US mayors prepare for raids on the ice: "Frankly, we are in the dark"

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ICE had planned to arrest and deport families whose removals were ordered by the court in ten cities at the end of June, according to a senior immigration official.

Raids were planned in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York and San Francisco. A senior immigration official told CNN that the details of the ICE operation, scheduled to start on Sunday, will be much the same as those reported last month.

The city of New Orleans, however, reported on Twitter that it had confirmed to ICE that "immigration enforcement will be temporarily suspended over the weekend" in the regions of New Orleans. Louisiana and Mississippi affected by Tropical Storm Barry.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot

Chicago Democrat Mayor Lori Lightfoot spoke at a press conference on Thursday, highlighting the need to educate Chicagoers about their rights, while calling the raids "scary".

"The most important thing we can do is make sure the grassroots groups who educate people about their rights have the resources to succeed," said Lightfoot. "We want to make sure that businesses and community organizations support people."

"I hope the president will use the power of his office to truly forge a solution," added Lightfoot. "But this fear of fear, which makes immigrants scapegoats and actually disrupts families who are just trying to live their lives, is not what we are or should be as a family. # 39; Americans. "

In June, Lightfoot urged the Chicago Police Department not to cooperate with the ICE raids and ordered them to end ICE access to the databases of the ICE. CPD related to immigration enforcement activities by the federal government. Lightfoot reaffirmed its commitment to the directive Thursday, saying in a statement that "we will continue to oppose any raid planned this weekend".

Chicago has already declared itself a "sanctuary city", a general term applied to countries with policies designed to limit co-operation with or participation in immigration enforcement.

The Mayor of Miami, Francis Suarez

Miami Republican Mayor Francis Suarez told CNN's Jake Tapper on Thursday that the Miami population "should not worry."

"The city of Miami does not come after you," Suarez said on the show "The Lead with Jake Tapper".

"Obviously, those who are violent criminals who are not potentially in our country legally, we certainly do not want these people in our city.But apart from that, we, as a city, are a city of great importance. You have nothing to fear from the city of Miami, that's for sure. "

Suarez also said the federal government has not yet communicated with the local Miami government or given information about the people targeted by the raids.

"Frankly, we are in the dark, I do not know how the crisis on the southern border relates to the city of Miami," he said.

When asked if, as a Republican, he supported the adoption of this policy by the president, Suarez Hedged.

"I'm a Republican, but I'm also an immigrant, wanting to be American, it's not a Republican or Democratic issue."

When the raids were expected in June, Suarez described the impending attacks on the ice in a somewhat different way.

"We agree that criminals, like members of dangerous gangs who have come here illegally, should be immediately deported," Suarez said in a statement. "As Mayor, I am convinced that only people who pose a clear and present danger to our communities will be affected by this DHS policy."

Miami is not a sanctuary city and the Florida legislature passed in May a bill banning so-called sanctuary cities in the state.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio

New York's Democratic mayor Bill de Blasio has used the impending raids as an opportunity to amplify his calls for the abolition of ICE.

"It's a politics of fear and division – and further proof that we must abolish ICE," Blasio said in a tweet on Thursday. "Our city is stronger, safer and more prosperous than ever before our communities of immigrants, and we will do everything in our power to protect them."

De Blasio also shared information for New Yorkers about what to do if the federal immigration authorities contacted him.

"If the federal immigration authorities contact you or a loved one at home, on the street or in public, remember: you have rights – and your city will help you fight for them."

In June de Blasio also issued a statement in which he expressed his support for the immigrant community of his city.

"The overly broad application of the Trump administration is only used to demolish immigrant families, to create a climate of fear and to divide us as a nation," he said. Blasio in his release. "This is not how we operate in New York and we will always be proud of our immigrant siblings."

Sylvester Turner, Mayor of Houston

Houston Democrat Mayor Sylvester Turner told NPR Thursday that "families are worried and this has increased the level of concern of the people in my city".

"It also has a negative impact on public safety because we rely on immigrants and others to report crime in their neighborhood … and people avoid using public services."

"The Houston Police Department is not ICE, we will not be participating with ICE in this type of raids," Turner said during the interview. "We inform people that they have the right to due process, they do not have to open the door, they must not let anyone enter their homes."

"It's one thing if these raids were focused on people with criminal records, people who have committed violent crimes, gang members," Turner said. "But if we're just talking about deporting people who have been here for a long time and their crime is coming only to look for a better way to live or to give their families a better chance, the situation is different. . "

"The city of Houston is a welcoming city," he said. "I do not think it deters people from coming here and that does not improve public safety here in Houston."

Turner struck a similar note in June when he said that Houston "will continue to be a city that builds relationships, not walls".

Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock

Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock echoed Suarez 's claims that the city would never have been informed of raids on Sunday.

"Denver is aware of recent information that immigration enforcement is expected to increase in the coming days, but the Denver Police and the City of Denver would never be informed at all." 39, advance activities of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), tweeted the mayor Democrat.

"However, we wish to reaffirm that Denver stands alongside our immigrant and refugee families, that we do not support the separation of families or the reunion of immigrant families to sow the seeds of fear in our community. "

Hancock told CNN's Erin Burnett that the latest raids are a ploy for "playing political games" and "distracting" from the president.

"The reality is that we can not trust the word of the President, and once again he uses lies and inhumane acts to pursue and place our immigrants in a state of deep fear to play political games said Hancock Thursday to Erin Burnett. "

He asserted "with fairly good authority" that ICE had called for assistance services in the targeted cities to ask for help in the event that "they gather children".

San Francisco Mayor London Race

San Francisco mayor of London London Breed, who had already been arguing with the local police about immigration policy, issued a statement Thursday on planned raids.

"San Francisco is and will always be a sanctuary city that will defend our immigrant residents, we want our entire community to be prepared and know their rights, and we will continue to provide services to all immigrants," Breed said in a statement.

Priscilla Alvarez, Anna Laffrey, Kevin Liptak and CNN's Devan Cole contributed to this report.

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