President Trump has come forward in staunch defense of the raids and methods employed by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents this year, asserting unequivocally that “they haven’t gone far enough.” His remarks came during an interview with CBS News’s Norah O’Donnell, a segment of which was shared on Sunday evening as a teaser for the “60 Minutes” episode.

O’Donnell pressed the president on whether he thought certain raids had overstepped boundaries. This inquiry followed the emergence of videos showing agents using tear gas in a Chicago residential area and smashing car windows. Trump’s response was firm: “No. I think they haven’t gone far enough, because we’ve been held back by judges — by the liberal judges that were put in by Biden and by Obama.”

When questioned if he was comfortable with the tactics used, Trump affirmed, “Well, yeah, because you have to get the people out.” He elaborated, emphasizing the nature of those targeted by these operations, “You have to look at the people. Many of them are murderers. Many of them are people thrown out of their countries because they were, you know, criminals.”

Trump’s comments highlight his administration’s continued focus on stringent immigration enforcement, a cornerstone of his policy agenda. He underscored the necessity of deporting individuals with criminal backgrounds, painting a stark picture of the threats he perceives they pose to national security.

“You have to look at the people. Many of them are murderers. Many of them are people thrown out of their countries because they were, you know, criminals,” he added, also saying his administration was deporting

“You promised in your campaign that you were going to deport the worst of the worst — violent criminals, rapists, ” O’Donnell said, with Trump responding, “We’re doing that. That’s what we’re doing.”

“But a lot of the people that your administration has arrested and deported aren’t violent criminals: landscapers, nannies, construction workers, farmworkers, the families of service members,” O’Donnell rebutted.

“Landscapers who are criminals, yeah,” Trump responded.

“Is it your intent to deport people without a criminal record?” O’Donnell asked Trump.

“We have to start off with a policy, and the policy has to be that ‘You came into the country illegally, you’re going to go out,’” Trump said. “However, you’ve also seen, ‘You’re going to go out. We’re going to work with you, and you’re going to come back into our country legally.’”

Since returning to the White House, Trump has increased immigration raids nationwide, sending masked federal agents into some “sanctuary cities” in an effort to deport immigrants allegedly in the country illegally. 

Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston have become center stage for increased immigration enforcement this year,

Cities like Chicago and Boston remain center stage for increased immigration enforcement operations beginning this week, but Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sources say Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is “everywhere.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker have slammed Trump’s immigration operations in their states.

Recently, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie (D) condemned the reported deployment of federal immigration officers to his city, saying it would incite “chaos and violence,” rather than reduce crime.

“In cities across the country, masked immigration officials are deployed to use aggressive enforcement tactics that instill fear, so people don’t feel safe going about their daily lives,” Lurie said in a nine-minute video statement.