The Trump administration is conducting a crackdown on illegal immigrants to begin on the first day, US media reported

Raids to detain and deport migrants living in the US without permission will begin on the first full day of the new Trump administration, US media reported.

The operations – threatened by Donald Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan – in Chicago, a city with a large migrant population, could begin on Tuesday, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal reported.

Trump has said he will oversee the largest deportation program in US history.

In an interview with Fox News this week, Homan promised a “major raid” across the country. He has said it before Chicago will be “ground zero” for mass deportations.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deports illegal immigrants all the time. However, the operation, which Trump will launch after his inauguration on Monday, is expected to target so-called “sanctuary” cities that limit cooperation with federal immigration officials.

Along with Chicago, New York and Los Angeles are among the US cities that have adopted “sanctuary” policies.

“On January 21st, you’re going to be looking for a lot of ICE agents in your city looking for criminals and gang members,” Homan said at a Republican rally in Chicago. “Count it. It will happen.”

New York, Los Angeles, Denver and Miami will also be targeted, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources not familiar with the plans.

Under Democratic President Joe Biden, ICE generally prioritized arresting illegal immigrants who were serious criminals, crossed the border or posed a threat to national security.

Although Trump’s team has indicated that they will start with migrants who have committed crimes, all illegal migrants – including those who have lived and worked in the US for many years and have no criminal record – are likely to be arrested and deported.

Immigration raids at construction sites where undocumented migrants often work are also expected to resume after being suspended by the Biden administration, according to the BBC’s US partner CBS News.

Ahead of the expected tightening of US policy, more migrant farmworkers have been seeking advice on dealing with immigration officials and assigning temporary guardians to their children.

“The administration hasn’t sworn in yet, but people are already afraid,” Sarait Martinez, executive director of Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño, which supports Mexican farm workers in California, told Reuters.

As well as pledging to deport millions of illegal migrants and threatening workplace attacks, to name a few Reports suggest Trump may also scrap a longstanding policy that has made churches off limits for ICE arrests..

However, the upcoming raids are likely to pose significant difficulties for officials – with limited custody space to hold detainees.

At the same time, the Laken Riley Law – in honor of a university student who was murdered in Georgia last year by a Venezuelan man previously arrested for shoplifting – will be approved next week by US lawmakers.

The proposed legislation would require the federal government to detain illegal immigrants suspected of criminal activity in the US, even if they are not accused of any crime.