Activists say immigration enforcement increased as Chicago waits for promised federal intervention
CHICAGO (AP) — Activists in Chicago’s well-connected immigrant rights network say there’s been a noticeable uptick in immigration enforcement agents in recent days, deepening the dread in communities already fearful of the large-scale arrests or aggressive tactics used in other cities targeted by President Donald Trump.
Those tactics haven’t been seen yet in or around the nation’s third-largest city. but activists report a spike in arrests in immigrant-heavy city neighborhoods and suburbs of Chicago. Immigration officers are focused on isolated traffic stops and there’s been an increased presence of them at local courthouses.
“We definitely feel escalated operations are already here,” said Lawrence Benito, head of the Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
The Trump administration has said it would send an influx of immigration agents and National Guard troops to Chicago, over the fierce of objections of local leaders and residents. But Trump has seesawed on sending a military deployment to Chicago. Last week he said he would send the National Guard to more cooperative places, but then on Monday he again floated Chicago as the next possibility
Adding to the confusion, was a new Department of Homeland Security campaign announced last week that would target sanctuary policies around Chicago. DHS officials have not said if what it has termed “Operation Midway Blitz” is part of the federal intervention promised by Trump.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who has objected to any federal intervention, told reporters Monday that it was clear that immigration operations were ramping up around Chicago.
“ICE has been gathering its agents. It has taken them longer than I think they anticipated,” he said. “I expect that they now have more people on the ground and will effectuate their plans to an even greater degree.”
