An immigrant sanctuary leader says reports that the Trump administration may launch raids this weekend against thousands of people facing deportation have raised awareness among Arizona activists, but the potential threat is the new normal.
A spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) declined to give specifics about whether an enforcement operation is coming this weekend.
ICE officials have said that 2,000 letters were sent months ago to families with final deportation orders, and those people could be targets of ICE sweeps.
Rev. Ken Heintzelman is senior minister at Shadow Rock United Church of Christ, which has offered sanctuary to people fighting deportation.
“Our country is better than this than to scare these families, scare these children. And really isolate and terrorize our neighbors. This just isn’t right,” he said.
President Donald Trump said earlier this week that ICE would soon start deporting “millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States.”
Associated Press contributed to this report.
