DHS/ICE/IMMIGRATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Immigration and Customs Enforcement in recent days has bulked up the branch responsible for carrying out deportations in preparation for the mass arrests of undocumented immigrants, two Department of Homeland Security officials said on Tuesday [6-18-19], adding that the agency could not immediately deport “millions of illegal aliens” as President Trump had promised the night before. Senior ICE officials, many of whom were blindsided by Mr. Trump’s tweet, have signaled for weeks that the agency would conduct raids targeting thousands of migrant families in homes and communities, something one of the homeland security officials confirmed on Tuesday was expected in the coming weeks. ICE has requested that agents in Homeland Security Investigations — the branch of the agency that conducts long-term investigations into human trafficking and drug smuggling — assist Enforcement and Removal Operations, which deports undocumented immigrants, according to the two homeland security officials.”
–Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Michael D. Shear, “ICE Signals Mass Immigration Arrests, but Not the ‘Millions’ Trump Promised,” The New York Times online, June 18, 2019