President Trump is deploying a group of “elite tactical agents” to sanctuary cities across the United States to increase the number of arrests of criminal illegal aliens, a report states.

According to sources who spoke to the New York Times, Trump is sending about 100 agents of the elite U.S. Border Patrol tactical unit known as BORTAC to sanctuary cities such as:

The BORTAC agents are expected to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents with deportation operations between February and May in an effort to increase arrests of criminal illegal aliens by 35 percent, according to emails read to the Times.

Acting ICE Director Matthew Albence told the Times in a statement:

“As we have noted for years, in jurisdictions where we are not allowed to assume custody of aliens from jails, our officers are forced to make at-large arrests of criminal aliens who have been released into communities,” he said. “When sanctuary cities release these criminals back to the street, it increases the occurrence of preventable crimes, and more importantly, preventable victims.”

The added BORTAC agents aiding ICE with arrests of criminal illegal aliens comes as federal immigration officials reportedly requested more help in the sanctuary cities that shield fugitives from deportation.

Most recently, the Trump administration has released a full-fledged federal campaign to take on sanctuary jurisdictions. At the Justice Department, Attorney General William Barr has filed lawsuits against the sanctuary state of New Jersey and the sanctuary county of King County, Washington for their obstruction of national immigration law.

“When we are talking about sanctuary cities, we are talking about policies that are designed to allow criminal aliens to escape … their express purpose is to shelter aliens whom local law enforcement has already arrested for other crimes,” Barr said this week.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.