Some D.C.-area residents shared their stories about being arrested without a warrant by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during a hearing Wednesday for a lawsuit aimed at stopping illegal arrests of people perceived to be immigrants.
Some D.C.-area residents shared their stories about being arrested without a warrant by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during a hearing Wednesday for a lawsuit aimed at stopping illegal arrests of people perceived to be immigrants.
“I was detained by D.C. police and then ICE arrived,” said a plaintiff named Elias through a representative who read his story in U.S. District Court because he is currently in the hospital.
Elias was arrested by ICE and said he was detained for more than 8 hours. At the time he was detained, he was headed to D.C. for a dialysis appointment, which he has three times a week.
“I didn’t have my medication with me and I felt very ill. My family was suffering not knowing what will happen to me,” Elias wrote.
The plaintiffs are being represented by the ACLU of the District of Columbia, Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, CASA, the National Immigration Project, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, and the law firm of Covington, Burling LLP.
“People are still experiencing these harms day in and day out in the streets of D.C. So we certainly do hope that the court will rule urgently on these issues,” Yulie Landan, staff attorney with the National Immigration Project, said.
During the hearing, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell listened to arguments in a motion for a preliminary injunction in the case led by CASA to put a stop to the arrests while the case is being considered. They are also asking for class certification of the plaintiffs.
“We recognize that there are individuals who are impacted by this unlawful policy and practice, far beyond the individual plaintiffs who have bravely put their names and their information before the court,” said Aditi Shah, staff attorney with the ACLU of the District of Columbia.
Judge Howell asked for more information from both parties in the case with a deadline of Tuesday, Nov. 25.
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Gov. JB Pritzker and First Lady MK Pritzker met with Pope Leo XIV in Rome on Wednesday, where they discussed the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and the two formally invited the pope to visit Chicago, the governor’s office said.
“It was an honor for MK and me to meet with @Pontifex – a son of Illinois – to express the pride and reverence of the people of this great state,” Pritzker wrote on social media. “Pope Leo XIV’s message of hope, compassion, unity, and peace resonates with Illinoisans of all faiths and traditions.”
Leo, who was born Robert Prevost in Chicago and grew up in south suburban Dolton, discussed with Pritzker their shared concerns about the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement practices in Chicago, and pride in the people of Chicago for “speaking up,” Pritzker spokesperson Matt Hill said early Wednesday.
Cardinal Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, helped arrange the meeting, Hill said. Anne Caprara, the governor’s chief of staff, also attended, according to Pritzker’s office.
Earlier this week, the pope backed U.S. bishops who condemned the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and urged Americans to treat migrants humanely, the Associated Press reported.
The Trump administration’s enforcement actions, which have been winding down in the Chicago area in recent days, received widespread criticism from neighborhood residents, local officials and local federal judges.
The administration has said the mass deportation was part of an effort to rid the nation of the “worst of the worst” of undocumented people in the country who both have a criminal record and lack proper documentation. But even as the Trump administration has highlighted some individuals who fit that description, records suggest that has rarely been the case.
Of 614 people whom the Trump administration identified as having been arrested in the Chicago area, just 16 had criminal histories that present a “high public safety risk,” according to a list of immigration arrests produced last week as part of an ongoing lawsuit.
Federal immigration agents in recent days have directed their attention to target Charlotte, N.C., following the operation in Chicago.
The meeting between Leo and the Pritzkers lasted about 40 minutes, according to the governor’s office.
The Pritzkers presented the pope with art and a letter from a woman incarcerated at Logan Correctional Center; a book about Abraham Lincoln; a pack of Burning Bush Brewery’s “Da Pope”-themed ale; and a copy of MK Pritzker’s own book about the Illinois governor’s mansion, the governor’s office said.
The governor, in an interview with NBC 5, said the pope was “optimistic” about returning back to visit Chicago.
“I expressed to him just how proud we are that he is a product of Chicago and that he’s perhaps more popular than Michael Jordan,” Pritzker said in the interview.
Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday strongly affirmed U.S. bishops’ message condemning the Trump administration’s immigration sweeps, calling on Americans to listen to the migrants and treat them humanely and with dignity.
The pope was asked about the “special message” the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops adopted during their general assembly last week in Baltimore.
The bishops blasted President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda and the “vilification” of migrants, expressing concern over the fear and anxiety immigration raids stoking in communities, as well as the denial of pastoral care to migrants in detention centers.
“We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement,” the bishops’ statement reads. “We are saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants. We are concerned about the conditions in detention centers and the lack of access to pastoral care,” reads the bishops’ statement, which also opposed “the indiscriminate mass deportation of people.”
Pope Leo XIV waves to the faithful after a special mass for the Jubilee of the poor, in St. Peter’s Square at The Vatican, Sunday, Nov.16, 2025.(AP)
Leo, the first American pope, said he appreciated the U.S. bishops’ message and encouraged Catholics and all people of goodwill to listen to treat migrants with dignity, even if they are in the country illegally.
“I think we have to look for ways of treating people humanely, treating people with the dignity that they have,” Leo told reporters. “If people are in the United States illegally, there are ways to treat that. There are courts, there’s a system of justice.”
The pope has previously urged local bishops to speak out on social justice concerns. Catholic leaders have been criticizing Trump’s mass deportation plan, as fear of immigration raids has slashed Mass attendance at some parishes.
Catholic leaders have been criticizing Trump’s mass deportation plan, as fear of immigration raids has slashed Mass attendance at some parishes.(Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images)
The federal government earlier this year reversed a Biden administration directive prohibiting immigration agents from carrying out raids at sensitive areas such as churches, schools and hospitals.
Leo acknowledged problems with the U.S. migration system, but he emphasized that nobody has argued for the U.S. to have open borders and that every country may choose who can enter and the methods to do so.
“But when people are living good lives, and many of them for 10, 15, 20 years, to treat them in a way that is extremely disrespectful to say the least — and there’s been some violence unfortunately — I think that the bishops have been very clear in what they said,” he told reporters as he left the papal country house south of Rome.
The pope said he appreciated the U.S. bishops’ message and encouraged Catholics and all people of goodwill to listen to treat migrants with dignity.(Getty Images)
Federal authorities on Tuesday clashed with protesters outside of a business in St. Paul, Minnesota, leaving several people injured.
It started around 10 a.m. outside Bro-Tex, Inc., located in an industrial park off Hampden Avenue, a couple of blocks north of University Avenue West.
Convinced it was an immigration raid, residents responded to a call to action put out by a community network designed, according to protesters at the scene, to protect immigrants.
“These people are not criminals,” said a woman named Angelica. “They are working here, clearly.”
Angelica said her friend’s dad, who is originally from Mexico and now lives in St. Paul, works at Bro-Tex. She said she couldn’t get a hold of him after the dust settled.
“Her dad texted her that ICE was here taking them. They stayed in communication for a little bit, but he lost his phone and I don’t know what else happened,” Angelica said.
After about an hour, many in the crowd walked through the police tape and attempted to stop federal law enforcement from leaving with people they believed were detained inside.
WCCO
WCCO cameras captured a physical confrontation between federal agents, some of them wearing FBI and DEA regalia, and protesters. Agents deployed a chemical irritant on the crowd, and physically removed some community members who were blocking four federal vehicles from leaving.
Fellow protesters helped Angela Deeb after an agent sprayed an irritant at her in front of WCCO cameras.
“Physically, my body hurt, but then of course our hearts hurt today,” Deeb said.
Alejandra Villagrana says her dad was one of the people taken into custody by ICE agents.
“I heard maybe it was 15 people. My uncle was also one of the ones that were taken,” she said. “It was super emotional. I was crying the whole time because I just couldn’t believe it.”
Villagrana says her dad is originally from Mexico and was working with a lawyer to obtain legal status.
“He works two jobs to be able to provide for me and my brother, my mom,” she said.
Villagrana’s family is still trying to find out where her father and uncle are being held.
ICE released a statement regarding the operation on Tuesday afternoon: “Today in St. Paul, ICE, HSI and law enforcement partners conducted court authorized law enforcement activity and served a search warrant in furtherance of a federal criminal investigation. There is no threat to public safety, and the investigation remains ongoing at this time.”
The St. Paul Police Department told WCCO it was informed in the morning of a “search warrant that was going to be executed in relation to a criminal investigation into a business.”
It’s unclear if anyone was detained in connection to immigration, but it’s notable that members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration were also involved in the ICE-led operation.
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said he was at the scene and was “in close communication” with the city’s attorney’s office and police department.
“Though we don’t have many details right now, I share the concern and fear this raises for our workers, families, and entire community,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
Immigration advocates plan on holding a rally outside the business on Wednesday morning.
In late October, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem came to Minneapolis to provide what she described as an update on ICE operations in the Twin Cities region. Noem claimed that federal agents had arrested more than 4,300 people in the metro area by that point in the year, claiming 3,316 had a criminal history.
Just last week, a teenager in Northfield, Minnesota, captured video of ICE agents detaining his father. In a statement, the agency told WCCO there was an active warrant for the man and that he “endangered the lives of officers, passengers, and bystanders” during the arrest, but the man’s legal representation disputed that.
In a recent 60 Minutes interview with Nora O’Donnell, President Trump said he believed ICE raids “haven’t gone far enough” when asked about footage of ICE detaining legal American citizens, teargassing a Chicago residential neighborhood and smashing a car window.
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights called on the government of El Salvador to protect three Salvadoran men deported by the United States in a decision published Tuesday that said they had been held without the ability to communicate with their lawyers or relatives since arriving.
The Salvadoran government said in the case that William Alexander Martínez Ruano, 21, and José Osmín Santos Robles, 41, where being held in a prison in Santa Ana and the third, Brandon Bladimir Sigarán Cruz, 22, who the government said was an active member of the Mara Salvatrucha gang, had been held in the country’s new gang prison since March.
