Former ICE Chief Says Raids Announced for Political Gain, Endangering Migrants, Agents

"I think it's frankly inexcusable to promote this operation before it happens," said John Sandweg, former acting director of the agency

Immigration raids scheduled to take place in at least nine U.S. cities Sunday could be mass, indiscriminate roundups that target entire families rather than those who pose a threat, says a former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

John Sandweg, who worked for the Department of Homeland Security from 2009 to 2014, including a stint as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was critical of the Trump administration's continued broadcasting of Sunday's ICE enforcement action against an estimated 2,000 families with members said to be the subject of deportation orders, NBC News reported.

Sandweg said in an interview Friday that the announcements were for political gain and could endanger law enforcement agents, cause felons to hide and discourage immigrants from reporting criminals.

"We've never seen anything like this," he said. "I think it's frankly inexcusable to promote this operation before it happens. It just puts the officers in danger, and completely diminishes the effectiveness of the operation itself."

Sandweg said it becomes perilous for agents when subjects, particularly those with violent pasts, know when and where they will show up.

"All you're doing is giving the alert to potential individuals who are going to be targets of this operation who may intend to hurt ICE agents," he said.

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