Jan 27, 2025
Immigration sweeps are expected to continue this week in the Chicago area, but not at the same scale as the arrests Sunday that sent shock waves through some communities.Appointees of President Donald Trump, including “border czar” Tom Homan and acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, traveled to Chicago this weekend to oversee agents carrying out “Operation Safeguard,” the mass deportation plan Trump has long promised.But U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency leading the efforts, released little information about the individuals who were detained or why they were sought out.ICE announced 956 total arrests across the country on Sunday — by far the most reported by the agency since Trump took office on Jan. 20. Bloomberg News reported that 260 people were targeted in the Chicago area, although just seven had criminal arrest warrants.Homan on Sunday told a conservative media outlet that the arrestees included "seven sex offenders," "two murderers" and members of the Venezuelan prison gang El Tren de Aragua.“As President Trump committed to, we’re going to concentrate on public safety threats [and] national security threats, and that’s what we did today. We arrested a lot of bad guys,” Homan told Real America’s Voice, a network that has promoted conspiracy theories and counts Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon as an anchor.However, two men targeted in immigration arrests were only accused of entering the United States illegally.A Honduran man had been ordered removed from the country six times between 2007 and 2016, according to an affidavit filed Sunday by an ICE deportation officer. Chicago police arrested him “for a traffic offense” in November but the case was soon dropped. He now faces a charge of illegally entering the U.S. that was filed Sunday in federal court in Chicago.Another affidavit filed here Monday notes that a Venezuelan man was charged with crossing the Rio Grande River in September 2023 and unlawfully entering the U.S. near Eagle Pass, Texas. Those charges were filed Jan. 21 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas — a day after Trump took office.A criminal warrant was also issued for a another man, Danny Linares, according to Joseph Fitzpatrick, spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago. Linares was charged with selling an undercover agent an untraceable ghost gun and two so-Glock switches earlier this month. Such devices are used to turn handguns into automatic weapons.Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th), the City Council’s leading champion for immigrant and refugee rights, said there was “at least one” person detained in Belmont Cragin and two more detained in Hermosa.Ramirez-Rosa said he doesn’t know if they have criminal records and is still in the “early stages of connecting" with their “traumatized” families. Legal resources and other help have been provided to the families, he said.“In one instance, a young father was detained and we were able to provide baby supplies like diapers to the family because that was an immediate need that they had,” he said.Citing recent statements by Trump and ICE, Ramirez-Rose said it appears the feds are targeting some people for illegally re-entering the country.“It seems as if the plan is to go after people who have an unlawful re-entry, which under federal law can be treated as a crime. But the crime is crossing the border a second time after being deported,” Ramirez-Rosa said.“And we know that there are many parents who are deported, then risk their lives walking through the desert in order to get back to their family and be able to be a breadwinner and provide for their children.”TV crews, including one led by talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw, filmed arrests in the Chicago area that targeted an Indian national convicted in a fatal DUI crash and a man from Thailand who Homan said was “convicted of sex crimes involving children.” Both men were being held at the Clay County Jail in southwest Indiana, ICE records show.In the interview with Real America’s Voice, Homan claimed that federal agents weren’t carrying out “neighborhood sweeps” or engaging in “racial profiling.”Homan has said the arrests are targeting people who have been accused or convicted of breaking the law. But he has also acknowledged that other undocumented people could be taken into custody if they’re present during a targeted search.A source with knowledge of the operation said the arrests are expected to continue this week at a smaller scale. More people will be taken into custody as they’re targeted for deportations, the source said.ICE agents at police stationsAld. Brian Hopkins (2nd), chair of the City Council’s Committee on Public Safety, said federal agents “walked up to the counter, unannounced” on Sunday at four of Chicago’s district police stations: South Chicago, Englewood, Ogden and Grand Central.They introduced themselves as federal agents and said they “may be conducting some arrests” in that district, Hopkins said. But the heads-up didn’t follow “standard notification protocol” for arrests by outside law enforcement agencies.“There’s staff in the Chicago Police Department whose job it is to take those calls,” Hopkins said. "They get the call saying, ‘The Justice Department has an ATF agent and he’s gonna be in this location on this date doing this.’ We didn’t have the opportunity to do any of that because these guys just walked in off the street and walked up to the counter at a police station.”Hopkins said it’s imperative that the protocol be followed going forward, particularly as the ICE ramps up its operations.“They’re making these threats about massive round-ups. So far, they haven’t done anything remotely like that. But what if they decide to a few months from now when they have their resources more organized?” Hopkins said.“When they get that capability, are they just gonna do it without notifying us? That’s just outrageous. That should not happen. It should not be going down this way. It’s a real concern.”A police spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to an inquiry about the visits.In a previous statement, the department reported being “contacted by federal authorities Sunday morning about an immigration enforcement operation solely conducted by federal agencies shortly before it began.”“In accordance with the City of Chicago’s Municipal Code, which includes the Welcoming City Ordinance, the Chicago Police Department does not assist federal immigration authorities with enforcement action solely based on immigration status,” the statement says. “Additionally, CPD does not document immigration status and does not share such information with federal authorities.”Hopkins was one of eleven City Council members who wanted to restore exceptions to the city’s sanctuary city ordinance empowering Chicago cops to work with federal immigration officers whenever they encounter people arrested for serious crimes.The Council voted 39 to 11 to table an attempt to bring that ordinance for vote.“Everybody supports the idea that federal agents should deport dangerous, violent criminals who are here as non-citizens,” he said. “But in order for that to happen, you’ve got to have two-way communication. You have to have inter-agency agreements where we work together. And none of that is happening right now.”Elected officials defend sanctuary protectionsAlso Monday, Cook County and city officials used a Lunar New Year’s celebration to reaffirm the city and county’s protections for immigrants.“This is a moment in time when immigrants aren't necessarily welcomed or appreciated,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said, adding that the county should be “very proud” to be a sanctuary community.“Despite what’s going on nationally, we want to be a beacon in this country for those who believe that our diversity is our strength,” Preckwinkle said.Mayor Brandon Johnson didn’t address the federal immigration enforcement directly, but vowed his administration "will always honor the diversity, the inclusion and equity as one of our city's greatest strengths."Contributing: Tessa Weinberg ...read more read less
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