(NewsNation) — Leaders in some Democratic-led cities are bracing for an increased presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as demonstrations protesting the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies and ICE tactics continue across the country, with more planned for this weekend.
Published reports on Wednesday stated that specialized ICE tactical teams would be sent to Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle, New York and Northern Virginia after anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles reached a “tipping point” with hundreds being arrested.
More than two dozen protests nationwide this week have led to arrests as demonstrators rally against migrants being taken into federal custody. Federal officials insist ICE enforcement efforts will continue across the country despite the rallies, as advocates for migrant rights push back against what they say are deceptive practices being used by ICE.
“We will not be deterred,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told NewsNation this week.
More protests, including hundreds of No Kings events, are slated for Saturday amid reports that ICE is ramping up enforcement efforts, including during workplace raids in cities with sanctuary policies in place. That has raised concerns among some city leaders that clashes between federal agents and protesters, like those in Los Angeles, could spread.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom predicted Tuesday that other left-leaning areas of the country could be targeted by the Trump administration by using similar tactics.
“What we have seen in Los Angeles is really not about immigration, this is not about policy, this is about power,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said Wednesday. “We have a tyrant in the White House that has a complete disregard for our Constitution and the dismissing of our democracy.”
What cities are being targeted by ICE?
ICE is prepared to deploy Special Response Teams to several Democratic-run cities to continue to carry out immigration enforcement practices, according to NBC News. No timeline for the troops being sent to those cities has been laid out.
ICE did not respond to a request for comment from NewsNation on Wednesday. However, Chicago city officials confirmed on Wednesday that they had been alerted on Tuesday that agents had been given notice that they would be sent out within the next 48 hours.
Johnson said his main priority is keeping everyone safe and that the city’s practice of “constitutional policing” would continue. Johnson said that because Trump is “determined to insert chaos”, the city’s response would be to “provide calm and structure”.
“We have an absolutely criminalized approach towards governance, and this president clearly continues to show how low he will stoop in order to protect the interests of a handful of people,” Johnson said.
Johnson said at a news conference that he has been in contact with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and other leaders about a unified stance but said that the city and state are committed to protecting the right of people to assemble and to help preserve their constitutional rights.
Johnson said that the city’s strategic approach will remain in place Saturday when No Kings protests are scheduled both in Chicago’s downtown district as well as in several suburbs. He said that demonstrators who act “outside of their constitutional protections” would be held responsible and accountable.
Johnson’s comments followed demonstrations that took place in Chicago, where 17 people were taken into custody, including four who were charged with felonies, NewsNation affiliate WGN reported.
No Kings organizers did not respond to an email from NewsNation seeking comment about plans to keep demonstrations safe amid concerns of increased ICE presence in cities like Chicago.
Johnson said that the Chicago Police will continue to protect local residents and protesters alike while also adhering to the Illinois Trust Act, which prevents local officers from cooperating with federal immigration officials.
But other city leaders hope that despite the tensions felt in places like Los Angeles, demonstrations can remain peaceful while getting their message across.
“The level of rage, the level of righteous anger that (protesters) might feel out there is genuine,” Chicago Ald. Andre Vasquez told NewsNation. “So, trying to make sure that people don’t feel further oppressed while also recognizing that there’s clearly a strategy of having crowds look like they’re chaotic is how the (Trump) administration is moving, it’s very challenging to try to communicate that.”
NYPD ready to handle anti-ICE protests
In New York City, where 86 people were arrested by city police officers on Tuesday during anti-ICE protests that involved about 2,500 participants, Mayor Eric Adams said that the escalation of protests in Los Angeles is “unacceptable” and would not be tolerated if attempted in New York.
“I understand that some New Yorkers may be angry, afraid, and I understand, NYC will always be a place to peacefully protest, but we will not allow lawlessness,” Adams said, according to NewsNation affiliate Pix11.
Earlier this week, 24 people were arrested during a sit-in at Trump Tower in New York, while seven people were taken into custody at another demonstration, three of whom were criminally charged. Yet with more protests planned in the coming days, city officials do not expect things to rise to the level they have in Los Angeles, an Adams spokeswoman told NewsNation on Wednesday.
The spokeswoman said the city has not received any notification that additional ICE agents would be arriving in New York in the coming days. She added that the city does not anticipate involving the National Guard or the U.S. military being sent to New York, both of which have been called into action in Los Angeles by the Trump administration.
The mayor’s spokeswoman said that the city has made it clear to the federal government that no federal assistance is required to help maintain law and order and that city officials do not expect protests to escalate out of control.
“What we’re seeing in (Los Angeles) and what the feds are doing over there, we’re not seeing that here. The NYPD has it under control,” she told NewsNation. “The NYPD is literally prepared for anything.”
Seattle officials ready to react
Despite hearing rumors and media reports about ICE tactical teams being sent to Seattle, city officials told NewsNation on Wednesday that they have not yet received official word about increased federal agents arriving.
In a statement sent to NewsNation on Wednesday, Mayor Bruce Harrell said that the city remains in close contact with the governor’s and state attorney general’s offices, as well as other local officials, to coordinate a response should ICE tactical teams arrive in Seattle in the coming days.
Harrell called the Trump administration’s actions in Los Angeles “an extreme and egregious overreach of federal authority meant to escalate tensions” and to distract from the promises Trump hasn’t lived up to. The mayor said he is working with Seattle’s police department to prepare for any demonstrations that may arise.
“Seattle strongly supports the First Amendment rights of our residents, and we encourage residents to stand up for their values peacefully,” Harrell said. “There is no room for violence. Violence and property damage are exactly what Trump wants to spin his false narrative of our city.”
National Guard Dispatched in Texas protest cities
After anti-ICE protests took place in Austin and San Antonio and with more demonstrations planned, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced plans on social media to dispatch the Texas National Guard to those cities.
Abbott wrote on X on Tuesday that the troops will use “every tool and strategy” to help law enforcement maintain order. Abbott wrote that while peaceful protest is legal, harming others and damaging or destroying property will lead to arrests.
Abbott’s declaration followed a demonstration earlier this week at the state capitol building in Austin, which was attended by 500 people and in which local and state authorities used pepper spray and flashbang grenades. More than a dozen people were arrested, according to reports.
This weekend’s planned protests include No Kings demonstrations that are part of the nationwide collection of protests that decry the Trump administration’s policies.
The deployment of the National Guard, which will remain on standby, is an attempt to prevent civil unrest from taking place, an Abbott spokesman told NewsNation on Wednesday.
“Peaceful protests are part of the fabric of our nation, but Texas will not tolerate the lawlessness we have seen in Los Angeles,” the spokesman, Andrew Mahaleris, said Wednesday. “Anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property will be swiftly held accountable to the full extent of the law.”
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