When Trump's Immigration Offensive Reached Chicago
Since the announcement of mass deportations in Chicago by Trump’s new “border czar,” a wave of anxiety has begun to swell in the Windy City.
TroibNews 
**CHICAGO** — In a predominantly Mexican American neighborhood, an open-air market reminiscent of those in Latin America can be found within a mall. Colorful miniature dolls stretch their arms beside aisles filled with porcelain baby Jesus figurines, miniature boxing gloves adorned with the Mexican flag, quinceañera dresses, suits, cowboy hats, jewelry, and a multitude of knick-knacks crammed into every nook.
Sylvia, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, has been making her way in this vibrant Midwestern city for two decades. As she serves customers at her stall, she opens up about her fears.
She worries that she and her husband, who is also undocumented, might face deportation. There’s also the unsettling possibility that if President Donald Trump succeeds in revoking birthright citizenship, her two American-born teenagers could find themselves on a flight to Mexico. Consequently, she and her husband kept their children home from school this past week due to the risks.
“We are so scared,” says Sylvia. “[My children] think we’re not gonna come back. That happens.”
For the immigrant community in Chicago, this past month has been marked by fear and uncertainty.
The collective anxiety intensified after Trump’s new border chief, Tom Homan, made a statement at a Republican Christmas party announcing that mass deportations would begin in Chicago, with a DJ playing “Bad to the Bone” in the background. Although ICE officials specified that "Operation Safeguard" would target convicted criminals, Homan’s admission about the potential for “collateral arrests” of non-criminals in sanctuary cities like Chicago exacerbated fears. This unease deepened as Trump issued several executive orders aimed at tightening immigration enforcement in his first week in office.
When ICE raids commenced last Sunday, anxiety escalated into a widespread panic.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in tactical gear surged through the streets, accompanied by TV personality Dr. Phil, who broadcast the raids to a national audience. In immigrant-heavy Latino neighborhoods such as Pilsen and Little Village, school attendance plummeted, and local business owners reported a dramatic drop in customers. Workers stayed home, fearing deportation. City officials further fueled this fear by inadvertently spreading incorrect information. Aldermen have been seen reaching out to constituents, discussing their rights if approached by ICE.
Chicago police estimate that over the past week, approximately 100 individuals were arrested, with expectations of more in the coming weeks; in stark contrast, only 39 were arrested in New York.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson stated, “They want us to be afraid. Do not be afraid, Chicago.”
In anticipation of the raids, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker sought to reassure the public. As a vocal critic of the Trump administration, he highlighted the detrimental impact of immigration enforcement on both documented and undocumented families. “Right now there’s so much confusion and chaos they are scaring families who are here legally, who might have families who are undocumented,” Pritzker told reporters just before the raids commenced. He recalled how his own family was not citizens upon their arrival in the U.S. generations ago.
“We ought to be removing violent criminals who are undocumented … and we’ll assist with that. But we’re not going to assist with taking away people who are often anchors of their community,” Pritzker said.
The Trump administration has yet to communicate its plans to Pritzker or Johnson, according to these leaders. Both have pledged to safeguard their constituents.
The Johnson administration has made it clear that if ICE agents show up at schools, transit hubs, or city buildings, public employees should deny them entry unless they possess a judicial warrant.
Chicago takes pride in its immigrant heritage; in the mid-19th century, more than half of its residents were born abroad. Presently, nearly 2 million immigrants call Chicago home, leaving their mark across the city. Significant communities of Eastern Europeans, including many Ukrainian émigrés fleeing conflict, inhabit the Ukrainian Village. Pilsen and Little Village are predominantly Mexican American, while Humboldt Park has a large Puerto Rican population. Immigrants from various regions, including Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, have settled in areas like Rogers Park and Albany Park.
In 2022, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis initiated the sending of busloads of Venezuelan asylum seekers to Democratic-led cities with sanctuary laws, resulting in around 50,000 arriving in Chicago. This influx has strained local homeless shelters and services during a period when the city faces a projected $982.4 million deficit.
Views on this recent surge of migration are not universally favorable. In December, Alderman Raymond Lopez, a Democrat who has praised the raids, shared a photo on X of himself with Homan, smiling broadly: “We must enforce the laws, starting with removing those committing dangerous, violent crimes,” he wrote. Two weeks ago, Lopez, who has frequently criticized the mayor online, was among only 11 city council members voting to overturn an ordinance that restricts Chicago police from cooperating with federal immigration authorities.
That measure was ultimately not passed.
Following Trump’s inauguration, the city began preparing for anticipated raids. The mayor and the Chicago Transit Authority initiated a “Know Your Rights” campaign, using approximately 400 digital screens throughout the city to display information in English, Spanish, and French, directing residents to resources that outline their legal rights in encounters with ICE.
