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ICE will not comment on the operational details of the raids, said spokesman Matthew Bourke, but the department focuses primarily on those he considers dangerous.
"The ICE gives priority to the arrest and removal of illegal aliens who pose a threat to national security, public security and border security," said Bourke.
Mark Morgan, Acting Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection of the United States, acting director of the ICE at the time, said the raids had been postponed due to a leaked information about operations. Former interim director of ICE, John Sandweg, also expressed concern.
"You never want the target to know you're coming in. You want this element of surprise because it protects you," he said. "From an effective point of view, that's why you're not announcing these things."
Trump has tweeted several times about the impending operation, which should target newcomers to the country.
In February, ICE sent approximately 2,000 letters to families who had already received the final dismissal order from their judges in absentia, asking them to self-report to ICE's offices by the month of March . The next operation is expected to target around 2,000 people, said a senior immigration official.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement statistics, 256,085 people were deported during fiscal year 2018, compared to 226,119 outflows during fiscal year 2017.
"Of course, that's not what ICE will look for, but it's the pool of people who have gone through all the steps of the process," he said.
Fixed: A previous version of this story did not describe the nature of the raids. Immigration authorities should start raiding targeting undocumented immigrants.
Priscilla Alvarez from CNN reported from Washington. Eliott McLaughlin wrote from Atlanta. Devan Cole and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.
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