The Trump administration is preparing to prosecute officials and others for obstructing deportations and putting federal law enforcement agents at risk. President Donald Trump’s border czar, former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) chief Tom Homan, confirmed on Thursday that plans for an immigration raid on Aurora, Colorado had been leaked and vowed to find whoever had leaked the information. An ICE raid originally planned for Wednesday was meant to target members of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TDA), who had taken over parts of Aurora, just outside Denver. ICE had planned to arrest over 100 TDA members but, due to the leak, only arrested 30 illegal immigrants, including only one TDA member.

“When we show up at these sites, this is a dangerous job for the men and women of ICE and Border Patrol and all the DOJ agencies,” Homan stated in an interview following the leak. He continued, “To have this type of interference puts our officers at great risk — not only the officers, it puts the aliens at great risk because anything can happen when we take our eyes off the goal here, so we’re addressing it immediately today.” He told the person or persons responsible for the leak, “We’re not going to tolerate it anymore. This is not a game.” Hinting at prosecution, Homan added, “This is not a joke. This is serious business, and they need to stop, or we’re going to prosecute them through the Department of Justice.” He confirmed, “I’m addressing OPSEC today — operational security — and how the leaks are happening. We’ve identified how this operation got leaked, and I’ll deal with that today.”

A number of protestors also harassed ICE officers as they carried out the Aurora raid after Denver Mayor Mike Johnston (D) suggested last year that he might organize protests to obstruct mass deportations. Homan warned city and state officials against interfering with ICE. “For any mayor or governor who doesn’t want public safety threats removed in the communities, I find it hard to believe that, but we’re going to do it with or without them,” he said. The border czar added, “If they’re not going to help, get out of the way. But don’t cross that line. Do not impede our operations. Do not knowingly conceal or harbor illegal aliens because we will seek prosecution.”

That warning has been a recurring theme of Homan’s tenure as border czar: he has previously advised mayors and governors against obstructing deportations, reiterating that prosecutions would ensue. When New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (D) claimed last week that he was housing an illegal immigrant, for example, Homan pledged to “look into it,” adding, “I will seek prosecution — or the Secretary [of Homeland Security] will seek prosecution. So, maybe he’s bluffing. If he’s not, we’ll deal with that.”

Homan shared Thursday that he is already working with the DOJ on possible prosecutions. “I’m working very close starting this morning with the Department of Justice in — where do they cross the line of impediment? So they may find themselves in a pair of handcuffs soon,” he said regarding those who obstruct ICE operations. Trump’s DOJ has already moved to penalize “sanctuary cities” that refuse to cooperate with the federal government.

Under newly-minted U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, the DOJ has filed a lawsuit against the city of Chicago and state of Illinois, specifically citing city and state ordinances and statutes barring local law enforcement from cooperating with ICE. Currently, measures in place in Chicago and Illinois prohibit state, county, or city law enforcement from investigating or inquiring about the immigration or citizenship status of those accused of crimes, detaining individuals on the basis or suspicion that they may be in the country illegally, or cooperating with ICE officers. The DOJ’s lawsuit argues that such state and local laws are “designed to and in fact interfere with and discriminate against the Federal Government's enforcement of federal immigration law in violation of the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution.”

The lawsuit says that Chicago and Illinois laws “obstruct the Federal Government’s enforcement of federal immigration law and … impede consultation and communication between federal, state, and local law enforcement officials that is necessary for federal officials to carry out federal immigration law and keep Americans safe.” The lawsuit continues, “Upon information and belief, the conduct of officials in Chicago and Illinois minimally enforcing — and oftentimes affirmatively thwarting — federal immigration laws over a period of years has resulted in countless criminals being released into Chicago who should have been held for immigration removal from the United States.”

“For too long, leaders in Illinois and Chicago have abused their power by putting the comfort of illegal aliens over the safety and welfare of their own citizens. This ends today,” Bondi said in a statement to the New York Post. She continued, “The Department of Justice will no longer stand by as state and local leaders obstruct federal law enforcement efforts, endangering their citizens and the brave men and women in uniform.” Bondi added, “If you are a leader of a state or local jurisdiction that obstructs or impedes federal law enforcement, you will be next.”

“This lawsuit will put the spotlight on obstruction by state and local officials and their refusal to support the administration and compliance with the law. The law says people who are here illegally are not allowed to stay here, they should be deported. So we want to make sure those impediments are taken away,” a DOJ official said. He continued, “These states and localities advertise themselves as sanctuary jurisdictions. They are inviting people here who are illegal, and they’re promising to protect them from federal law enforcement. That’s inconsistent with federal law, and it’s impeding federal law enforcement efforts…” The official added, that “these laws need to be struck from the books because they’re incentivizing illegal immigration into the country.”

Previously, Homan has discussed the problems posed by “sanctuary cities” like Chicago. “Sanctuary cities are difficult to operate in. … [O]ne agent can arrest one bad guy in jail in 10 minutes. But when they release them back into the community, we’ve got to send a whole team to find him, and some of them don’t want to be found,” he explained. The border czar continued, “And it’s unsafe for the community because you’re putting a public safety threat back into the public, and that’s idiotic to begin with. It makes the job more dangerous for the agent, more dangerous for the alien, more dangerous for the community.” He added, “So, we’ve got to spend a lot of time trying to locate this person, write up an operational plan, and seek to arrest them. It’s not efficient. And so, not only is it difficult, it’s very dangerous.”

Initial deportation efforts in Chicago were personally led by Homan, who arrested illegal migrants who had been convicted of violent or predatory crimes. “This is an example of ‘sanctuary cities,’” Homan said after handcuffing a convicted sex offender and child predator from Thailand. He added, “You got an illegal alien convicted of sex crimes involving children, he’s walking the streets of Chicago.” Referencing Chicago’s “sanctuary” policies and provisions, the border czar continued, “The downfall, the problem with ‘sanctuary cities’ is where you have people like this walking the streets instead of local law enforcement working with federal agents. This is what we’re dealing with.”

Despite the efforts of Democratic leaders, a majority of Americans approve of ICE and the mass deportations spearheaded by Homan. According to an Economist/YouGov poll, 53% of American voters hold a favorable view of ICE as of the beginning of February, while only 37% hold an unfavorable view of the agency. Overall, 28% hold a “very favorable” view of ICE, compared to only 19% who hold a “very unfavorable” view.