This has been a generalized problem for the nearly 90,000 people arrested under emergency powers granted to President Nayib Bukele in March 2022, to fight the country’s powerful street gangs.
Relatives and a lawyer filed habeas corpus petitions in El Salvador on behalf of the men, and the nongovernmental Coalition for Human Rights and Democracy requested the protective measures from the human rights commission.
The commission, which is an arm of the regional Organization of American States, said it decided to grant the request because of a “serious risk to their rights to live and personal well being.” The commission grants such protections in cases to prevent irreparable harm.
El Salvador responded to the commission about the status of the men, but the commission said the government did not deny the men were being held incommunicado despite a specific request that it provide information about the possibility of visits with their relatives and lawyers. The country is supposed to follow the commission’s instructions and report back, but El Salvador gave no indication of being willing to bend to the demands.
The commission noted that it had granted protective measures in September to two Salvadoran lawyers, Ruth López and Enrique Anaya, critics of the government who were arrested and held without contact.
Lawyer Jayme Magaña of the Wings for Freedom movement, who is not representing any of those arrested, said that people being held in El Salvador under the ongoing state of emergency generally do not have contact with relatives or their lawyers. “It is something that (the commission) has been saying since the start of the state of emergency,” which began in March 2022, he said.
El Salvador’s government told the commission that it should avoid being used by people with criminal histories.
4 p.m. – North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Maurice “Mo” Green provided a statement on Tuesday about the state’s commitment to providing safe learning environments for all students.
“Every child in North Carolina has the constitutional right to a free public education, regardless of immigration status,” Green said. “This is not a choice, it is our legal responsibility. Our schools are places of learning, growth and opportunity. When students are absent due to fear, their education suffers and our entire community is diminished.
“Consistent with binding legal precedent, North Carolina public schools remain committed to ensuring every student can safely attend school and receive the education they deserve.
“Our educators and school staff are focused on what they do best – teaching and nurturing young minds. We will continue to work with local boards of education and school leaders to maintain safe, welcoming environments where all students can learn and thrive.”
The North Carolina of Department of Public Instruction also
mentioned that the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Plyler v. Doe (1982). It
requires that public schools must provide all children access to education,
including undocumented students. Federal and state laws, including Title VI of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and North Carolina General Statute Section
115C-367, prohibit discrimination based on race, color or national origin in
North Carolina schools.
3:15 p.m. – U.S. Sen. Ted Budd, R-North Carolina, provided a statement on Tuesday.
“America is a generous country, but we must ensure that those who come here do so legally. We must enforce America’s immigration laws after years of Joe Biden’s open-border policies invited a flow of drugs and crime. Border Patrol’s operations have resulted in the arrests of several individuals with criminal histories or who had previously been deported. Responsible enforcement measures, carried out in an orderly manner, are critical to protecting American lives and our communities here in North Carolina.”
3 p.m. – WRAL News asked Customs and Border Protection about how many arrests agents have made in the Triangle. The spokesperson did not provide a response.
2:15 p.m. – U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross, D-North Carolina, posted a statement on Tuesday.
“Deploying CBP [Customs and Border Protection] to major American cities doesn’t make us safer,” Ross wrote. “Indiscriminate immigration raids are useful for sowing fear and generating headlines, but totally ineffective at protecting us from criminals and terrorists.
“When the Trump administration spends money and manpower to randomly sweep people off the streets and target people based on the color of their skin, more felons go free, and there are fewer resources available to combat real threats.
“If reports are true that CBP is in Raleigh, I will work with state and local partners to protect our residents from violations of their rights by federal immigration officers. It’s time for CBP to go home and stop attacking our communities.”
1:45 p.m. – WRAL News has received pictures and videos from viewers showing immigration agents in Durham.
Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams confirmed the presence of Border Patrol in the city.
“Residents have been sending content and posting it online,” Williams wrote in a text message to WRAL News. “It’s extremely frustrating because we are so limited.
“An outright jurisdictional disadvantage.”
12:55 p.m. – A U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Border Patrol agents have arrested more than 200 immigrants in the Charlotte area who are believed to be in the U.S. illegally in the first three days of “Operation Charlotte’s Web.”
“Criminal records of those arrested include known gang membership, aggravated assault, possession of a dangerous weapon, felony larceny, simple assault, hit and run, possession of stolen goods, shoplifting, DUI, DWI and illegal re-entry after prior deportation, a felony,” the spokesperson said.
12:30 p.m. – Petey Pablo, who is from Greenville, released a statement about Border Patrol operations in North Carolina.
Border Patrol used Pablo’s song “Raise Up” in its video on operations in Charlotte.
“I have my legal team on it as we speak,” Pablo wrote in a statement. “They do not have my permission and I think it is appalling especially what they’re doing to the children.
“I do not stand with this by [any] means, and we are engaged with taking legal actions.”
Gilbert said the federal activities are not coordinated in partnership with the town. He also said Apex police do not participate in federal immigration enforcement efforts.
Also, he said the town did not receive advance notice or detailed information about the scope and timing of ICE’s efforts.
“As mayor, I want every resident in the town of Apex to know that our officers are here to protect and support this community,” Gilbert wrote. “We remain committed to ensuring that all our neighbors feel safe accessing town services, reporting emergencies and engaging with our officers with trust.
“We are here to serve, and my commitment to safety, support and compassion remains.”
12:20 p.m. – Wake County Public School System Superintendent Robert Taylor provided a message parents.
“We understand that recent developments regarding federal immigration orders may create questions and anxiety within our community,” Taylor’s statement reads in part.
Taylor added, “Please know that our commitment to you is unwavering. Our primary mission is, and always will be, to provide a safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning environment for every single child, regardless of immigration status. We want all staff and families to feel secure in knowing that we are dedicated to protecting the privacy and rights of all our students, and we are legally required to enroll and educate all children residing within our boundaries.”
The district also encouraged families to communicate directly with the child’s teacher and school if a student needs to be absent.
“Sharing the reason for the absence – whether it’s illness, a family matter, or simply feeling worried – helps us understand how to best support your child,” the district’s statement reads.
The district also provided a list of resources, including:
“Our primary focus remains on the well-being, safety, and education of every student we serve, regardless of their background,” the district’s statement reads. “We recognize that recent orders may cause uncertainty for some members of our community. We want to reaffirm our commitment to fostering a safe and welcoming environment where all children can learn and thrive.
“The Supreme Court’s Plyler v. Doe decision guarantees all children the right to access a public education, regardless of citizenship status. Our district has always complied with federal and state laws and will continue to do so. We are equally committed to ensuring our schools remain safe and welcoming spaces for all students and families.”
The district also mentioned the procedures law enforcement must follow when interacting with students on campus.
“If law enforcement seeks access to a school, we will consult with legal counsel to ensure compliance with applicable laws,” the district wrote. “Additionally, our district does not ask for or record information about the immigration status of any family. We will continue to honor all laws protecting the privacy of student records as outlined in board policies.”
11:20 a.m. – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has responded to former Gov. Roy Cooper’s post on social media platform X that was critical of the department saying they were “randomly sweeping up people based on what they look like.”
The government replied to Cooper by posting a photo of a man they say is a criminal in North Carolina and that the state “refused to hand him over to ICE.”
11:16 a.m. – White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller responded to Charlotte school absences via his X account.
“So a conservative estimate is that one-seventh of a major southern public school district is here illegally,” he posted.
11:10 a.m. – Nikki Marín Baena, co-director of immigrant rights organizations Siembra NC, released a statement in response to agents coming to Raleigh.
“We expect that the agents will be met in Raleigh with a similar community effort that, like Charlotte, values the safety and freedom of all of their neighbors,” Baena said.
10:52a.m. – Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools leaders have said that unofficial attendance data from Monday showed nearly 21,000 students were absent on Monday. That is about 15% of students enrolled in the district. A normal day would see about 8% of the district’s students absent.
9:15 a.m. – Durham Mayor Leo Williams was a guest on “Morning Joe” on MSNOW, formerly MSNBC. He reaffirmed that Durham is a city of immigrants and that he and other city leaders will support them.
“We will work to continue to promote our strategic communications with organizations that are advocating around keeping our community safe. The government will do its part. We aren’t trying to antagonize. We understand the jurisdiction here, but Durham is a welcoming city for all,” Williams said.
Williams echoed many of the statements he made during a City Council meeting last night, saying immigrant communities are essential parts of Durham and North Carolina. He said he’s been in communication with Governor Stein and other mayors across the state.
Williams told WRAL that to his knowledge Tuesday morning immigration agents were not planning to go to Durham, but the city is preparing just in case.
8:55 a.m. – The North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) and Wake NCAE are “calling on local governments to immediately enact protections that explicitly prohibit Border Patrol and ICE from operating or staging on public property — especially on school campuses. Both the emotional safety of children and the integrity of our classroom learning environments must be protected.”
Raleigh Mayor: Federal immigration agents are on the ground
Cowell told WRAL News that agents are “already in Raleigh and will be active” on Tuesday. The move comes as Border Patrol agents are conducting operations in Charlotte, about 170 miles away.
“We don’t know how many law enforcement officers are here,” Cowell said in a phone interview with WRAL News. “We don’t know how long they’re going to stay.
“But, I mean, my sense is that they believe that there are … folks [who] are here [who] have committed crimes and are in the country illegally, and they will probably going to parts of town where they feel like they can intercept those individuals.”
Cowell said her goal is to keep people safe.
“We didn’t ask for this presence,” Cowell said. “We feel like the Raleigh police are doing a great job here locally.”
Cowell noted that Raleigh’s violent crime is down 2% and property crime is down 16% from a year ago.
The Department of Homeland Security last weekend arrested more than 130 immigrants in the Charlotte area who are believed to be in the U.S. illegally, the department said. The department sent agents to Charlotte despite objections from city officials, who claim the deployment is unnecessary.
