Officials say DHS leaks led to postponement of ICE raids: BuzzFeed

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids delayed last week by President Trump reportedly might have been postponed due to a leak within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). 

Two senior administration officials told BuzzFeed News that people in the administration believe that acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kevin McAleenan, or his staff, leaked details of the operation, which threatened it. 

“Leaking the locations and details to stop the operation from happening not only harmed operational integrity, but it put the safety and well-being of his own officers in jeopardy,” one official told BuzzFeed. “The ICE mission is enforcing the nation’s laws and ensuring those who are unlawfully present in the country are removed if ordered by a judge; this will leave an un-erasable mark on his tenure.”

The Hill has reached out to DHS for comment. {mosads}

“Any leak telegraphing sensitive law enforcement operations is egregious and puts our officers’ safety in danger,” ICE spokeswoman Carol Danko said in a statement Saturday. “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are true American heroes and the President’s postponement protects officers and provides an opportunity for Congress to swiftly work together in a bipartisan fashion to end the incentives for child smuggling and ensure all illegal aliens can be promptly returned upon apprehension at the southern border.”

The agency declined to comment further. 

President Trump tweeted Saturday saying he halted the plan for two weeks so that Democrats and Republicans can attempt to find solutions to immigration issues. 

“At the request of Democrats, I have delayed the Illegal Immigration Removal Process (Deportation) for two weeks to see if the Democrats and Republicans can get together and work out a solution to the Asylum and Loophole problems at the Southern Border. If not, Deportations start!” he wrote. 

CNN reported Saturday that the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called President Trump last week urging him to call off the planned raid. 

The plan was expected to involve early morning raids Sunday in cities with large  immigrant communities, including Houston, Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles. The operation would have targeted migrant families who had received deportation orders.