ICE to Launch Multi-City Operation Targeting Criminal Convicts on Jan. 21, Sources Say

Operation Sentinel Shield

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16, 2026. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is preparing a coordinated enforcement operation in at least four major cities beginning January 21, according to two Border Patrol agents and a DHS official familiar with the operation. The operation, internally named Operation Sentinel Shield, will target approximately 1,200 individuals with final removal orders or pending criminal charges, the DHS official said.

An internal ICE memorandum dated January 13 directs field offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver, and New York to begin staging personnel at 4 a.m. local time on January 21, the official said. The memo, which was distributed to special agents in charge and deputy field office directors, identifies the targets through the agency's Integrated Decision Support database and instructs teams to prioritize convicted felons and foreign nationals with pending charges for violent offenses.

Two Border Patrol agents assigned to tactical units said they received deployment orders on January 14 instructing them to report to the Hilton Chicago O'Hare Airport hotel by 8 p.m. on January 20. The orders identify the hotel as a staging area for agents from sectors along the southern border who will assist ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations division during the first 72 hours of the operation, the agents said.

A Texas law enforcement source said the Texas Department of Public Safety has agreed to provide highway patrol units and tactical aviation support for operations in the Dallas and Houston metropolitan areas if ICE expands the effort beyond the four initial cities. That expansion could occur as early as January 23, depending on the first wave of arrests, the source said.

Political and Jurisdictional Friction

The operation is scheduled to begin one day after the presidential inauguration and follows weeks of internal planning at DHS headquarters, the DHS official said. The target list was finalized during a meeting in the DHS Situation Room on January 12 that included ICE acting director Patrick J. Lechleitner, Border Patrol chief Jason Owens, and senior officials from the Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review, the official said.

Sanctuary jurisdictions are expected to resist coordination. A senior official in the Denver mayor's office said city attorneys are reviewing whether local law enforcement can lawfully decline requests to hold individuals for ICE pickup. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the review is ongoing, said Denver police will not participate in enforcement but will not actively interfere with federal operations absent a court order.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's office did not respond to requests for comment. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass's office issued a statement saying the city would continue to follow its sanctuary policies but would respond to lawful judicial warrants. New York City Mayor Eric Adams's office referred questions to the city's Law Department, which declined to comment.

Three congressional aides briefed on the operation said House Republicans have been told to expect a preliminary arrest tally by January 24. The aides said the administration plans to use the figures to support a broader legislative package that would condition certain federal law enforcement grants on cooperation with immigration detainers. That package is expected to be introduced in the House during the first week of February.

Operational Details and What to Watch

The operation will involve roughly 350 ICE officers and an additional 120 Border Patrol agents drawn from sectors in Texas, Arizona, and California, the DHS official said. Teams will operate in 12-person units and will use unmarked vehicles during the initial arrest phase, which is expected to conclude by January 24. After the initial sweep, ICE plans to move detainees to processing facilities in Aurora, Colorado; Adelanto, California; and Elizabeth, New Jersey, the official said.

Flight manifests reviewed by The Alamo Post show that ICE Air Operations has scheduled four charter flights departing from Aurora Municipal Airport on January 22, January 23, January 25, and January 27. The flights are listed with tail numbers N810NA, N811NA, N812NA, and N813NA and are routed to Central American capitals, the manifests show. A single deportation flight can carry up to 135 detainees, according to ICE budget documents.

The operation's budget line, designated as $18.4 million for the first 30 days, was approved by the DHS comptroller on January 9, the official said. The funds cover overtime, transportation, detention bed space, and contractor support. If the operation extends into February, ICE will need to request a reprogramming of funds from Congress, according to a congressional aide familiar with the budget process.

Immigrant advocacy groups said they have begun distributing know-your-rights materials in the four target cities. A lawyer with the National Immigration Forum said volunteer attorneys will staff hotlines beginning January 20 at 6 p.m. Eastern time and will monitor courthouses and ICE field offices for activity. The group has also filed Freedom of Information Act requests seeking the full target list and operational memo.

Watch for the first arrests to be reported early on January 21, for statements from the four city mayors by midday, and for a possible expansion into Houston, Dallas, Miami, and Philadelphia by January 23. The administration is expected to release an initial enforcement summary no later than January 24.