Likewise, Cowell said city officials didn’t request help from federal immigration agents and aren’t a part of their operations. Federal agents have not informed Raleigh officials who they are targeting or when they expect to complete their operations, Cowell said.
“The police will be doing normal patrols out in the community,” Cowell said. “The biggest message here is that we know some people will be concerned. Some will feel threatened. They can call the police if needed.”
Create a safety plan: Identify emergency contacts and memorize their phone numbers. Protect your child’s school or day care with an emergency contact to pick up your child. Provide authorization in writing for your emergency contact to make medical and legal decisions for your child.
Defend your rights: All people in the United States have constitutional protections, including the right to remain silent when questioned or arrested by immigration officers.
Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe provided WRAL News this statement:
“The Wake County Sheriff’s Office has not received any official notification from U.S. Customs and Border Protection,” Rowe wrote. “However, if any operation or activity should occur, I kindly ask all residents to refrain from engaging or confronting Border Control personnel and allow them to carry out their official duties.
“The safety and well-being of our community remains the primary concern of the Wake County Sheriff’s Office, and we strive to avoid circumstances that may lead to injuries or unnecessary arrests.”
The North Carolina Association of Educators shared a post on its Facebook page last night saying there were reports of an “unusually high number of student absences” at Charlotte area schools on Monday – the first school day since federal agents began operating in that area. They said it was a “clear sign that families were afraid to send their children to school.”
“This is wrong – full stop,” the post continued. “This crisis does not affect only immigrant children. Fear ripples through every classroom. Adult staff and caregivers are terrified of being targeted. When we are worried about safety, learning is interrupted for everyone. Traumatizing children and families is not – and must never be considered acceptable government policy.”
With activities set to start Tuesday in Raleigh, WRAL has reached out to Wake County Schools for comment. They directed us to their website with a statement regarding federal immigration orders.
“Our primary focus remains on the well-being, safety, and education of every student we serve, regardless of their background. We recognize that recent orders may cause uncertainty for some members of our community. We want to reaffirm our commitment to fostering a safe and welcoming environment where all children can learn and thrive.
The Supreme Court’s Plyler v. Doe decision guarantees all children the right to access a public education, regardless of citizenship status. Our district has always complied with federal and state laws and will continue to do so. We are equally committed to ensuring our schools remain safe and welcoming spaces for all students and families.
Building leaders have been reminded of the procedures that law enforcement agencies must follow when interacting with students on campus. If law enforcement seeks access to a school, we will consult with legal counsel to ensure compliance with applicable laws.
Additionally, our district does not ask for or record information about the immigration status of any family. We will continue to honor all laws protecting the privacy of student records as outlined in board policies. We encourage families to contact their school’s student support services if their child has concerns or social-emotional needs during this time.”
The lawsuit argues that the new measure is unconstitutional and puts agents in danger.
The Trump administration filed a lawsuit on Monday against Governor Gavin Newsom over a law he signed in September banning federal agents from wearing masks. Seemingly in response to the president’s immigration crackdown this year.
The lawsuit claims the mask ban and companion measure requiring agents to wear identification are unconstitutional. Specifically, the states do not have the power to regulate federal agencies. With a policy that they claim puts federal agents in danger.
“The laws threaten the safety of federal officers who have faced an unprecedent wave of harassment, doxxing, and even violence” – statement by the US Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs.
The lawsuit says federal law enforcement agencies will not comply with the pair of state laws going into effect Jan. 1, and asks the court to strike them down.
“California’s anti-law enforcement policies discriminate against the federal government and are designed to create risk for our agents. These laws cannot stand,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement.
Many argue that the ban on masking measures is constitutional, as there are other state laws that federal agents are required to follow. For example, they have to follow speed limits, which are regulated by local law enforcement.
Several states have considered a ban on masking by immigration agents, but California was the first to pass one into law. This comes as a response to the sharp increase in ICE presence and raids in many areas.
“If the Trump administration cared half as much about public safety as it does about pardoning cop-beaters, violating people’s rights, and detaining U.S. citizens and their kids, our communities would be much safer,” Izzy Gardon, a spokesman for Mr. Newsom, said in a statement.
The number of detainees held at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in Broadview has dropped precipitously since a federal judge ordered the government to comply with requirements to improve conditions at the facility, with only four people held there as of Tuesday morning.
The figure came out during a court hearing Tuesday at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, illuminating one aspect of the notoriously opaque operations at the west suburban facility. A government lawyer gave the court the new headcount at the controversial site, which has attracted protesters for months.
In a class-action lawsuit filed last month, attorneys called the processing center a “black box” where detainees were crammed into dirty holding cells with not enough food and water, among other problems. U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman ordered the Department of Homeland Security to comply with a temporary restraining order that mandated the government to clean the cells regularly, provide enough food and water as well as bedding to any detainee housed overnight.
The two-story building is meant as a temporary stopping point following an immigration arrest, but as the Trump administration sought to increase deportations throughout the summer and during “Operation Midway Blitz,” the facility became so overcrowded, the lawsuit alleges, that detainees couldn’t lay down to sleep at night.
Attorneys for the detainees are seeking detailed data about the numbers of detainees processed and held at the facility over time, but during a daylong hearing earlier this month, detainees recounted times during which more than 150 people crammed into a holding cell.
“I understand there are a lot fewer people there,” Gettleman said during the hearing, adding that it is probably an “understatement.”
Attorneys for the government had objected to the temporary restraining order, arguing that it would limit its ability to enforce immigration law in Illinois, given that the Illinois TRUST Act prohibits the federal government from contracting with state or local facilities to house immigration detainees.
During a site visit last week ordered by a federal magistrate judge, around 20 detainees were at the facility.
Though the government previously reported it is looking into a food vendor for the facility, Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Johnson said the government is reviewing its necessity given the current low numbers.
Gettleman said the drop in detainees would make it easier for the government to comply with the restraining order, but noted that — even though Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino and agents under his command have departed Chicago — he has read reports that immigration agents may surge in Chicago in the spring.
“Obviously they can’t take our winter,” Gettleman said.
The lawsuit, which was filed behalf of former detainees Pablo Moreno Gonzalez and Felipe Agustin Zamacona, was certified as a class-action by Gettleman on Monday.
Attorneys are seeking to depose key governmental officials and secure security footage in order to learn more about the facility, which has been closed off to immigration attorneys, Congress members and faith leaders.
Gettleman has scheduled a December hearing for a potential preliminary injunction, which, if granted, could provide for longer-lasting measures to remedy the situation at the facility.
Federal immigration authorities will expand their enforcement action in North Carolina to Raleigh as soon as Tuesday, the mayor of the state’s capital city said, while Customs and Border Protection agents continue operating in Charlotte following a weekend that saw arrests of more than 130 people in that city, the state’s largest.
Mayor Janet Cowell said Monday that she didn’t know how large the operation would be or how long agents would be present.
Immigration authorities haven’t spoken about it. CBS News has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
Cowell, a Democrat, said in a statement that crime was lower in Raleigh this year compared to last and that public safety was a priority for her and the city council.
“I ask Raleigh to remember our values and maintain peace and respect through any upcoming challenges,” she said.
Democratic North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said in a statement on social media Monday night that his office “is aware of reports that the Border Patrol is bringing its operation to Raleigh. Once again, I call on federal agents to target violent criminals, not neighbors walking down the street, going to church, or putting up Christmas decorations. Stop targeting people simply going about their lives because of the color of their skin, as you are doing in Charlotte.
“To the people of Raleigh: remain peaceful, and if you see something wrong, record it and report it to local law enforcement. Let’s keep each other safe.”
The Trump administration has made Charlotte, a Democratic city of about 950,000 people, its latest focus for an immigration enforcement surge it says will combat crime – despite local opposition and declining crime rates. Residents reported encounters with immigration agents near churches, apartment complexes and stores.
U.S. Border Patrol agents in Charlotte, N.C. on Nov. 17, 2025.
Matt Kelley / AP
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that Border Patrol officers had arrested “over 130 illegal aliens who have all broken” immigration laws. The agency said the records of those arrested included gang membership, aggravated assault, shoplifting and other crimes, but it didn’t spell out how many cases had resulted in convictions, how many people had been facing charges or any other details.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools reported Monday that, “Unofficial attendance data from today indicates that approximately 20,935 students were absent from school today. This accounts for approximately 15% of students enrolled” in that district. There was no word on the percentage of students who are absent on a typical day there.
The immigration crackdown set off fierce objections from leaders in the Charlotte area.
“We’ve seen masked, heavily armed agents in paramilitary garb driving unmarked cars, targeting American citizens based on their skin color,” Stein said in a video statement late Sunday. “This is not making us safer. It’s stoking fear and dividing our community.”
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said Monday she was “deeply concerned” about videos she’s seen of the crackdown but also said she appreciates protesters’ peacefulness.
“To everyone in Charlotte who is feeling anxious or fearful: You are not alone. Your city stands with you,” she said in a statement.
Charlotte area’s place in immigration issue
Charlotte and surrounding Mecklenburg County have both found themselves part of America’s debates over crime and immigration, two of the most important issues to the White House.
The most prominent was the fatal stabbing this summer of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light-rail train, an attack captured on video. While the suspect was from the U.S., the Trump administration repeatedly highlighted that he’d been arrested more than a dozen times.
Charlotte, which had a Republican mayor as recently as 2009, is now a city dominated by Democrats, with a growing population brought by a booming economy. The racially diverse city includes more than 150,000 foreign-born residents, officials say.
Lyles easily won a fifth term as mayor earlier this month, defeating her Republican rival by 45 percentage points even as GOP critics blasted city and state leaders for what they call rising incidents of crime. Following the Nov. 4 election, Democrats are poised to hold 10 of the other 11 seats on the city council.
While the DHS has said it’s focusing on the state because of sanctuary policies, North Carolina county jails have long honored “detainers,” or requests from federal officials to hold an arrested immigrant for a limited time so agents can take custody of them. Nevertheless, some common, noncooperation policies have existed in a handful of places, including Charlotte, where the police don’t help with immigration enforcement.
