'Rest assured, we are not coordinating with ICE': Defiant LA Mayor Eric Garcetti releases video directed at Trump's ICE raids and tells illegal immigrants 'your city is on your side'

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Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti took a stand against the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in a new video released on Twitter that involves the official reassuring residents that 'we are in this together'.

The video was released on Saturday just hours before raids began in at least 10 cities across the US.

'A message for all Angelenos: Here in Los Angeles, we will not be coordinating with ICE. Your city is on your side, we are in this together,' the mayor tweeted in the caption of the video. 

Garcetti is seen in the video standing next to Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore as he tells viewers: 'We've all heard reports the Trump administration is threatening to round up and deport thousands of immigrant families in cities across America this weekend.'

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Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (right, with Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore) took a stand against the ICE raids in a new video released on Twitter that sees the official reassuring residents that 'we are in this together'

'I want every Angeleno to know their rights and how to exercise them. Remember, you have the right to remain silent. You don't have to open your door to an ICE agent that doesn't have a warrant signed by a judge.

'You have the right to speak to a lawyer before signing any documents or speaking to law enforcement. And, if you need help finding an attorney, you can call 311 and learn more about our Justice Fund and other resources that offer legal support,' the mayor said.

Garcetti encouraged residents to 'keep a record of everything that happens'. 

'Take note of an officer's name and badge number, of when and where you are being questioned, so you can use that information in your own defense,' he said.

The mayor also said in the video: 'I want you to know, you do not need to be afraid. Your city is on your side, and rest assured, here in Los Angeles we are not coordinating with ICE.' 

Chief Moore than told viewers that the department 'is not assisting ICE in any way'.

'We will not enforce immigration laws that are civil in nature and fall under the justification of the federal government. Immigration is a federal matter. Safety is a police matter, and we're not going to mix those two,' Moore added. 

Authorities launched small-scale operations seeking to arrest undocumented immigrants over the weekend in an apparent start to Trump's vow to launch mass deportation round-ups across the US. 

The operation, which Trump revealed on Twitter last month and postponed before telling reporters on Friday that it would proceed, was expected to target hundreds of recently arrived families in about 10 cities who had been ordered deported by an immigration judge.

The removal operations are meant to deter a surge in Central American families fleeing poverty and gang violence in their home countries, with many seeking asylum in the US.

Authorities launched small-scale operations seeking to arrest undocumented immigrants over the weekend in an apparent start to Trump's vow to launch mass deportation round-ups across the US

The operation, which Trump revealed on Twitter last month, was expected to target hundreds of recently arrived families (file image) in about 10 cities who had been ordered deported by an immigration judge

Immigrants and their advocates were bracing for mass arrests, but by Sunday night there were only reports of low-profile operations in a few cities.

'We are doing targeted enforcement actions against specific individuals who have had their day in immigration court and have been ordered removed by an immigration judge,' Acting ICE Director Matt Albence told Fox News when asked for an update.

Mary Bauer at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) said there were no confirmed operations in large Southern cities such as Atlanta.

There also were no reports of arrests from the American Immigration Council, which has lawyers on standby to give legal advice at the country's largest family migrant detention center in Dilley, Texas.

'Immigrants and immigrant communities all over the country are in hiding and people are living in these terrified, terrorized ways, because that is the point of this whole action, whether enforcement actions take place or not,' said Bauer, the SPLC's deputy legal director.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said there were three ICE operations in his city on Saturday, with no reported arrests. He said there was no ICE activity in New York on Sunday.

'This is a political act by this president, he's politicized a United States government agency to help him win re-election,' said de Blasio, a Democratic candidate for the 2020 presidential race.

In Denver, the Colorado Rapid Response Network of immigration activists said there were unconfirmed reports of ICE or police detaining three people on Sunday in the Potter Highlands area.

The Miami-based Florida Immigrant Coalition said immigrants were sheltering at home after ICE agents were seen near the city's international airport. No arrests were reported.

In Denver, the Colorado Rapid Response Network of immigration activists said there were unconfirmed reports of ICE or police detaining three people on Sunday in the Potter Highlands area. Protesters in Chicago are seen during a demonstration on Saturday 

Protesters march to offices of the ICE ahead of raids across multiple cities on Saturday 

'They've been stocking up on groceries and making plans to stay in their homes with the lights off and the blinds down,' the group posted on Facebook. 'Some are staying home from work.'

An ICE spokeswoman declined to comment on operations, citing the safety of the agency's personnel.

Albence told Fox News that enforcement operations would target families who entered the country illegally then mostly failed to attend court hearings to pursue an asylum claim.

Immigration rights activists have said that in many cases immigrants do not receive proper notice of their court dates.

The operations came as the Trump administration faces criticism for housing immigrants in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions.

'While we haven't heard of widespread sweeps, none of our communities should have to live in fear that parents won't come home from work, or kids won't return from school,' said Lauren Weiner, communications director for the American Civil Liberties Union, which sued this week to stop the arrests going ahead.

In a typical week, ICE arrests thousands of immigrants who are staying in the country illegally, according to government data. Most of those arrests are made without advance publicity.