NOTN- After social media posts have circulated claiming 7 ICE agents checked into hotels in downtown Juneau, Mayor Beth Weldon joined KINY to discuss some of those rumors.
“So far, we haven’t been able to substantiate any of those rumors,” She said, “so, no presence or activity that we are aware of, however, maybe this is where the rumors are coming from, TSA is in town, and they will have a visual intermodal Presence Prevention and Response Team present.”
TSA will be conducting high visibility patrols on cruise ship docks, and they’ll be doing that all this week.
“So if you see lots of uniforms down there, that’s what’s happening.” Said Mayor Weldon “it’s no concern. It’s an annual activity. CBJ is not involved, and we’ve been doing this since 2021.”
While ICE agents may not be in the Capital, recently, the Alaska Department of Corrections has been holding dozens of immigration detainees in Anchorage under conditions that violate federal standards for humane treatment, according to Alaska Public Media, three immigration lawyers said the men were denied phone access to their attorneys and consulates, held in lockdown for long periods and, in one incident, subjected to pepper spray.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is playing a key role in the Trump administration’s plans to crack down on illegal immigration.
ICE teams are continuing to carry out enforcement operations. And officials have said targeting criminals is a priority, but a key issue to watch is how the term “criminal” is defined. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said that the administration sees all undocumented immigrants as criminals.
