New York political leaders are split over the recent increase in ICE deportation operations, with Republicans praising the crackdown and Democrats stressing authorities respect “sanctuary" policies.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE) agents carried out an early morning raid in New York City on Tuesday, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has said. Noem shared video on X, formerly Twitter, showing officers leading away an individual.

Immigration officials have been busy this week removing criminal illegal migrants off New York City streets, with many residents hailing the sweeps as making the Big Apple a safer place to live.

Their jails in their own countries are a lot worse than here. They don’t care about being locked up here, so they should be deported,” said a man in Jackson Heights, Queens.