AUSTIN, Texas — Officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted raids in the Austin area on Sunday.
According to a spokesperson with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Houston Division, the DEA and other federal law enforcement agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), assisted in the raids.
The raids come as President Donald Trump and his administration have begun cracking down on illegal immigration and laying the groundwork for rapid deportations. As part of the immigration crackdown, Trump, in one of his first official actions since taking office, revoked a directive barring arrests in “sensitive” areas such as churches and schools.
This is the first confirmed raid in the Austin area since Trump took office on Jan. 20. The DEA assisted with ICE raids in Austin, McAllen, San Antonio and the Houston area.
A DEA spokesperson said ICE requested its assistance with the raids.
The state of Texas is home to roughly 1.6 million undocumented people.