Multiple choice What was the purpose of the Palmer Raids? to find and deport illegal immigrants to break the power of the Ku Klux Klan to identify and punish suspected communists to undermine the Civil Rights movement Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself C Correct answer Explanation The Palmer Raids were a series of government actions in 1919 and 1920, led by Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer, to arrest and deport suspected radical leftists and communists during the First Red Scare.