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The migrant community in Chicago has once again raised alarms following reports that agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided shelters for the homeless in search of undocumented immigrants, a tactic that activists and lawmakers have described as “repugnant” and “militarized.”
According to a report by the EFE agency, at least two individuals were detained and later released outside a shelter in the North Park neighborhood, a building that was previously a reserve training center for the Marine Corps and was converted by the city in 2023 into a shelter for asylum seekers, currently serving the homeless.
The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) reported that shelters are being turned into locations for raids, which they see as a direct attack on the most vulnerable communities.
“ This is inappropriate, repugnant, and unacceptable,” stated the Democratic state senator Ram Villivalam. Meanwhile, councilwoman Rossana Rodríguez Sánchez accused the federal government of acting “like white supremacists” by invading spaces that should provide safety for those without a place to live.
"ICE is terrorizing our communities."
In a statement published on social media, the ICIRR asserted that ICE's incursions into shelters are paving "the way for them to continue targeting any resident they deem suspicious or criminal." The organization denounced that while ICE "continues to terrorize our communities, we in Illinois are committed to fighting back."
Additionally, they demanded that federal agents withdraw from their communities, leave Illinois, and put an end to raids and deportations nationwide. Alongside ICIRR, organizations such as the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness and state and local lawmakers participated, emphasizing that they will not tolerate the criminalization of the most vulnerable individuals.
The organizers reiterated that the response should be peaceful protest and community organization, especially after a man with a gun fired at an ICE facility in Dallas, an incident that the FBI labeled as "targeted violence."
Operation Under Suspicion
The raids are part of the so-called “Operation Midway Blitz”, launched on September 8, which, according to activists, exceeds what President Donald Trump announced in his plans for mass deportation.
According to the letter sent by legislators from Illinois to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the operations include arbitrary arrests, detentions without due process, and military-style tactics, such as kicking down doors and entering spaces previously considered "sensitive," such as churches, schools, and health centers.
The congress members demanded transparency regarding how many people have been arrested and reported that they have been denied oversight of the facilities used by ICE in Illinois.
“DHS is not focusing on the 'worst of the worst', as claimed, but has primarily arrested working immigrants with no criminal records,” they warned in the letter cited by EFE.
In parallel, CBS News reported that Jael Mejía, director of legal and civic engagement at the Lake County Immigrant Progress Center, stated that "there is increased activity and, undoubtedly, more fear."
Meanwhile, in Broadview, a suburb west of Chicago, local authorities demanded that the DHS remove a metal fence installed without permission at one of its facilities, following clashes between protesters and federal agents over the weekend.
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