US arrests more than 1,200 people in crackdown on illegal immigration

A weekend immigration sweep in various parts of the US involved more 1,200 arrests, as President Donald Trump's administration follows through on promises to crack down on illegal immigration.

US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (Ice) said it arrested 1,242 people on Saturday and Sunday in what it called "enhanced targeted operations” to “preserve public safety and national security by keeping potentially dangerous criminal aliens out of our communities”.

Tom Homan, former acting director of Ice who has been appointed Mr Trump's border tsar, was in Chicago to oversee operations. The raids in the Midwest city drew widespread media attention, with even TV personality Dr Phil McGraw joining Mr Homan to live-stream events.

Mr Homan told CNN that Sunday’s enforcement actions in Chicago represented “a good day” and a “game-changer”. He said current efforts were focused on “criminal aliens”, while immigration raids were also reported in big cities in Georgia, Colorado, California and Texas.

During his first few days in office, Mr Trump declared an emergency on the southern US border and vowed to arrest and deport millions of people living in the country illegally. The Pentagon said last week it was sending 1,500 troops to work on the US-Mexico border. US troops are not allowed to take part in arrests on home soil, though that could change if Mr Trump invokes a law from the 1800s called the Insurrection Act.

Newly appointed Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was confirmed in position on Friday despite losing the support of three Republicans over his lack of experience and personal conduct, said the US military would “absolutely” help with the mass deportation of migrants.

“Support of mass deportations in support of the President’s objective – that is something the Defence Department absolutely will continue to do,” Mr Hegseth said, as he arrived at the Pentagon for his first day on the job. “The lawful orders of the President of United States will be executed inside this Defence Department – swiftly and without excuse.”

The increasing number of raids comes amid international backlash from countries being asked to receive flights carrying deported migrants.

On Sunday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro refused to allow military aircraft carrying deported migrants to land in his country, saying Mr Trump needed to come up with a plan to treat migrants "with dignity”. After tit-for-tat threats of tariffs and sanctions, the White House said Colombia had agreed to accept the flights.

“It is the responsibility of each nation to take back their citizens who are illegally present in the United States in a serious and expeditious manner,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in response to Mr Petro's actions on Sunday. “As demonstrated by today’s actions, we are unwavering in our commitment to end illegal immigration and bolster America’s border security.”

Mexico has also allowed flights carrying non-Mexican deported migrants to land in its territory, in an apparent reversal of President Claudia Sheinbaum's previous opposition to doing so. “From January 20 to [January] 26, 4,094 people, the vast majority of them Mexicans, have been received,” she said in her daily press conference on Monday.