Illinois governor calls on Trump officials to halt ICE raids for Halloween | Illinois
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker called on the Trump administration to suspend immigration crackdowns in his state from Friday through Sunday to allow children to “spend Halloween weekend without fear.”
Inside a letter Addressing homeland security secretary Kristi Noem and the heads of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Pritzker said federal agents were “ignoring their duty to protect the public and uphold the Constitution” by conducting raids and arrests in line with the president’s mass deportation agenda. The Democrat said such raids “endanger the lives of innocent community members and traumatize children.”
Pritzker’s letter was seized Chicago Sun-Times And PolicyIt comes after a federal appeals court blocked an order requiring a top border patrol official to give a judge a daily briefing on immigration sweeps in Chicago.
Pritzker noted in his call that Border Patrol agents reportedly used tear gas to disrupt last weekend’s Halloween parade. “If this had occurred as reported, it would have been a direct violation of your administration’s statements and directives,” Pritzker said.
“Illinois families deserve to spend Halloween weekend without fear. No child should be forced to breathe tear gas or other chemicals while trick-or-treating in their own neighborhood,” the governor wrote.
He added: “Illinois children should not have their innocence stolen. Let them enjoy the time-honored American tradition in safety and peace. Please allow children to be children for a holiday free of fear and fear.”
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
ABC News reported It was stated that agents from the Border Patrol, which has taken on an increasingly larger role in Trump’s crackdown on immigrants, gathered at the children’s Halloween parade in Irving Park, northwest of Chicago, last Saturday. ABC said it reviewed video footage that “shows agents using tear gas in front of homes decorated with Halloween decorations and apprehending and arresting multiple individuals, including U.S. citizens.”
On Wednesday, the seventh U.S. circuit court of appeals blocked an order by U.S. district judge Sara Ellis ordering Gregory Bovino, the top Border Patrol official who led the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants in Chicago, to appear in federal court every day to report on crackdowns and arrests.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Ellis told Bovino: “Children dressed in Halloween costumes going to the parade do not pose a direct threat to the safety of law enforcement.”
He added: “They don’t. And you can’t use riot control weapons against them.”
In the past two months, Border Patrol agents have made more arrests in Chicago than Ice authorities. CBS News reported on Wednesday.
The government is falling far behind its targets on immigration. Earlier this year, Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, set Ice a goal of arresting 3,000 people every day. But as of the end of September, the agency was arresting an average of 1,178 people per day. NBC reported.
Associated Press contributed reporting