In Mecklenburg County, the jail didn’t honor detainer requests for several years, until after state law effectively made it mandatory starting last year.
DHS said about 1,400 detainers across North Carolina had not been honored since October 2020, putting the public at risk.
For years, Mecklenburg Sheriff Garry McFadden pushed back against efforts by the Republican-controlled state legislature to force him and a handful of sheriffs from other urban counties to accept ICE detainers.
Republicans ultimately overrode a veto by then-Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper late last year to enact the bill into law.
While McFadden has said his office is complying with the law’s requirement, he continued a public feud with ICE leaders in early 2025 that led to a new state law toughening those rules. Stein vetoed that measure, but the veto was overridden.
Republican House Speaker Destin Hall said in a Monday post on X that immigration agents are in Charlotte because of McFadden’s past inaction: “They’re stepping in to clean up his mess and restore safety to the city.”
Last month, McFadden said he’d had a productive meeting with an ICE representative.
“I made it clear that I do not want to stop ICE from doing their job, but I do want them to do it safely, responsibly, and with proper coordination by notifying our agency ahead of time,” McFadden said in a statement.
But such talk doesn’t calm the political waters.
“Democrats at all levels are choosing to protect criminal illegals over North Carolina citizens,” state GOP Chairman Jason Simmons said Monday.
The granddaughter of E.B. White, the author of the classic 1952 children’s book “Charlotte’s Web,” slammed the Trump administration on Monday for using the book’s title as an inspiration for its immigration raid in Charlotte, North Carolina, which officials are calling “Operation Charlotte’s Web.”
Martha White said her grandfather, who died in 1985, would not support the immigration sweeps in Charlotte and across the country, as she denounced the Department of Homeland Security’s reference to her grandfather’s beloved tale.
“He believed in the rule of law and due process,” Martha White, who works as her grandfather’s literary executor, said in a statement. “He certainly didn’t believe in masked men, in unmarked cars, raiding people’s homes and workplaces without IDs or summons.”
She emphasized that in “Charlotte’s Web,” the spider devoted her life on the farm to protecting a pig named Wilbur and securing his freedom.
U.S. Border Patrol Commander at large Gregory Bovino, right, looks on as a detainee sits by a car, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina.(AP)
The administration and Republican leaders have used various catchy phrases for immigration operations as they seek to carry out President Donald Trump‘s mass deportation agenda, including by naming migrant holding facilities Alligator Alcatraz in Florida, Speedway Slammer in Indiana and Cornhusker Clink in Nebraska.
Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official now leading the operation in Charlotte, was the face of the “Operation At Large” in Los Angeles and “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago earlier this year.
“‘Wherever the wind takes us. High, low. Near, far. East, west. North, south. We take to the breeze, we go as we please,'” Bovino quoted from “Charlotte’s Web” in a social media post on Sunday, shortly after the immigration sweep in North Carolina’s largest city began.
“This time, the breeze hit Charlotte like a storm. From border towns to the Queen City, our agents go where the mission calls,” he continued.
The immigration sweep began over the weekend, and DHS said on Monday that more than 130 migrants were arrested in two days. The agency also said nearly 1,400 detainers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement have not been honored by local authorities.
Martha White said her grandfather, who died in 1985, would not support the immigration sweeps in Charlotte and across the country.(Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Officials in Charlotte have vowed to resist the immigration sweeps and stand up for the migrant community.
In a joint statement on Monday, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners Chair Mark Jerrell and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education Chair Stephanie Sneed said the raids are “causing unnecessary fear and uncertainty in our community as recent operations in other cities have resulted in people without criminal records being detained and violent protests being the result of unwarranted actions.”
“Our organizations believe that our diversity makes us stronger,” the statement reads. “And with that belief, we are unwavering in our commitment to a safe and welcoming community where everyone can grow and thrive. It is critical for all residents to feel secure in our community and know they can live their lives without being fearful while walking down the street, going to school, work or the grocery store.”
“We want people in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County to know we stand with all residents who simply want to go about their lives, contributing to our larger community,” it added. “Each of our organizations have made commitments to the people we serve to protect their rights and dignity. We are committed to following the law and to protecting the rights of all people who call Charlotte and Mecklenburg County home.”
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said the operation is “stoking fear and dividing our community.”(Getty Images/Allison Joyce)
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein also stated that the operation is “stoking fear and dividing our community.”
“We’ve seen masked, heavily armed agents in paramilitary garb driving unmarked cars targeting American citizens based on their skin color, racially profiling and picking up random people in parking lots and off of our sidewalks,” Stein said in a video posted to X.
Trump has targeted Democrat-led cities for migrant sweeps as part of his mass deportation plan. His administration earlier this year reversed a Biden administration rule that prohibited raids in sensitive areas such as churches, schools and hospitals.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is announcing a new initiative for foreigners traveling to the U.S. for the World Cup next year that will allow them to get interviews for visas more quickly.
Dubbed “FIFA Pass,” it will allow those who have purchased World Cup tickets through FIFA to get expedited visa appointments, as the administration continues to balance President Donald Trump’s tough-on-migration stance with an influx of global travelers for the soccer tournament. The “pass” in the name stands for “prioritized appointments scheduling system.”
“If you have a ticket for the World Cup, you can have prioritized appointments to get your visa,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who was in the Oval Office with Trump on Monday to explain the new system. Turning to the U.S. president, he added: “You said it the very first time we met, Mr. President, America welcomes the world.”
Trump said Monday that he “strongly” encourages World Cup travelers to the U.S. to apply for their visas “right away.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration has dispatched more than 400 additional consular officers around the world to handle the demand for visas, and that in about 80 percent of the globe, travelers to the U.S. can get a visa appointment within 60 days.
Under the new system, those who have bought tickets through FIFA will be allowed to go through a “FIFA portal” that would help get their visa application and interview prioritized at the State Department.
“We’re going to do the same vetting as anybody else would get,” Rubio said. “The only difference here is, we’re moving them up in the queue.”
During next year’s World Cup, 104 games will be played in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Trump has made the success of the World Cup a top priority, and Infantino has been a frequent visitor to the White House while FIFA prepares for a Dec. 5 World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center, the arts institution now led and managed by Trump loyalists.
Trump once again floated the prospect of moving World Cup games out of one of its host cities if he deemed it to be unsafe, with the election of progressive activist Katie Wilson as mayor of Seattle who has talked about Trump-proofing the city and protecting its sanctuary city status for migrants. Seattle is one of the 11 host cities in the U.S. next year.
“If we think there’s gonna be sign of any trouble, I would ask Gianni to move that to a different city,” Trump said of Seattle. The FIFA president stepped around the issue without committing to move host cities, noting that “I think safety and security is the number one priority for a successful World Cup” and that “we can see today that people have trust in the United States,” noting the number of tickets that have already been sold.
President Donald Trump’s deployment of immigration agents in Charlotte is becoming a centerpiece of debate in the battle for North Carolina’s open U.S. Senate seat.
The Department of Homeland Security last weekend launched “Operation Charlotte’s Web” in the Queen City against the objection of city officials who said the move was unnecessary. Border Patrol agents arrested more than 130 immigrants who are believed to be in the U.S. illegally, the department said Monday.
The move comes about a year prior to next year’s midterm elections, when North Carolinians will be asked to replace outgoing U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis. The two-term Republican isn’t seeking reelection.
The frontrunners in the race weighed in on the crackdown Monday, underscoring the importance of immigration policy on the race.
Former Gov. Roy Cooper, who is expected to win the Democratic nomination in March, is casting the operation as inefficient.
He echoed the concern of other critics who have accused immigration agents of targeting nonviolent immigrants — sometimes U.S. citizens — based on their race or ethnicity.
“I’ve prosecuted violent criminals and fought to keep them behind bars, so I know the importance of using federal resources to deport violent criminals and keep our borders strong,” Cooper said in a statement Monday.
He continued: “But randomly sweeping up people based on what they look like, including American citizens and those with no criminal records, risks leaving violent criminals at large while hurting families and the economy.”
Meanwhile, Republican candidates are praising Border Patrol’s efforts.
Michael Whatley, the former Republican National Committee chairman who President Donald Trump endorsed in the race, said immigration agents are “taking criminal illegal aliens identified as murderers, rapists, and pedophiles off the streets of Charlotte.”
Don Brown, another Republican in the race, claimed that local law enforcement doesn’t have the resources to crack down on immigration, saying: “I welcome the Border Patrol to Charlotte today as we take important steps toward a safer, stronger city.”
Immigration and crime in recent years have been top issues for North Carolina voters, according to polling by WRAL and other groups. Republicans are expected to campaign heavily on the issue as they attempt to keep the U.S. Senate under GOP control. Democrats hope to flip four Senate seats and take a majority in the chamber. North Carolina is home to one of only two GOP-held seats that the nonpartisan Cook Political Report considers a toss up.
The Trump administration is calling its new immigration sweep in North Carolina’s largest city “Operation Charlotte’s Web.”
But the granddaughter of E.B. White, the author of the classic 1952 children’s tale “Charlotte’s Web,” said the wave of immigration arrests goes against what her grandfather and his beloved book stood for.
“He believed in the rule of law and due process,” Martha White said in a statement. “He certainly didn’t believe in masked men, in unmarked cars, raiding people’s homes and workplaces without IDs or summons.”
White, whose grandfather died in 1985, works as his literary executor. She pointed out that in “Charlotte’s Web,” the spider who is the main character devoted her life on the farm to securing the freedom of a pig named Wilbur.
The Trump administration and Republican leaders have seized on a number of catchy phrases while carrying out mass deportation efforts — naming their holding facilities Alligator Alcatraz in Florida, Speedway Slammer in Indiana and Cornhusker Clink in Nebraska.
Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official now on the ground in Charlotte, was the face of the “Operation At Large” in Los Angeles and “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago, two enforcement surges earlier this year. As the Charlotte operation got underway, Bovino quoted from “Charlotte’s Web” in a social media post: “We take to the breeze, we go as we please.”
The curated articles share a focus on the impact of U.S. Border Patrol’s presence in Charlotte. They explore the community’s reaction to federal agents conducting immigration enforcement far from traditional border areas. Residents express anxiety and protest against what they perceive as racial profiling and heavy-handed tactics by the agents.
In one article, people gathered in uptown Charlotte to protest against U.S. Border Patrol arrests. Demonstrators voiced their messages with chants and signs, advocating for the respect of immigrants’ rights. Another article reported that local grocery store Compare Foods offered free delivery services to support the immigrant community amid fears of being detained. A separate report highlighted Gov. Josh Stein’s criticism of federal agents’ actions, noting concerns about racial profiling and the impact on community safety. Lastly, a church became a site for tension as congregants fled into nearby woods when U.S. Border Patrol agents appeared and apprehended a member, increasing fear among attendees.
BROADVIEW, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 27: U.S. Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino leads his troop as they confront demonstrators outside of an immigrant processing center on September 27, 2025 in Broadview, Illinois. The demonstrators were protesting a recent surge in ICE apprehensions in the Chicago area, part of a push by the Trump administration dubbed Operation Midway Blitz. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
NO. 1: HOW CAN US BORDER PATROL COME TO CHARLOTTE IF IT’S NOT NEAR A BORDER?
Border Patrol Agents arrested a person on Sharonbrook Drive in Charlotte, NC on Sunday morning, Nov. 16, 2025. By KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH
NO. 2: AFTER 81 ARRESTS IN CHARLOTTE, BORDER PATROL PRESSES ON IN SECOND DAY OF ACTIVITY
A second consecutive day of masked federal Border Patrol agents in the Charlotte area Sunday led to more arrests and community concern around the region, with no indication when the government activity will end. | Published November 16, 2025 | Read Full Story by Desiree Mathurin, Mary Ramsey
Hundreds of protesters march down North College Street on Saturday, November 15, 2025 in Charlotte. The protestors were participating in a protest against the U.S. Border Patrol that started at First Ward Park. By JEFF SINER
NO. 3: PEOPLE GATHER IN UPTOWN TO PROTEST BORDER PATROL ARRESTS IN CHARLOTTE
A pastor at a local church says everyone is scared of what happened at his church when border Patrol agents arrested one of his church members on Saturday morning, Nov. 15, 2025 in Charlotte. By KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH
NO. 4: CHURCH MEMBERS FLEE AS FEDERAL AGENTS ARRIVE AT EAST CHARLOTTE PLACE OF WORSHIP
Congregants of an east Charlotte church scattered into the woods Saturday when masked federal agents arrived and detained one of their members, according to witnesses. | Published November 15, 2025 | Read Full Story by Nick Sullivan
Compare Foods has several locations in the Charlotte area. By Alex Cason
NO. 5: CHARLOTTE GROCERY STORE OFFERS FREE DELIVERY TO PROTECT IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY
Adam McBroom, a parent of a child at Charlotte East Language Academy, on Monday watched the intersection leading to the school for Border Patrol and immigration agents during morning drop off. Over the weekend, Border Patrol officers descended on the city, prompting parent worries about activity on the way to school or on campuses. By Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez
NO. 7: SOME CMS PARENTS WORK TO KEEP ‘ENVELOPE’ AROUND SCHOOLS WITH BORDER PATROL IN NC
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools returned to class Monday after Border Patrol agents descended on the region for a weekend of arrests, with no clear sign about when the activity might end. | Published November 17, 2025 | Read Full Story by Rebecca Noel
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents survey the parking lot of the Compare Foods on North Tryon St. in Charlotte, NC on Monday, November 17, 2025. By JEFF SINER
NO. 8: HERE’S WHAT TO DO IF BORDER PATROL COMES TO YOUR HOME OR WORKPLACE IN CHARLOTTE
As Border Patrol operations continue in Charlotte, employers and workers should know their rights if agents show up at their workplaces or homes. | Published November 17, 2025 | Read Full Story by Evan Moore
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents survey the parking lot of the Compare Foods on North Tryon St. in Charlotte, NC on Monday, November 17, 2025. By JEFF SINER
NO. 9: IS BORDER PATROL’S OPERATION CHARLOTTE’S WEB IN NC AT ODDS WITH BOOK’S LESSON?
Federal immigration officials named their operation in Charlotte “Operation Charlotte’s Web” after the beloved children’s book by E.B. | Published November 17, 2025 | Read Full Story by Rebecca Noel
The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.
As the Trump administration’s mass deportation raids begin their third month, their impact has stretched across the Chicago region and the nation.
Political tensions have deepened, hundreds of immigrants, protesters and bystanders have been detained or arrested during raids, and thousands have protested across Chicago and the suburbs, from Home Depot and Target parking lots to outside the two-story brick U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in suburban Broadview to the massive No Kings Rally downtown.
Here’s what we know about federal immigration enforcement in and around the city, as well as other immigration-related stories and the National Guard deployment.
Residents watch while Gregory Bovino, chief U.S. Border Patrol agent, second from left, and other federal officers finish their march along North Clark Street by the Newberry Library in Chicago’s Gold Coast on Sept. 28, 2025, as part of an immigration blitz show of force. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters yell as U.S. Border Patrol agents depart Chicago’s Gold Coast in vehicles on Sept. 28, 2025, after walking through downtown as part of an immigration blitz show of force. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
U.S. Border Patrol agents cross the street near the Newberry Library in Chicago’s Gold Coast area on Sept. 28, 2025, after walking through downtown as part of an immigration blitz show of force. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Federal agents march along North Clark Street by the Newberry Library in Chicago’s Gold Coast on Sept. 28, 2025, as part of an immigration blitz show of force. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters yell and record U.S. Border Patrol agents as they leave in vehicles at the corner of Oak and Clark streets in the Gold Coast neighborhood on Sept. 28, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
U.S. Border Patrol agents talk to a man on a scooter near the Newberry Library in Chicago’s Gold Coast on Sept. 28, 2025, after walking through downtown as part of an immigration blitz show of force. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection boats head east along the Chicago River toward Lake Michigan on Sept. 25, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents ride east on the Chicago River toward the lake near the Michigan Avenue bridge in Chicago on Sept. 25, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters record U.S. Border Patrol agents at the corner Oak and Clark streets in the Gold Coast neighborhood on Sept. 28, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Gregory Bovino, chief U.S. Border agent, stands with other federal officers near the Newberry Library in Chicago’s Gold Coast on Sept. 28, 2025, after walking through downtown as part of an immigration blitz show of force. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
A protester talks to U.S. Border Patrol agents near the Newberry Library in Chicago’s Gold Coast on Sept. 28, 2025, after they walked through downtown as part of an immigration blitz show of force. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, including Border Patrol Sector Chief Greg Bovino in the bow, head east along the Chicago River toward Lake Michigan on Sept. 25, 2025. Four CBP boats were spotted traveling on the river before they docked just south of Navy Pier. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
A U.S. Border Patrol boat emerges from under the Lake Shore Drive bridge and passes a tour boat after patrolling the Chicago River on Sept. 24, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection boats make their way east along the Chicago River on Sept. 25, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
U.S. Border Patrol agents walk along North Clark Street by the Newberry Library in Chicago’s Gold Coast on Sept. 28, 2025, as part of an immigration blitz show of force. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Gregory Bovino, chief U.S. Border Patrol agent, stands with other federal officers near the Newberry Library in Chicago’s Gold Coast on Sept. 28, 2025, after walking through downtown as part of an immigration blitz show of force. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
People yell at U.S. Border Patrol agents near the Newberry Library in Chicago’s Gold Coast on Sept. 28, 2025, after walking through downtown as part of an immigration blitz show of force. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
U.S. Border Patrol agents stand at the corner Oak and Clark streets in the Gold Coast neighborhood on Sept. 28, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
U.S. Border Patrol agents walk along North Clark Street by the Newberry Library in Chicago’s Gold Coast on Sept. 28, 2025, as part of an immigration blitz show of force. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Federal agents climb into a van after walking along North Clark Street by the Newberry Library in Chicago’s Gold Coast on Sept. 28, 2025, as part of an immigration blitz show of force. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
A U.S. Border Patrol boat with armed federal agents head east toward Navy Pier after patrolling the Chicago River on Sept. 24, 2025. Passing behind is a sightseeing boat. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Four U.S. Border Patrol boats dock south of Navy Pier after patrolling the Chicago River on Sept. 24, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection boat patrols the Chicago River while people eat lunch on Sept. 28, 2025. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
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Residents watch while Gregory Bovino, chief U.S. Border Patrol agent, second from left, and other federal officers finish their march along North Clark Street by the Newberry Library in Chicago’s Gold Coast on Sept. 28, 2025, as part of an immigration blitz show of force. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security announced Sept. 8 that it had begun a surge of immigration law enforcement in Chicago, dubbing it “Operation Midway Blitz” and claiming it would target “criminal illegal aliens” who have benefited from the city and state’s sanctuary policies.
The announcement came more than two weeks after the Republican president said he was planning to target Chicago because of the city’s crime rates, causing Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson to warn residents of potential immigration sweeps.
“Let’s be clear, the terror and cruelty is the point, not the safety of anyone living here,” Pritzker said Sept. 2.
Trump set the stage for the operation with a social media post depicting military helicopters flying over the city’s lakefront skyline using the title “Chipocalypse Now.” “Chicago is about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” Trump wrote, a day after signing an executive order to rename the Department of Defense to its pre-1949 title.
