A massive five- day ICE operation that netted 426 arrests across Indiana is fueling Hoosier Sen.Jim Banks’ push for Congress to cement President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown into law before a future administration can reverse course.Banks hailed "Operation Safe Community: Indiana" in a Fox News Digital interview this week after federal immigration officers fanned out across his home state from Aug.
30 through Sept.3, arresting 426 people with records involving sex crimes, assault, domestic violence, drug trafficking and weapons offenses, according to ICE."This is why Donald Trump was elected in 2024: for mass deportation," Banks told Fox News Digital.
"It was one of his key agenda items during the campaign.And in this case in Indiana, you see the direct result of it."TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S IMMIGRATION PUSH FUELS ICE'S BIGGEST ARREST MONTH IN AGENCY HISTORYLeft: Immigrants stream in through the U.S.
southern border.Right: Sen.
Jim Banks, R-Ind.(J.
Scott Applewhite/AP Photo; Getty)ICE also credited cooperation with state and local law enforcement agencies in carrying out the operation, something Republicans have flagged as a key aspect to successful enforcement.But Banks argued the operation also underscores a limitation of Trump’s crackdown: aggressive executive enforcement today does not guarantee that the same immigration policies survive the next administration.DHS BOSS REVEALS OVAL OFFICE PLAN TO 'WITHHOLD FUNDING' FROM SANCTUARY CITIES AFTER AGGRESSIVE NEW YORK BUSTUS Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, along with other federal law enforcement agencies, attend a pre-enforcement meeting in Chicago, Illinois, US, on Sunday, Jan.26, 2025.
President Donald Trump has pledged to carry out the largest deportation effort in US history, vowing to ultimately deport all of the foreigners living in the country without permission.(Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)"It is important that we codify Trump border security measures and...