WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Donald Trump’s border czar on Sunday defended raiding churches and schools as part of a crackdown on illegal immigration, while six federal agencies launched a sweep aimed at “potentially dangerous criminal aliens” in Chicago.

Although no widespread immigration raids were reported here this week, the possibility — and reports that Chicago would be ground zero for enforcement — kept many of the region’s estimated 400,000

Trump border czar Tom Homan and TV personality Dr. Phil are in the city to observe the operations, according to reports.

Acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove and Border Czar Tom Homan oversaw immigration enforcement efforts in Chicago on Sunday, as efforts got underway across the country.

Dr. Phil McGraw said on Sunday that he’s embedding with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials as they conduct what federal officials are calling “targeted operations” to enforce immigration law in Chicago.

Despite earlier reports that ICE agents tried to enter a Chicago elementary school Friday, the agency says it wasn't them. So what exactly happened?

Chicago school officials claimed several Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents tried to enter a majority-Latino elementary school in the south side of Chicago on Friday, days after Donald Trump ’s administration rescinded long-standing policy that prohibits law enforcement actions in schools and churches.

In a wide-ranging interview on Sunday, Vice President JD Vance defended a variety of plans set in motion by President Trump during the first week of his term, including the beginnings of a promised crackdown on migrants living in the United States and an effort to supercharge oil and gas production.

ICE, along with several other federal agencies, began what they called "enhanced targeted operations" on Sunday in Chicago.

The tit-for-tat with the South American nation underscores the febrile environment surrounding the US president’s deportation policy.

Demand for U.S. corn and cattle has remained stout in recent months despite dwindling inventories, leading speculators to assume super-bullish stances in both.