2.6% of ‘Operation Midway Blitz’ arrestees had criminal histories
U.S. Border Patrol agents exchange handcuffs for plastic zip-ties while transferring detainees in Niles on Oct. 31, 2025. The detainees were picked up while they were landscaping on Chicago’s Northwest Side. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
The Trump administration on Nov. 14 released the names of 614 people whose Chicago-area immigration arrests may have violated a 2022 consent decree, and only 16 of them have criminal histories that present a “high public safety risk.”
The Department of Homeland Security has claimed since the outset of the operation that they were going after the “worst of the worst,” including convicted murderers, rapists and other violent offenders who were allegedly taking advantage of Illinois’ sanctuary policies to terrorize the citizenry. But the government’s own data appeared to show otherwise.
Among those on the list were several featured in stories by the Tribune, including a couple arrested by ICE in September while driving their eldest son to his university to drop off school materials and later meet the rest of the family in church. The couple, Moises Enciso Trejo and Constantina Ramírez Meraz, were released Thursday and reunited with their four children, according to their attorney, Shelby R. Vcelka.
Also on the list was Darwin Leal, a 24-year-old Venezuelan migrant arrested Sept. 14 while driving in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood with his wife and two young kids. Leal, who is still detained in Texas, was classified by ICE as in the “low” public safety risk category.
A federal judge ruled all immigration enforcement agents must have body cameras and said she was particularly worried about alleged violations in recent clashes, including one in Chicago’s East Side neighborhood where agents used a controversial and potentially dangerous maneuver to disable a fleeing vehicle, then tear-gassed people during a tense gathering at the scene. Tear gas incidents from federal agents during immigration raids have escalated recently, from Little Village to Lakeview to Irving Park.
On Sept. 12, Trump’s immigration-enforcement push took a violent turn when agents fatally shot a man in Franklin Park after he allegedly tried to flee a traffic stop and struck the officer with his vehicle. The man who was killed was identified by federal officials as Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, a 38-year-old single father with two young children. DHS said in a written statement that Villegas-Gonzalez is a citizen of Mexico and was in the U.S. illegally, though further details were not provided.
On Oct. 4, federal immigration authorities shot a Chicago woman who, according to federal authorities, had tried to impede them in Brighton Park. In the shooting’s wake, protesters quickly took to the intersection to confront the federal forces. Some threw water bottles as the agents tossed tear gas and flash-bang grenades at them on the residential street.
Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino in court
A federal judge in Chicago on Nov. 6 issued a sweeping injunction that puts more permanent restrictions on the use of force by immigration agents, saying top government officials lied in their testimony about threats that protesters posed and that their unlawful behavior on the streets “shows no signs of stopping.”
“I find the government’s evidence to be simply not credible,” U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis said in an oral ruling from the bench, describing a litany of incidents where citizens were tear-gassed “indiscriminately,” beaten and tackled by agents and struck in the face with pepper spray balls.
Bovino said federal agents’ operations had been “going very violent” after the same day that his agents fired pepper balls at a moving vehicle in Gage Park and pointed rifles in Little Village as residents blew whistles, screamed at passing federal cars and followed their large convoy around the city’s Southwest Side. “We can operate with great skill, legally, ethically and morally,” he said during a brief stop in Gage Park.
Restaurants in immigrant neighborhoods are ‘dying a slow death’
Inocencio Carbajal monitors the entrance to Carnitas Uruapan in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood during business hours on Oct. 25, 2025. Recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in the area have resulted in Carbajal and his son, Marcos, keeping watch for activity by federal agents to protect worried customers and workers. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Demonstrators march past Carnitas Uruapan on West 26th Street in the Little Village neighborhood to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in Chicago on Oct. 25, 2025. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
A megaphone sits ready, in case of Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence, next to the entrance as Inocencio Carbajal, right, talks with a customer at Carnitas Uruapan in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood during business hours Oct. 25, 2025. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Diners have a late lunch at Carnitas Uruapan, 3801 W. 26th St., in the Little Village neighborhood, on Oct. 25, 2025, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Marcos Carbajal talks with diners at Carnitas Uruapan in the Little Village neighborhood Oct. 25, 2025, in Chicago. Recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in the area have resulted in Carbajal and his father, Inocencio, keeping watch for federal agent activity to protect worried customers and workers. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
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Inocencio Carbajal monitors the entrance to Carnitas Uruapan in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood during business hours on Oct. 25, 2025. Recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in the area have resulted in Carbajal and his son, Marcos, keeping watch for activity by federal agents to protect worried customers and workers. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Intense immigration enforcement continues to ripple across the Chicago area and the restaurant industry has been feeling the impact: Significantly fewer customers are dining in, owners are locking their doors when they feel unsafe and businesses are operating at a loss.
Since September, Little Village had largely avoided large-scale ICE raids. But on Oct. 22, the shrill sound of whistles filled the neighborhood as volunteers sprang into action, warning people to duck into stores or hide inside private properties.
“We are dying a slow death,” said Marcos Carbajal, owner of Carnitas Uruapan. Little Village and Pilsen, much like Devon Avenue’s Little India in Rogers Park or Greektown on Chicago’s Near West Side, are microeconomies that rely heavily on a shared culture to keep things moving.
What’s happening in Broadview?
Illinois State Police troopers attempt to detain a protester outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 17, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters face off against Illinois State Police troopers outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 17, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers stand near concrete barriers where fences were taken down outside an ICE holding facility in Broadview late on Oct. 14, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois State Police troopers outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 14, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
A protester walks toward the protest zone outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 14, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters stand at the corner of Lexington and Beach streets near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 14, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
A fence that a federal court has ordered the Trump administration to remove stands outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility Oct. 13, 2025, in Broadview. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois State Police troopers and Cook County sheriff’s deputies push protesters from the road near a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility on Oct. 10, 2025, in Broadview. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois State Police and Cook County sheriff’s deputies tussle with protesters in the designated protest zone a block from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility on Oct. 10, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters raise a “No Troops in Our Streets” sign at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview on Oct. 9, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters recite the rosary outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview on Oct. 9, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Zully Sotelo, from left, Eileen Alvarez, Kate Madrigal and Yohanna Sotelo protest outside of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 9, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Texas National Guard members walk outside of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 9, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters and journalists wait at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Oct. 9, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
A Broadview police officer moves protesters away from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility, Oct. 8, 2025, in Broadview. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters gather outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility, Oct. 8, 2025, in Broadview. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters gather outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility on Oct. 8, 2025, in Broadview. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
State police troopers stand outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility, Oct. 8, 2025, in Broadview. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
A large bus arrives at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility, Oct. 8, 2025, in Broadview. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers join Cook County Sheriff’s deputies to monitor an entrance, Oct. 6, 2025, outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
A protester sits outside, Oct. 6, 2025, at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois State Police move protesters back near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview on Oct. 4, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois State Police move protesters off the road near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility, Oct. 4, 2025, in Broadview. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility
Activists yell at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility on Oct. 4, 2025, in Broadview. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois State Police hold a line near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 4, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois State Police move protesters off the road while they protest recent immigration enforcement actions near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 4, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters embrace near the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Oct. 3, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois State Police move protesters off the road near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, Oct. 4, 2025, in Broadview. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois State Police and Cook County Sheriffs keep protesters from 25th Avenue near the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois State Police troopers detain a protester who refused to back up as a vehicle passed along Harvard Street near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 3, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois State Police troopers detain a protester who refused to back up along Harvard near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 3, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois State Police troopers detain a protester who refused to back up near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 3, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters confront Illinois State Police troopers outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 3, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Federal agents ride an armored vehicle as protesters clash with federal agents and Illinois State Police troopers near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 3, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
People sing and recite prayers during a Jewish prayer service near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 3, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Dozens participate in Jewish prayer service near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 3, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters confront federal agents and Illinois State Police troopers near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 3, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
A protester is detained near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 3, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Ald. Maria Hadden, 49th, records as protesters face off with federal agents and Illinois State Police troopers near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 3, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
U.S. Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino, right, warns protesters near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 3, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters clash with federal agents and Illinois State Police troopers near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 3, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
A federal agent watches from an armored vehicle near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 3, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois State Police troopers line up to prevent protesters from blocking traffic from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 3, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois State Police troopers line up along Harvard Street and prevent protesters from standing on the street and blocking federal vehicles moving to and from from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 3, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois State Police troopers line up along Harvard Street and prevent protesters from blocking federal vehicles moving to and from from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 3, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Federal agents stand on the roof of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 3, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois State Police troopers line up along Harvard Street near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 3, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Illinois State Police troopers line up along Harvard Street and prevent protesters from standing on the street and blocking federal vehicles near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 3, 2025. Some troopers were armed with additional clubs, rifles, and shielded helmets. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Broadview police hold back protesters from stopping vehicles at Harvard Street and 25th Avenue near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 3, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
A protester recovers after being sprayed in the face by a federal agent along the fence on Sept. 28, 2025, at the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
People pray on Sept. 28, 2025, near the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Federal agents stand inside the fence on Sept. 28, 2025, at the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Federal agents escort a detainee into the facility on Sept. 28, 2025, at the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters rally on Sept. 28, 2025, near the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
A protester wipes his eyes after being sprayed by a federal agent through a fence at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview on Sept. 27, 2025. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino leads detainees into the ICE facility in Broadview on Sept. 27, 2025. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)
A protester yells at a federal agent attempting to enter the ICE facility in Broadview on Sept. 27, 2025. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)
A protester gets treated after being sprayed by a federal agent through a fence at the ICE facility in Broadview on Sept. 27, 2025. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)
A detainee is unloaded from a vehicle before being brought into the ICE facility in Broadview on Sept. 27, 2025. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)
Logan Woodrum, of Pontiac, protests from the top of his car outside of the ICE facility in Broadview on Sept. 27, 2025. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)
A protester and veteran who served in Iraq flies the American flag upside down during a protest at the ICE facility in Broadview on Sept. 27, 2025. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)
A demonstrator adjusts a flag draped over her back depicting a combined U.S. and Mexico flag while standing outside a fenced-in ICE facility on Sept. 26, 2025, in Broadview. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
A protester is detained by ICE agents outside the ICE facility in Broadview, Sept. 26, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters clash with federal agents outside the ICE facility in Broadview, Sept. 26, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters clash with ICE agents outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview, Sept. 26, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters clash with ICE agents outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview, Sept. 26, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
