(MENAFN- Live Mint) President Donald Trump stated that immigration raids“have not gone far enough” because“we have been held back by liberal judges", while blaming former US Presidents Biden and Obama for appointing them. He made the comment during a conversation with CBS' 60 Minutes when asked about tactics seen in videos, including people being thrown to the ground, car windows being smashed, and tear gas being used in residential areas.

Trump defended the tactics used by immigration agents, saying they were acceptable“because you have to get the people out" and repeated his claim that many of those detained had criminal records. He added that he could invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy professional military forces, rather than the National Guard, to US cities“if I wanted to".

“If you had to send in the Army or you had to send in the Marines I'd do that in a heartbeat. And no judge could challenge that," he mentioned.

The Insurrection Act gives the president authority to deploy military forces when local law enforcement is overwhelmed. The last time it was used was in 1992, when former President George HW Bush sent troops to Los Angeles to control riots. However, state and local officials say the protests against Trump's immigration raids are not unmanageable.

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Trump's remarks follow his administration's expansion of a federal program that deputizes local police to enforce immigration laws, enrolling nearly 16,000 officers across 40 states to increase deportations, according to data seen by Bloomberg.

Although the expansion has led to more arrests, particularly in Florida, many local agencies remain hesitant to participate. The initiative has also raised concerns about racial profiling, wrongful arrests, and pressure on law enforcement to support federal immigration enforcement politically.

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Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told President Trump that she wants to acquire additional buildings in Chicago for immigration agents as the administration works to fulfill its promise of mass deportations.

“We're purchasing more buildings in Chicago,” Noem said at a cabinet meeting on Thursday, according to Bloomberg.“We're not going to back off. In fact, we're doubling down and we're going to be in more parts of Chicago in response to the people there," Noem added that she recently toured potential sites in the city for expanded operations and security improvements.

(With inputs from Bloomberg)

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