(NewsNation) — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Friday that more than 4,300 illegal immigrants have been removed from the Minneapolis area since January, including 3,316 with criminal histories, 98 gang members, 11 known or suspected terrorists and two foreign fugitives.
Speaking at a press conference with ICE officials, Noem said the administration has arrested and deported 515,000 illegal immigrants nationwide since January, with 70% facing pending criminal charges.
“We enforce the law,” Noem said, adding that the administration is focused on removing “the worst of the worst.”
Noem said it’s up to the president to deploy the National Guard to any city. She said dozens of federal agents and officers will arrive in Minneapolis as part of a congressional funding bill and are “trained, qualified and equipped” for enforcement operations.
The Justice Department sued Minneapolis and St. Paul last month over their sanctuary city policies. Two weeks ago, Gov. Tim Walz said he expects Trump to send the National Guard to Minnesota.
“I think it’s logical for them to come here,” Walz said at the North Star Summit. “We fall into exactly what they’re trying to target, blue cities, in places that he wants to make an impact.” Walz said he’s preparing to use the courts to challenge any deployment and has been considering the possibility for months.
Trump has deployed the Guard to Washington, D.C., Memphis and Los Angeles. Legal disputes over National Guard deployments continue nationwide as his administration pushes troops to Democratic-led cities.
On Thursday, Trump said he won’t send additional resources to San Francisco, citing conversations with “friends” and the city’s mayor.
In Oregon, a federal judge is considering whether to dissolve a restraining order barring National Guard deployment to Portland while the Supreme Court weighs a similar effort in Chicago.
Go To Source | Author: Ali Bradley
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