ICE agents move back into the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility while facing off with protesters in Broadview, Sept. 26, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Federal agents escort a vehicle from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview, Sept. 26, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fires rounds at protesters on 25th Avenue near the holding facility in Broadview, Sept. 26, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters flinch as ICE agents fire rounds at them in traffic on 25th Avenue near the holding facility in Broadview, Sept. 26, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
An ICE agent chases a protester into residential yard near the ICE holding facility in Broadview, Sept. 26, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
ICE agents help an injured colleague after chasing a protester through traffic on 25th Avenue and into a residential yard near the ICE holding facility in Broadview, Sept. 26, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents help an injured colleague after chasing a protester through traffic on 25th Avenue and into a residential yard near the ICE holding facility in Broadview, Sept. 26, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
A federal agent points his rifle of pepper balls at a protester near Harvard Street and 25th Avenue a block from the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement facility on Sept. 26, 2025, in Broadview. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters chant as they walk across Harvard Street near the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement holding facility on Sept. 26, 2025, in Broadview. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
A protester holds a sign as federal agents move toward demonstrators near the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Sept. 26, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Federal agents fire baton rounds at demonstrators near the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Sept. 26, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
A protester runs away from federal agents firing chemical gas at him along Harvard Street near the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement facility on Sept. 26, 2025, in Broadview. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Baton rounds fired toward protesters outside the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview are seen Sept. 26, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
A protester covers his face as chemical gas surrounds him along Harvard Street near the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement facility on Sept. 26, 2025, in Broadview. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Federal agents move toward protesters at 25th Street near the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Sept. 26, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Levi Rolles is seen with several bruises from baton shots outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview, Sept. 26, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters surround the SUV of a federal agent and try and prevent him from driving down Harvard Street to the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement facility on Sept. 26, 2025, in Broadview. Protesters and federal agents faced off throughout the morning. Federal agents used several kinds of chemical gas, baton rounds, and arrested at least two people while protesters refused to clear the street. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
People pray outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview, Sept. 26, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
A federal agent points his rifle full of pepper balls at protesters along Harvard Street near the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement facility on Sept. 26, 2025, in Broadview. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
A protester holds up her phone and backs away from federal agents shooting chemical gas at protesters along Harvard Street near the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement facility on Sept. 26, 2025, in Broadview. Federal agents used several kinds of chemical gas, baton rounds and arrested at least two people after protesters refused to clear the street. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Federal agents surround and arrest two protesters along Harvard Street near the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement facility on Sept. 26, 2025, in Broadview. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters lock arms and block Harvard Street while federal agents stand guard at a gate leading to the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement facility on Sept. 26, 2025, in Broadview. Protesters and federal agents faced off throughout the morning. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Protesters gather outside the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Sept. 26, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Broadview police officers move protesters as they try and clear a path for federal agents to exit Harvard Street near the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement facility on Sept. 26, 2025, in Broadview. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
A protester holds up a sign in the early hours of the morning before the start of confrontations with federal agents along Harvard Street near the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement facility on Sept. 26, 2025, in Broadview. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Curtis Evans, of Evanston, carries a U.S. flag through gas deployed by federal officers as they clear protesters from the entrance of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview on Sept. 19, 2025. Evans said he was a Marine during President Ronald Reagan’s term. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
A chemical agent canister sits on the ground after being used on protesters outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building on Sept. 19, 2025, in Broadview. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
A protester is shot with a pepper ball outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building on Sept. 19, 2025, in Broadview. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Federal law enforcement officers detain a protester outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building on Sept. 19, 2025, in Broadview. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
A protester who was shot with pepper balls while blocking a federal law enforcement vehicle leans against a fence outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building on Sept. 19, 2025, in Broadview. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Federal agents stand on the roof of the Broadview Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility and watch protesters below on Sept. 19, 2025, in Broadview. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Federal officers clear protesters from the entrance of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview, Sept. 19, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Federal agents attempt to clear protesters from the street to make way for vehicles and officers to enter an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, Sept. 12, 2025, in Broadview. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
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Illinois State Police troopers attempt to detain a protester outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 17, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Confrontations between federal agents and people protesting “Operation Midway Blitz” have put the tiny suburb, and the first Black woman to lead it, in the national spotlight.
Bowing to a court-ordered deadline, crews tore down the controversial security fence outside the facility on Oct. 14. Federal officials erected the 8-foot-high fence three weeks earlier . In turn, Broadview officials immediately pushed back, saying it was “illegally built,” and demanded that the Department of Homeland Security take it down.
“It has really become a prison,” U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman said. “The conditions would be found unconstitutional even in the context of prisons holding convicted felons, but these are not convicted felons. These are civil detainees.”
Chicago takes action
Informational booklets and whistles in bags are passed out by Erin Tobes, left, and Audra Wunder, outside Chappell Elementary School in Chicago on Oct. 14, 2025, following a tip of possible ICE agents returning to the neighborhood. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Evelyn Medina, owner of Espacio 3628, holds a whistle in a bag outside her business in Logan Square on Oct. 7, 2025. Medina passes out whistles, N95 masks and “Know Your Rights” cards outside her business, which is next to Funston Elementary School. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Evelyn Medina stands outside her business, Espacio 3628, passing out whistles, N95 masks and “Know Your Rights” cards when school is dismissed at nearby Funston Elementary, Oct. 7, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Baltazar Enríquez, center, president of the Little Village Community Council, hands out whistles for attendees to use if they see ICE agents during the Pilsen Mexican Independence Day Parade on Sept. 6, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Mayor Brandon Johnson greets residents while distributing “no trespassing” signs at Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez’s 25th Ward office on Oct. 11, 2025, in Chicago. The signs inform Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents they are not welcome or allowed on their property. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Area residents stand in line to receive “no trespassing” signs at Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez’s 25th Ward office on Oct. 11, 2025, in Chicago. The signs inform Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents they are not welcome or allowed on their property. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Ismael Cordová-Clough sits in his car at Clock Tower Plaza at 4:55 am and sifts through messages from residents about potential ICE activity in Elgin on Sept. 19, 2025. From the messages he receives, he and a team of patrollers head to a location to verify it, sometimes following suspicious vehicles and thwarting the efforts of ICE agents to detain people. They often shout or use their horns, whistles and bullhorns to alert people in the area to stay inside. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Whistles and information are available for customers at Vanessa Aguirre-Ávalos’ Luna y Cielo Play Cafe in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Informational booklets and whistles are handed out outside Chappell Elementary School in Chicago on Oct. 14, 2025, following a tip of possible ICE agents returning to the neighborhood. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Informational booklets and whistles in bags are passed out by CPS special education teacher Alese Affatato, as dozens of parents, residents and school staff form a protective perimeter to keep a watch for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents outside Chappell Elementary School in Chicago on Oct. 14, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez, 33rd, keeps watch for ICE outside Carl Von Linné School in the Avondale neighborhood during dismissal with community members on Oct. 8, 2025. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Community organizer Nino Brown holds a stack of “no trespassing” signs to distribute at Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez’s 25th Ward office on Oct. 11, 2025, in Chicago. The signs inform Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents they are not welcome or allowed on their property. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Vanessa Aguirre-Ávalos, owner of Luna y Cielo Play Café in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood, pictured on Oct. 16, 2025, provides whistles and information to customers for use to protect the community against ICE. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Ald. Michael Rodriguez, 22nd, speaks at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights headquarters in the Loop on Sept. 28, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
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Informational booklets and whistles in bags are passed out by Erin Tobes, left, and Audra Wunder, outside Chappell Elementary School in Chicago on Oct. 14, 2025, following a tip of possible ICE agents returning to the neighborhood. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Border Patrol agents detain painter Krzysztof Klim while verifying his identification on Oct. 31, 2025, next to Halloween decorations outside a house in Chicago’s Edison Park neighborhood. Klim, originally from Poland and now a U.S. citizen, was briefly detained and then released. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Border Patrol officers detain a person in the Albany Park neighborhood on Oct. 31, 2025, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Members of the community yell at U.S. Border Patrol officers while they detain a person in the Albany Park neighborhood on Oct. 31, 2025, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Border Patrol officers detain a person in the Albany Park neighborhood on Oct. 31, 2025, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino makes small talk with a concrete worker after his agents questioned the man for his citizenship documents, Oct. 31, 2025, in Chicago’s Edison Park neighborhood. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Members of the community film Border Patrol officers while they detain a person in the Albany Park neighborhood on Oct. 31, 2025, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Border Patrol officers stand in the street while detaining a person in the Albany Park neighborhood on Oct. 31, 2025, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
A Chicago Police officer stops people from walking in the street after Border Patrol officers detained a person in the Albany Park neighborhood on Oct. 31, 2025, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Members of the community film Border Patrol officers while they detain a person in the Albany Park neighborhood on Oct. 21, 2025, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Members of the community yell at Border Patrol officers after they detained a person in the Albany Park neighborhood on Oct. 31, 2025, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
A Chicago Police officer tries to clear people from walking in the street after Border Patrol officers detained a person in the Albany Park neighborhood on Oct. 31, 2025, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Members of the community film Border Patrol officers while they detain a person in the Albany Park neighborhood on Oct. 31, 2025, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
U.S. Border Patrol agents detain a man they found in an H Mart parking lot in Niles on Oct. 31, 2025, during immigration enforcement operations. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
U.S. Border Patrol agents transfer a man they took from an H-Mart parking lot into a van in a Niles on Oct. 31, 2025, during immigration enforcement operations. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
A landscaper is detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents during immigration enforcement operations on Oct. 31, 2025, in Chicago’s Edison Park neighborhood. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Border Patrol agents question painter Krzysztof Klim for his identification on Oct. 31, 2025, next to Halloween decorations outside a house in Chicago’s Edison Park neighborhood. Klim, originally from Poland and now a U.S. citizen, was briefly detained in handcuffs and then released. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
U.S. Border Patrol agents question and detain a man they found painting a house in Chicago’s Edison Park neighborhood on Oct. 31, 2025, during immigration enforcement operations. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
A neighbor yells as U.S. Border Patrol agents detain a man they found painting a house in Chicago’s Edison Park neighborhood on Oct. 31, 2025, during immigration enforcement operations. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Border Patrol officers transfer a person to a van after he was detained while conducting immigration enforcement actions in the area on Oct. 31, 2025, in Niles. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Border Patrol officers question a man about his immigration status while conducting immigration enforcement actions in the Edison Park neighborhood on Oct. 31, 2025, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
U.S. Border Patrol agents watch the street while others question and detain a man they found painting a house in Chicago’s Edison Park neighborhood on Oct. 31, 2025, during immigration enforcement operations. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
U.S. Border Patrol agents transfer detainees into a van in a Niles parking lot after taking them from job sites in Chicago’s Edison Park neighborhood on Oct. 31, 2025, during immigration enforcement operations. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Neighbor Charity Hines yells as U.S. Border Patrol agents detain a man they found painting a house in Chicago’s Edison Park neighborhood on Oct. 31, 2025, during immigration enforcement operations. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
U.S. Border Patrol agents leave after detaining a man working near Frederick Stock Public School during immigration enforcement operations on Oct. 31, 2025, in Chicago’s Edison Park neighborhood. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
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Border Patrol agents detain painter Krzysztof Klim while verifying his identification on Oct. 31, 2025, next to Halloween decorations outside a house in Chicago’s Edison Park neighborhood. Klim, originally from Poland and now a U.S. citizen, was briefly detained and then released. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
In Albany Park, they fired pepper-spray balls to disperse an angry crowd and arrested two U.S. citizens. In Evanston, one repeatedly pointed his weapon at protesters while another knelt on a man’s back and punched him in the head.
