The author is mayor of Evanston, Illinois.
When federal agents came to my city of Evanston on Halloween this year, it was scary — and not in a fun way.
That morning, we received reports of ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents in our neighborhoods. Helicopters circled overhead. CBP Commander Greg Bovino himself was in town—suggesting this “operation” was more about a made-for-TV spectacle than any legitimate public safety goal.
Then, after a traffic collision apparently caused deliberately by a federal agent as an act of retribution against a driver who was following him, the agents just started beating people up. Videos posted online show them punching a man who was lying on the ground, already restrained, and pointing guns at people.
This violence was a response to peaceful protest, a brutal effort to crack down on dissent. It occurred steps from an elementary school.
The federal government’s conduct that day was an outrage, but it wasn’t surprising given what we had seen out of ICE and CBP over the previous few months.
As Charlotte braces for increased federal presence, I want to share what worked for us in the Chicago area.
First, local municipalities should strengthen local laws. Evanston had declared itself a welcoming city years earlier, but when ICE’s actions escalated, we went further. We blocked city data from being used for civil immigration enforcement and terminated our relationship with a license plate reader vendor that shared data with federal agencies.
We also established ICE-free zones, prohibiting federal agents from using city property — like parking lots—to stage their operations. These steps sent a clear message: our local government would not be an accomplice in civil immigration raids.
Our police department also adopted a simple rule: if someone reported an ICE abduction, our police would respond as they would to any incident. Supervisors were dispatched to verify identities and investigate possible wrongdoing. On Halloween, this led to a CBP agent identifying himself to Evanston police by call sign, a small but critical first step toward accountability.
Now, to be clear: local police cannot physically intervene against federal agents in real time. But that doesn’t mean cities are powerless. There’s a lot we can do to assert our values, enforce our ordinances, and protect our residents within the law.
But official government actions are just one part of the playbook. In Chicagoland, residents organized themselves into a powerful resistance network. Volunteers track federal activity—recording vehicle descriptions, license plates, and flight paths of drones and helicopters—and share the information securely across neighborhoods.
When agents are spotted, people show up armed not with weapons but with whistles and know-your-rights cards printed in multiple languages. The goal is to alert nearby residents and create enough noise that agents think twice before carrying out an arrest in front of witnesses.
Every day, my phone buzzes with reports of sightings. When I arrive at a scene, there are always community members already there — blowing whistles, honking horns, demanding answers. Sometimes their presence prevents an unjust detention. Sometimes it doesn’t. But every show of resistance builds solidarity and sends a message: we will not be intimidated.
If you’re reading this in Charlotte, I know this all may sound extreme. You might think, that could never happen here. I used to think that, too.
But this is what life became in our region. Agents driving unmarked cars through neighborhoods, swapping license plates, and targeting people based on skin color or accent. Cities caught between their duty to protect residents and a federal government intent on sowing fear.
My plea to Charlotte and the rest of the country is simple: get ready.
To my fellow local elected officials, put the needed policies in place now so you’re not scrambling after things get bad – and reach out if you want help.
To activists and organizers, set up, activate, or ramp up the systems and get people trained now so people know what to do when ICE arrives.
The more prepared you are, the more people you can save and the more evidence you can collect to eventually enable our nation to bring the perpetrators of this horror to justice.
Because when ICE or CBP shows up, fear will spread fast. But courage can spread faster.
Daniel Biss is the mayor of Evanston, Ill.
Daniel Biss
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