to deal with the event of major immigration raids. Mayor Barbara Lee told The Oaklandside last week that her office is “keeping a close eye on the situation” and working with local officials to make sure people are able to protest and have information about their legal rights if they encounter ICE.
A spokesperson for the City Administrator told The Oaklandside that OPD received notices from ICE about enforcement activity over the weekend, but no specific location was provided.
