Local leaders speak out about planned ICE raids in their cities

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials plan to arrest and deport families with court-ordered removals in 10 cities beginning Sunday, according to a senior immigration official. Just days earlier, President Donald Trump indicated an operation was imminent.

ICE has said it was considering options to deport families that have gone through their legal proceedings. But it has not said much about the scope and time frame of the operation.

Last year, the office that oversees the nation’s immigration courts announced it is tracking family cases in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York and San Francisco.

Here’s what the leaders of those cities are saying:

Atlanta

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms tweeted in solidarity for immigrant communities, along with a link to the Southeast Immigration Freedom Initiative (SIFI), which provides pro bono legal representation to detained immigrants.

“This cruel policy is not the solution to a broken immigration system. Only good faith bipartisan efforts will fix the system and ensure our country lives up to its own highest values and ideals,” she said in a statement to CNN.

Baltimore

Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young released a statement reminding residents of the city that they have access to an attorney if they are detained by ICE and that the city is safe and welcoming.

“I am proud that Baltimore is committed to upholding the American values of respecting the rights and dignity of every resident,” he said. “Regardless of the position of the federal government, we will continue to stand by our decision to be an inclusive, fair and welcoming city.”

Chicago:

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said police will not cooperate with the immigration raids. The police superintendent has confirmed that the department terminated ICE’s access to its databases related to federal immigration enforcement activities, she said.

“I have also personally spoken with ICE leadership in Chicago and voiced my strong objection to any such raids. Further, I reiterated that CPD will not cooperate with or facilitate any ICE enforcement actions,” she said.

Denver

Mayor Michael B. Hancock of Denver said that it is aware of raid reports, but the city would not receive advance notice of ICE activity.

“However, we want to reiterate that Denver stands with our immigrant and refugee families, that we do not support family separation or the round-up of immigrant families to spread fear in our community,” he said.

Houston

In a statement, Houston’s Mayor Sylvester Turner said that while he has not been notified of ICE plans to conduct mass raids, he understands that the reports cause anxiety to many in the city. The reports, he said, are a reminder that the immigration system needs reform.

“The city does not try to do ICE’s job, nor does it try to impede ICE. And we will continue to be a city that builds relationships, not walls,” he said.

Los Angeles

LAPD reminded officers that the department does not participate in ICE roundups, according to a memo provided to CNN by a law enforcement source. Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement that the city will not assist ICE in the deportation sweeps.

“Los Angeles will always stand with our immigrant brothers and sisters, and our law enforcement officers will never participate in these actions,” said Garcetti. “No Angeleno should ever have to fear being snatched from their home or separated from their loved ones — and we are doing everything we can to provide immigrant families with the information and support they need.”

Miami

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said in a statement that the city thrives on the diversity of its people.

“We are a city of immigrants. We agree that criminals, like dangerous gang members who came here illegally, should be deported immediately. As Mayor, I trust that only those individuals who represent a clear and present danger to our communities will be affected by this DHS policy.”

New York

Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city is standing by immigrants in anticipation of the raids, saying that the raids show that ICE in its current form cannot continue to exist.

“The Trump Administration’s overbroad enforcement serves only to tear immigrant families apart, create an environment of fear, and divide us as a nation. That’s not how we operate in New York City and we will always stand proudly alongside our immigrant brothers and sisters,” he said.

San Francisco

San Francisco Mayor London Breed said in a statement that the city remains a sanctuary city and encouraged residents to use the SF Rapid Response Hotline to report raids or get deportation legal assistance.

“It is unconscionable that the Federal administration is targeting innocent immigrant families with secret raids that are designed to inflict as much fear and pain as possible. Here in San Francisco, we will always demonstrate our values of diversity and inclusiveness by being a sanctuary city that stands up for all our residents and neighbors,” Breed said.

CNN’s Dave Alsup, Faith Kairimi and Andrea Diaz contributed to this report.