Aftermath of Chicago’s intense immigration crackdown leaves lawsuits, investigations and anxiety
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago has entered what many consider a troubling new phase in the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants, which has already led to thousands of arrests.
a while US Border Patrol commander Known for leading intense and controversial swings North CarolinaFederal agents are still detaining immigrants in the nation’s third-largest city and its suburbs.
An increasing number of cases arising from the crackdown are being heard in the courts. Authorities are investigating the agents’ actions, including the fatal shooting. While activists say they won’t let their guard down in case things escalate again, many residents living in a Democratic stronghold few welcomed oppression stay worried.
“I feel paranoia about when they might come back,” said Santani Silva, an employee at a vintage store in the predominantly Mexican neighborhood of Pilsen. “People are still afraid”
The intensity is slowing down but arrests continue
For more than two months, the Chicago area was the focus of a conference. aggressive operation under the leadership Gregory BovinoBorder Patrol commander behind similar efforts in Los Angeles and soon Louisiana
Armed and masked agents used unmarked SUVs and helicopters in the city of 2.7 million people and its suburbs to target suspected criminals and immigration violators. Arrests often led to intense clashes with bystanders, from wealthy neighborhoods to working-class suburbs.
Although the intensity has decreased in the week since Bovino’s departure, reports of arrests are still emerging. Activists who track immigration officials said they confirmed 142 daily sightings at the height of the operation last month. This number now reaches approximately six per day.
“It’s not over,” said Brandon Lee of the Illinois Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition. “I don’t think it will end.”
The suburbs are under siege
It was Broadview, a Chicago suburb of about 8,000 that is home to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, that bore the brunt of the operation. processing center for years.
Protests outside the facility grew increasingly tense As federal agents used chemicals that neighbors in the area sensed. Broadview police also opened three criminal investigations into federal agents’ tactics.
Community leaders took the unusual step of declaring a state of emergency this week and moving public meetings online.
Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson said the community has faced bomb threats, death threats and violent protests as a result of the crackdown.
“I will not allow threats of violence or intimidation to disrupt the basic functions of our government,” Thompson said.
Suspicious arrests and detentions
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced more than 3,000 arrests, but the agency detailed only a handful of cases in which immigrants who were not legally allowed to live in the country also had criminal histories.
The Trump administration has been posting photos on social media of violent criminals allegedly caught in immigration enforcement, but the federal government’s own data paints a different picture.
Of the 614 immigrants arrested and detained in Chicago in recent months, only 16, or less than 3%, had a criminal record that posed a “high public safety risk,” according to data filed by the federal government in court. 2022 consent decree About ICE arrests. These records included domestic battery and drunk driving.
Hundreds of immigrant detainees could be released on bail, but an appeals court has paused their release, a judge overseeing the cases said. Lawyers say many more cases will be filed once they receive details about the arrests from the government.
“None of this is fully understood,” said Ed Yohnka of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, which has been involved in several cases. “What was this all about? What did this serve? What good did any of this do?”
Investigations and lawsuits
The number of crackdown-triggered lawsuits, including those filed by agents, is on the rise use of force And conditions In the center of Broadview. In recent days, clergy filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming they were prevented from holding services at a facility.
Federal prosecutors also fell many times including accusations against protesters and others bystanders. dismissal of charges against a woman who was shot several times by a Border Patrol agent last month.
Meanwhile, federal agents are also under investigation in the death of a suburban man. was fatally shot by ICE officers during a traffic stop. While Mexico’s president called for a thorough investigation, ICE said it did not use excessive force.
An autopsy report obtained by The Associated Press this week showed: Silverio Villegas González He died as a result of a gunshot wound fired “at close range” to his neck. The death was declared a murder.
In October, the body of the 38-year-old father, who spent twenty years in the United States, was buried in the western Mexican state of Michoacan.
A cooling effect
Many of the once-bustling business corridors of predominantly immigrant communities in the Chicago area had calmed down, and some street vendors were slowly returning to their usual duties.
Andrea Melendez, owner of Pink Flores Bakery and Cafe, said she’s seen an increase in sales this week after trying for months.
“As a new business, I was a little scared when we saw sales drop,” he said. “But this week I’m a little more hopeful that things can get better.”
Eleanor Lara, 52, spent months avoiding unnecessary trips outside her Chicago home for fear that an encounter with immigration agents could have dire consequences.
Even though he is a US citizen, he is afraid and carries his birth certificate. She is married to a Venezuelan man whose legal status is unclear.
“We’re still staying at home,” he said.
