Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

ICE raids: Top immigration official admits he ‘does not know details’ of controversial arrests

Raids expected in major cities across US

Clark Mindock
New York
Monday 15 July 2019 12:46 EDT
Comments
Top US immigration official admits he does not know about ICE raids

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The acting director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services has said he does not have details about the ICE raids targeting undocumented immigrants, even though he has spoken about the operation in recent days.

Ken Cuccinelli said during a CNN appearance on Monday he did “not have operational details”, including how many arrests were made during the operation that began on Sunday.

Last week, Mr Cuccinelli discussed the operation and said there were approximately one million people in the US with removal orders.

“I told you, I don't have details about any arrests that have taken place so far with respect to that operation,” Mr Cuccinelli said, explaining his lack of knowledge about specifics by saying “operational details are kept contained within the agency”.

The raids were expected in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and San Francisco.

But, there were no reports of the raids in several cities, according to immigrant advocacy groups that are monitoring the situation.

Mr Cucinelli’s agency is in charge of legal immigration, and it is left to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain undocumented immigrants for deportation.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

The US has conducted raids previously, including raids on workplaces where undocumented immigrants have allegedly been hired.

Donald Trump's administration has overseen a spike in the number of those kinds of raids, compared to during the Obama administration.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in