DHS Warns California, New York, Illinois to Cooperate With ICE Deportations

The department said more than 400,000 illegal immigrants have been arrested, 70 percent of whom have criminal convictions or have been charged with crimes.

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicle sits near the Cook County jail and courthouse complex in Chicago on Sept. 8, 2025. Scott Olson/Getty Images

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a Sept. 20 statement that it warned the states of California, Illinois, and New York to cooperate with the federal government on deporting illegal immigrants.

The DHS said, via Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), that it was following up on letters sent to the three states’ attorneys general on Sept. 10 to confirm whether they would notify ICE when illegal immigrants are set to be released from jail or prison so that they can be transferred into the agency’s custody.