However, mistakes occurred during the turmoil of the past week. The prior Friday, Chicago Public Schools officials held a press conference to announce they had prevented ICE agents from entering Hamline Elementary School, located in a largely Latino area of the city.
“Our schools are the safest space for students,” CPS official Fanny Diego Alvarez said.
Yet, ICE denied any attempts to visit the school. The Secret Service later clarified that their agents had responded to a threatening TikTok post made by an 11-year-old student at Hamline. CPS officials later admitted to misidentifying Secret Service identification as ICE credentials.
In light of the mix-up at Hamline Elementary, Johnson called for calm: “It is imperative that individuals not spread unverified information that sparks fear in the city.”
He refrained from mentioning that city officials were indirectly responsible for fanning the flames of fear.
On the day the raids began, foot traffic was noticeably low in Little Village's restaurants and malls—unusual for a weekend afternoon.
Street vendors typically selling fruit and elotes were absent as volunteers Diego Morales, 33, Lizbeth Roman, 30, Mimi Guiracocha, 32, and Lisa Chou, 31, passed out “know your rights” pamphlets door-to-door. Out of 150 homes visited, only a handful of residents responded.
In anticipation of the raids, activists, nonprofit organizations, and attorneys conducted “know your rights” workshops, distributing legal guidance within high-immigrant areas. Volunteers also created “rapid response” teams to validate rumors about immigration enforcement, document raids, and gather license plate details from vehicles suspected to belong to enforcement officials.
On that Sunday afternoon, few were willing to engage in conversation, except for a group of men outside who seemed unfazed by the cold.
Speaking rapidly in Spanish, one man expressed his approval for Trump’s immigration policies, asserting that he voted for him after relocating from Germany. Another, wearing vaquero boots and a hat, maintained that public protests were unnecessary, stating, “We’re human beings, not animals,” and suggested writing to the president instead.
As Chou, Guiracocha, and Roman continued canvassing the neighborhood, those who ventured outside hurried back into their homes. Noticing two men entering their garden-level apartment, Guiracocha descended a set of icy wooden steps to knock on their door. They did not answer. She placed a “know your rights” pamphlet in the doorway.
As she walked away, she noted, “It’s good that people aren’t answering their doors,” a directive volunteers in the neighborhood have emphasized for weeks.
Later that day, Alderman Byron Sigcho Lopez toured Little Village. The few brave enough to venture outside cast wary glances at a television crew while Lopez moved through the market where Sylvia works. On the streets, he distributed cards, pamphlets, and supportive messages. The few who interacted with him responded with cheerful smiles, handshakes, or hugs.
Lopez, whose representation includes parts of Pilsen and Little Village, immigrated from Ecuador as a teenager. Prior to serving on the City Council as a member of the Chicago Democratic Socialists of America, he was a teacher and is now in his second term.
As he walked about, he reiterated to his constituents: If ICE arrives, you have the right to remain silent. You can refuse entry to ICE agents without a judicial warrant. You have the right to an attorney. He also handed out his phone number liberally, advising residents to save it, saying, “Call me if you’re in trouble.”
In a quinceañera store in Little Village, a shop owner expressed her anxiety about becoming a target for immigration raids. She informed Lopez that she’s owned the shop for years, has a taxpayer ID number, and pays taxes, but with a pending immigration case, she feels trapped in limbo.
“I need to have something, give me a letter,” she told Lopez.
“Because in the end immigration tells me, ‘No ma’am, don’t worry because you’re in the system and they’re going to see that you’re already doing the process.’ Sure, but in the meantime, I’m going to be arrested.”
“With you doing that process, there’s nothing to be scared of,” Lopez assured her. “But there’s a lot of fear right now; that’s why if you need a reference letter or something, well, I’m your councilor."
“This is my phone number, just in case,” he said.
“I’m going to learn it by memory now,” the shop owner laughed.
Nationwide, nearly 1,000 immigrants have been detained by ICE in cities including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego, Denver, Miami, Atlanta, and various Texas locations. An NBC News analysis indicates that only about half of those arrests were for criminal offenses.
Among the individuals taken into custody in Chicago was an Indian computer scientist with an eight-year prison record for a driving incident that resulted in a fatality, and a man in suburban Elgin, whose family claims he had no criminal history.
Now, the city waits to ascertain what will happen next.
Even asylum seekers are filled with trepidation, despite assurances from the Trump administration that the city’s approximately 50,000 asylum seekers are not the focus of these actions.
“Everything is crazy. ICE, police,” said José, a Lyft driver from Venezuela who arrived a little over a year ago. Although he has “temporary protected status,” he worries about the possibility of deportation.
“As soon as they see my permit, I’m going to be afraid they’ll kick me out,” José explained. “That’s not what I want, because I came here to look for a new life.”
The Trump administration maintains, alongside attorneys monitoring the situation, that the current focus is not on asylum seekers but rather on violent criminals, as emphasized by Homan.
