WASHINGTON: Presi­d­ent Donald Trump is threatening to remove millions of people living in the United States illegally ahead of formally announcing his reelection bid .

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement next week will “begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States,” Trump said in a pair of tweets on Monday night. “They will be removed as fast as they come in,” he wrote.

An administration official said the effort would focus on the more than 1 million people who have been issued final deportation orders by federal judges but remain at large in the US. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to explain the president’s tweets.

Other US officials with knowledge of the preparations have said the operation was not imminent, and that ICE officials were not aware the president would make public sensitive law enforcement plans on Twitter.

It is unusual for law enforcement agencies to announce raids before they take place.

Published in Dawn, June 19th, 2019

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