Report: Ex-DHS officials pushed back against White House's secret plan for mass family arrests

Before they were forced out in April, former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Ronald Vitiello pushed back against the White House's secret plan to arrest thousands of migrant parents and children in 10 cities across the United States, several current and former Department of Homeland Security officials told The Washington Post.

The operation involved fast-tracking immigration court cases, giving the government permission to instantly deport those who did not show up for their hearings, the Post reports. During coordinated raids in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and other major cities, about 2,500 migrants were set to be arrested and then deported.

Nielsen and Vitiello cautioned against the plan, concerned that ICE agents weren't prepared for such a task and that it would take resources from the border, officials told the Post, adding that while Nielsen and Vitiello blocked the plan at the time, it is still being considered.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The plan has two outspoken supporters, officials said: Senior Trump adviser Stephen Miller and ICE Deputy Director Matthew Albence, who reportedly liked the idea of dramatic, high-profile arrests that showed the government was willing to arrest entire families. Read more about the plan, and how it factored into Trump's decision to push out Nielsen and Vitiello, at The Washington Post.