Nonetheless, José remains unconvinced.
“He changes all the laws every day … maybe they want to change everything,” he said.
Days later, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the Trump administration would be rescinding temporary protected status for Venezuelans.
Sanya Singh for TROIB News
Sylvia, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, has been making her way in this vibrant Midwestern city for two decades. As she serves customers at her stall, she opens up about her fears.
She worries that she and her husband, who is also undocumented, might face deportation. There’s also the unsettling possibility that if President Donald Trump succeeds in revoking birthright citizenship, her two American-born teenagers could find themselves on a flight to Mexico. Consequently, she and her husband kept their children home from school this past week due to the risks.
“We are so scared,” says Sylvia. “[My children] think we’re not gonna come back. That happens.”
For the immigrant community in Chicago, this past month has been marked by fear and uncertainty.
The collective anxiety intensified after Trump’s new border chief, Tom Homan, made a statement at a Republican Christmas party announcing that mass deportations would begin in Chicago, with a DJ playing “Bad to the Bone” in the background. Although ICE officials specified that "Operation Safeguard" would target convicted criminals, Homan’s admission about the potential for “collateral arrests” of non-criminals in sanctuary cities like Chicago exacerbated fears. This unease deepened as Trump issued several executive orders aimed at tightening immigration enforcement in his first week in office.
When ICE raids commenced last Sunday, anxiety escalated into a widespread panic.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in tactical gear surged through the streets, accompanied by TV personality Dr. Phil, who broadcast the raids to a national audience. In immigrant-heavy Latino neighborhoods such as Pilsen and Little Village, school attendance plummeted, and local business owners reported a dramatic drop in customers. Workers stayed home, fearing deportation. City officials further fueled this fear by inadvertently spreading incorrect information. Aldermen have been seen reaching out to constituents, discussing their rights if approached by ICE.
Chicago police estimate that over the past week, approximately 100 individuals were arrested, with expectations of more in the coming weeks; in stark contrast, only 39 were arrested in New York.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson stated, “They want us to be afraid. Do not be afraid, Chicago.”
In anticipation of the raids, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker sought to reassure the public. As a vocal critic of the Trump administration, he highlighted the detrimental impact of immigration enforcement on both documented and undocumented families. “Right now there’s so much confusion and chaos they are scaring families who are here legally, who might have families who are undocumented,” Pritzker told reporters just before the raids commenced. He recalled how his own family was not citizens upon their arrival in the U.S. generations ago.
“We ought to be removing violent criminals who are undocumented … and we’ll assist with that. But we’re not going to assist with taking away people who are often anchors of their community,” Pritzker said.
The Trump administration has yet to communicate its plans to Pritzker or Johnson, according to these leaders. Both have pledged to safeguard their constituents.
The Johnson administration has made it clear that if ICE agents show up at schools, transit hubs, or city buildings, public employees should deny them entry unless they possess a judicial warrant.
Chicago takes pride in its immigrant heritage; in the mid-19th century, more than half of its residents were born abroad. Presently, nearly 2 million immigrants call Chicago home, leaving their mark across the city. Significant communities of Eastern Europeans, including many Ukrainian émigrés fleeing conflict, inhabit the Ukrainian Village. Pilsen and Little Village are predominantly Mexican American, while Humboldt Park has a large Puerto Rican population. Immigrants from various regions, including Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, have settled in areas like Rogers Park and Albany Park.
In 2022, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis initiated the sending of busloads of Venezuelan asylum seekers to Democratic-led cities with sanctuary laws, resulting in around 50,000 arriving in Chicago. This influx has strained local homeless shelters and services during a period when the city faces a projected $982.4 million deficit.
Views on this recent surge of migration are not universally favorable. In December, Alderman Raymond Lopez, a Democrat who has praised the raids, shared a photo on X of himself with Homan, smiling broadly: “We must enforce the laws, starting with removing those committing dangerous, violent crimes,” he wrote. Two weeks ago, Lopez, who has frequently criticized the mayor online, was among only 11 city council members voting to overturn an ordinance that restricts Chicago police from cooperating with federal immigration authorities.
That measure was ultimately not passed.
Following Trump’s inauguration, the city began preparing for anticipated raids. The mayor and the Chicago Transit Authority initiated a “Know Your Rights” campaign, using approximately 400 digital screens throughout the city to display information in English, Spanish, and French, directing residents to resources that outline their legal rights in encounters with ICE.
However, mistakes occurred during the turmoil of the past week. The prior Friday, Chicago Public Schools officials held a press conference to announce they had prevented ICE agents from entering Hamline Elementary School, located in a largely Latino area of the city.
“Our schools are the safest space for students,” CPS official Fanny Diego Alvarez said.
