Trump administration deploys elite Border Patrol tactical units to 10 largest sanctuary cities

Murder victim’s granddaughter slams sanctuary cities at Trump event as president deploys elite Border Patrol ‘SWAT units’ to 10 cities to bolster ICE agents and crackdown on illegal migrants

  • BORTAC agents will be immediately deployed to bolster ICE enforcement
  • Heavily armed agents undergo ‘grueling’ training similar to Special Forces
  • They will also be sent to New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, New Orleans, Detroit and Newark, New Jersey
  • Comes amid escalating battle between Trump and Democrat sanctuary cities 

The Trump administration is deploying highly trained officers to boost arrests of unauthorized immigrants in a number of cities, the latest move in a battle against localities that adopt ‘sanctuary’ policies to protect them from deportation.

Members of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) will be among the officers deployed to cities to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. 

They will be sent to New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, New Orleans, Detroit and Newark, New Jersey, CBP spokesman Lawrence Payne said in a statement on Friday.

BORTAC agents undergo a ‘grueling’ training program designed to ‘mirror aspects’ of U.S. Special Operation Forces courses, according to details about the program published on the CBP website. The unit was launched in 1984 in response to rioting at immigration detention facilities.

The Trump administration is deploying highly trained BORTAC agents (above in file photo) to boost arrests of unauthorized immigrants in a number of sanctuary cities

BORTAC agents undergo a 'grueling' training program designed to 'mirror aspects' of U.S. Special Operation Forces courses. A BORTAC agent is seen above guarding the border

BORTAC agents undergo a ‘grueling’ training program designed to ‘mirror aspects’ of U.S. Special Operation Forces courses. A BORTAC agent is seen above guarding the border

Scores of Democrat-controlled cities and counties have adopted policies to limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, making them a target for Republican President Donald Trump, who has made immigration a centerpiece of his re-election campaign.

The move to boost ICE support in the targeted cities, first reported by the New York Times, marks the latest escalation in the administration’s fight against these localities and comes just days after the Department of Justice filed lawsuits against the state of New Jersey and King County, Washington, where Seattle is located.

The Department of Homeland Security said last week it would bar New Yorkers from obtaining new and renewal Global Entry passes and from participating in three programs that permit faster travel between the United States, Canada and Mexico, which could affect hundreds of thousands of travelers.

‘ICE is utilizing CBP to supplement enforcement activity in response to the resource challenges stemming from sanctuary city policies,’ ICE acting Director Matthew T. Albence said. 

Scores of Democrat-controlled cities and counties have adopted policies to limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, making them a target for Trump

Scores of Democrat-controlled cities and counties have adopted policies to limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, making them a target for Trump

The BORTAC agents will be sent to New York (above), Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, New Orleans, Detroit and Newark, New Jersey

The BORTAC agents will be sent to New York (above), Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, New Orleans, Detroit and Newark, New Jersey

Agents with the U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) hold their weapons next to an armored vehicle ahead of exercises in Mission, Texas, November 8, 2018

Agents with the U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) hold their weapons next to an armored vehicle ahead of exercises in Mission, Texas, November 8, 2018

‘As we have noted for years, in jurisdictions where we are not allowed to assume custody of aliens from jails, our officers are forced to make at-large arrests of criminal aliens who have been released into communities,’ he said.

The deployment will run from February through May, the New York Times reported, citing a CBP email.

The move drew criticism from some, including Ayanna Pressley, a Democratic congresswoman from Massachusetts whose district includes Boston.

‘Let us be clear, this move has nothing to do with public safety, but rather serves only to further the Trump Administration´s agenda to intimidate and retaliate against cities that uphold the dignity and humanity of our immigrant neighbors,’ she said in an emailed statement. ‘We will not stand for this.’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk