Blitz on illegal immigration underway with troops to border, DOJ investigating sanctuary cities

Congress delivered on a major part of President Trump’s immigration agenda 
Wednesday by giving final approval to a bill that requires the Homeland 
Security Department to detain and try to deport illegal immigrants accused 
of minor crimes such as shoplifting.

The bill adds legislative heft to Mr. Trump’s efforts to gain control of 
the border.

The Pentagon said Wednesday that it had ordered 1,500 more troops to the 
border and would provide airlift support to expedite deportations of 
illegal immigrants. The Coast Guard was recruited to play a deeper role in 
the battle against illegal immigration, and federal prosecutors were 
ordered to pursue charges against sanctuary cities.

In a symbolic move, the White House removed its Biden-era Spanish-language 
webpage. Homeland Security’s deportation agency revoked Biden-era rules 
banning employees from using words such as “illegal” and “alien” to refer 
to those in the country without authorization.

The moves continue an early onslaught on illegal immigration. Mr. Trump 
has wiped away four years of lenient immigration policy and blazed 
unprecedented ground with executive orders to upend birthright citizenship 
and use one of the founding-era Alien and Sedition Acts to oust dangerous 
migrants.

Some of the actions have the support of Democrats, nearly four dozen of 
whom joined Republicans on Wednesday to pass the pro-deportation Laken 
Riley Act.

“This law and the others that will follow it will ensure that no future 
president will be able to unleash on our country what Joe Biden and his 
Democratic supporters did,” said Rep. Tom McClintock, California 
Republican.

The troops will start implementing Mr. Trump’s executive order directing 
the Defense Department to take a more active role in securing the southern 
border. He envisions the military being more active in the Southwest than 
it has been since the days of fighting Pancho Villa.

“The American people have been waiting for such a time as this for our 
Department of Defense to actually take homeland security seriously. This 
is a No. 1 priority of the American people,” said White House spokeswoman 
Karoline Leavitt.

The directive to Justice Department prosecutors came in a three-page memo 
from acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove.

He said U.S. attorney’s offices should seek out instances where state or 
local officials are “resisting, obstructing and otherwise failing to 
comply with lawful immigration-related commands and requests,” according 
to The Associated Press, which obtained a copy of the memo.

Mr. Bove said conspiracy or migrant harboring charges might be 
appropriate.

Mr. Bove told prosecutors to pursue more cases against illegal immigrants 
who commit crimes while in the U.S. He told them to alert courts of a 
potential increase in immigration work.

Decisions not to prosecute immigration crimes must be reported to the main 
Justice Department, he said.

The troops and the Justice Department guidance show how quickly Mr. Trump 
has moved to consolidate his authority throughout the executive branch. 
Homeland Security this week revoked a Biden-era policy barring agents and 
officers from arresting illegal immigrants near parks, day care centers, 
community organizations, school bus stops and major gatherings such as 
rallies and protests, along with hospitals and churches.

The Republican-led Congress is backing up the president.

The Laken Riley Act would require the Homeland Security Department to 
pursue the detention of illegal immigrants with certain criminal records.

It passed the House on a 263-156 vote, with 46 Democrats joining 
Republicans. Earlier this week, it cleared the Senate on a similar 
bipartisan vote to become the first bill on Mr. Trump’s desk.

Under the legislation, illegal immigrants charged with minor crimes of 
theft, burglary and shoplifting and major crimes of assaulting law 
enforcement or killing or maiming anyone would be detained by Homeland 
Security.

The bill would allow state attorneys general to sue if they suspect the 
federal government is not adequately enforcing immigration law.

The bill is named after Riley, a nursing student in Georgia who was killed 
last year by an illegal immigrant from Venezuela. Jose Ibarra was caught 
and released, amassed a criminal record, including shoplifting, but 
remained free in the community, where he had the opportunity to kill 
Riley.

Republicans said the bill could have kept Ibarra locked up and then 
deported after his earlier criminal entanglements, which could have saved 
Riley’s life.

“Take the criminals off the streets,” said Mr. McClintock, who shepherded 
the bill.

Democratic leaders called the bill a distraction.

“All this sound and fury on Day 1 and Week 1, but nothing to bring down 
grocery prices,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, Maryland Democrat.

He said Congress should spend its time on legalizing illegal immigrants 
and banning some types of firearms.

Rep. Maxwell Frost, Florida Democrat, said the bill was “shameful.”

“On its face, this is an evil bill bent to empower a violent man who is 
not interested in solving the problems of working people but interested in 
power,” Mr. Frost said.

His remarks drew a rebuke from the presiding officer for insulting the 
president and a correction from Mr. McClintock, who said illegal 
immigrants are already supposed to be detained under the law until their 
cases are heard. He said the bill aimed to identify those who “really” 
needed to be kept off the streets.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/jan/22/blitz-illegal-
immigration-underway-troops-border-d/