Yet, ICE denied any attempts to visit the school. The Secret Service later clarified that their agents had responded to a threatening TikTok post made by an 11-year-old student at Hamline. CPS officials later admitted to misidentifying Secret Service identification as ICE credentials.
In light of the mix-up at Hamline Elementary, Johnson called for calm: “It is imperative that individuals not spread unverified information that sparks fear in the city.”
He refrained from mentioning that city officials were indirectly responsible for fanning the flames of fear.
On the day the raids began, foot traffic was noticeably low in Little Village's restaurants and malls—unusual for a weekend afternoon.
Street vendors typically selling fruit and elotes were absent as volunteers Diego Morales, 33, Lizbeth Roman, 30, Mimi Guiracocha, 32, and Lisa Chou, 31, passed out “know your rights” pamphlets door-to-door. Out of 150 homes visited, only a handful of residents responded.
In anticipation of the raids, activists, nonprofit organizations, and attorneys conducted “know your rights” workshops, distributing legal guidance within high-immigrant areas. Volunteers also created “rapid response” teams to validate rumors about immigration enforcement, document raids, and gather license plate details from vehicles suspected to belong to enforcement officials.
On that Sunday afternoon, few were willing to engage in conversation, except for a group of men outside who seemed unfazed by the cold.
Speaking rapidly in Spanish, one man expressed his approval for Trump’s immigration policies, asserting that he voted for him after relocating from Germany. Another, wearing vaquero boots and a hat, maintained that public protests were unnecessary, stating, “We’re human beings, not animals,” and suggested writing to the president instead.
As Chou, Guiracocha, and Roman continued canvassing the neighborhood, those who ventured outside hurried back into their homes. Noticing two men entering their garden-level apartment, Guiracocha descended a set of icy wooden steps to knock on their door. They did not answer. She placed a “know your rights” pamphlet in the doorway.
As she walked away, she noted, “It’s good that people aren’t answering their doors,” a directive volunteers in the neighborhood have emphasized for weeks.
Later that day, Alderman Byron Sigcho Lopez toured Little Village. The few brave enough to venture outside cast wary glances at a television crew while Lopez moved through the market where Sylvia works. On the streets, he distributed cards, pamphlets, and supportive messages. The few who interacted with him responded with cheerful smiles, handshakes, or hugs.
Lopez, whose representation includes parts of Pilsen and Little Village, immigrated from Ecuador as a teenager. Prior to serving on the City Council as a member of the Chicago Democratic Socialists of America, he was a teacher and is now in his second term.
As he walked about, he reiterated to his constituents: If ICE arrives, you have the right to remain silent. You can refuse entry to ICE agents without a judicial warrant. You have the right to an attorney. He also handed out his phone number liberally, advising residents to save it, saying, “Call me if you’re in trouble.”
In a quinceañera store in Little Village, a shop owner expressed her anxiety about becoming a target for immigration raids. She informed Lopez that she’s owned the shop for years, has a taxpayer ID number, and pays taxes, but with a pending immigration case, she feels trapped in limbo.
“I need to have something, give me a letter,” she told Lopez.
“Because in the end immigration tells me, ‘No ma’am, don’t worry because you’re in the system and they’re going to see that you’re already doing the process.’ Sure, but in the meantime, I’m going to be arrested.”
“With you doing that process, there’s nothing to be scared of,” Lopez assured her. “But there’s a lot of fear right now; that’s why if you need a reference letter or something, well, I’m your councilor."
“This is my phone number, just in case,” he said.
“I’m going to learn it by memory now,” the shop owner laughed.
Nationwide, nearly 1,000 immigrants have been detained by ICE in cities including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego, Denver, Miami, Atlanta, and various Texas locations. An NBC News analysis indicates that only about half of those arrests were for criminal offenses.
Among the individuals taken into custody in Chicago was an Indian computer scientist with an eight-year prison record for a driving incident that resulted in a fatality, and a man in suburban Elgin, whose family claims he had no criminal history.
Now, the city waits to ascertain what will happen next.
Even asylum seekers are filled with trepidation, despite assurances from the Trump administration that the city’s approximately 50,000 asylum seekers are not the focus of these actions.
“Everything is crazy. ICE, police,” said José, a Lyft driver from Venezuela who arrived a little over a year ago. Although he has “temporary protected status,” he worries about the possibility of deportation.
“As soon as they see my permit, I’m going to be afraid they’ll kick me out,” José explained. “That’s not what I want, because I came here to look for a new life.”
The Trump administration maintains, alongside attorneys monitoring the situation, that the current focus is not on asylum seekers but rather on violent criminals, as emphasized by Homan.
Nonetheless, José remains unconvinced.
“He changes all the laws every day … maybe they want to change everything,” he said.
Days later, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the Trump administration would be rescinding temporary protected status for Venezuelans.
Sanya Singh for TROIB News