They grabbed workers at an apartment complex in Hoffman Estates, landscapers, house painters and laborers in Edison Park, Skokie and Niles.
Despite pleas from Gov. JB Pritzker to pause federal immigration enforcement operations while children celebrate Halloween, teams of Border Patrol agents — including one led by Cmdr. Greg Bovino — tore through Chicago’s Northwest Side and nearby suburbs, sparking violent clashes with community members throughout the day.
Could the National Guard be next?
Texas National Guard members walk outside of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 9, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
National Guard members walk around outside of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 9, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Texas National Guard members arrive Oct. 7, 2025, at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Members of the Texas National Guard carry luggage after arriving Oct. 7, 2025, at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Members of the Texas National Guard arrive Oct. 7, 2025, at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Members of the Texas National Guard arrive Oct. 7, 2025, at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Members of the Texas National Guard at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood, Oct. 8, 2025,. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Members of the Texas National Guard carry shields while running run drills on Oct. 8, 2025, at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Members of the Texas National Guard stand at an entrance Oct. 8, 2025, at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Members of the Texas National Guard arrive Oct. 7, 2025, at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Members of the Texas National Guard assemble at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood, a far southwest suburb of Chicago, on Oct. 7, 2025. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Erin Gallagher, from Will County, protests the arrival of members of the Texas National Guard on Oct. 7. 2025, at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)
Members of the Texas National Guard at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elmwood, Oct. 7. 2025. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)
Members of the Texas National Guard assemble in Elwood at the Army Reserve Training Center in the southwest suburb of Chicago on Oct. 7, 2025. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Members of the Texas National Guard assemble at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood, a far southwest suburb of Chicago, on Oct. 7, 2025. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Members of the Texas National Guard assemble at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood, a far southwest suburb of Chicago, on Oct. 7, 2025. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Members of the Texas National Guard assemble in Elwood at the Army Reserve Training Center in the southwest suburb of Chicago on Oct. 7, 2025. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Members of the Texas National Guard assemble at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood, a far southwest suburb on Oct. 7, 2025. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Members of the Texas National Guard assemble at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood, a far southwest suburb of Chicago, on Oct. 7, 2025. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Members of the Texas National Guard assemble at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood on Oct. 7, 2025, southwest of Chicago. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Members of the Texas National Guard assemble at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood, a far southwest suburb of Chicago, on Oct. 7, 2025. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Members of the Texas National Guard assemble at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood on Oct. 7, 2025, southwest of Chicago. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
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Texas National Guard members walk outside of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview on Oct. 9, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Gov. JB Pritzker has repeatedly called out the Trump administration for defending its decision to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago as necessary to fight violent crime in the city, even though the federal government has emphasized in court and Pentagon memos that the mission is mainly to protect federal immigration enforcement agents and federal property.
Appearing on ABC’s “This Week,” Pritzker on Oct. 13 said President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance’s ultimate goal is to bring in the National Guard to cities like Chicago and Portland, Oregon, to militarize the country’s Democratic-controlled enclaves as a form of political payback.
“They just want troops on the ground because they want to militarize, especially blue cities and blue states,” he said.
Trump has discussed the potential of invoking the two-century-old Insurrection Act as a way to get around judicial orders blocking guard deployment. The Insurrection Act is an exception to the Posse Comitatus Act and would allow the U.S. military to be actively involved in law enforcement to put down a “rebellion” or when enforcing federal law becomes “impractical.”
In the latest round of the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration raids, federal agents arrested 81 people in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday alone. In videos posted online, some who were detained said they do have legal status. Skyler Henry has more.
From Miami to San Diego, schools around the U.S. are seeing big drops in enrollment of students from immigrant families.
In some cases, parents have been deported or voluntarily returned to their home countries, driven out by President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown. Others have moved elsewhere inside the U.S.
In many school systems, the biggest factor is that far fewer families are coming from other countries. As fewer people cross the U.S. border, administrators in small towns and big cities alike are reporting fewer newcomer students than usual.
In Miami-Dade County Public Schools, about 2,550 students have entered the district from another country so far this school year — down from nearly 14,000 last year, and more than 20,000 the year before that. School board member Luisa Santos, who attended district schools herself as a young immigrant, said the trend is “a sad reality.”
“I was one of those arrivals when I was 8 years old,” Santos said. “And this country and our public schools — I’ll never get tired of saying it — gave me everything.”
Collectively, the enrollment declines in Miami-Dade erased about $70 million from the district’s annual budget, forcing administrators to scramble to cover the unexpected shortfall.
The drops in immigrant students add to strains on enrollment at many traditional public schools, which have seen overall numbers dip due to demographic changes and students opting for alternatives like private schools and homeschooling. Despite needs for English instruction and social supports, the newcomers in some districts have helped to buoy enrollment and bring critical per-pupil funding in recent years.
In northern Alabama, Albertville City Schools Superintendent Bart Reeves has seen the local economy grow along with its Hispanic population, which for decades has been drawn by the area’s poultry processing plants. Albertville soon will be getting its first Target store, a sign of the community’s growing prosperity.
Reeves’ district is home to one of Alabama’s largest Hispanic student populations, with about 60% identifying as Hispanic. But Reeves said the district’s newcomer academy at a local high school hasn’t been enrolling any new students.
“That’s just not happening this year with the closure of the border,” said Reeves, who expects the hit to his budget from enrollment declines will cost him about 12 teacher positions.
Some students are self-deporting with their families
One Sunday morning in August, Edna, a 63-year-old immigrant from El Salvador, got the call she had been dreading. Her friend, a mother from Guatemala with seven young children, had been detained in Lake Worth, Florida, on immigration charges while she was out grabbing a treat for her kids’ breakfast.
The family had prepared for this moment. There were legal documents in place granting temporary custody of the children to Edna, who asked to be identified only by her first name because she fears immigration enforcement.
“I’ll be here, and we’ll be OK,” she recalled telling the oldest child, a 12-year-old boy.
In the weeks that followed, Edna stayed home with two younger kids and got their five older siblings on the bus each day to attend Palm Beach County public schools, where enrollment has fallen by more than 6,000 students this year. One day in September, all seven children boarded a plane to Guatemala to be reunited with their mom, leaving behind neighborhood friends, band practices, and the only life they had ever known.
“My house feels like a garden without flowers,” Edna said. “They’re all gone.”
The family is now living in a rural part of Guatemala, out of reach of phone service. School there had already started for the year and the mother, who did not attend school herself as a child, was keeping them home and weighing whether to enroll them next year, Edna said.
Tens of thousands of students across the country stayed home on Monday to protest immigration enforcement action as part of “Day Without Immigrants” demonstrations, resulting in some collateral damage for schools. Damian Trujillo reports.
Schools accustomed to newcomers see far fewer this year
The declines in the numbers of immigrants coming to the U.S. were already becoming evident in school registration numbers this summer.
Denver Public Schools enrolled 400 new-to-country students this summer, compared to 1,500 during the previous summer. Outside Chicago, Waukegan Community Unified School District 60 signed up 100 fewer new immigrant students. And administrators in the Houston Independent School District shuttered the Las Americas Newcomer School, a program dedicated to children who are new to the U.S., after its enrollment fell to just 21 students from 111 last year.
The shift is visible in places like Chelsea, Massachusetts, a city outside Boston that has long been a destination for new immigrants. The 6,000-student Chelsea Public Schools system has attracted Central Americans looking for affordable housing, and more recently, the state housed newly-arrived Haitians in shelters there. This year, the usual influx of newcomers didn’t materialize.
“This year has been different. Much more quiet,” said Daniel Mojica, director of Chelsea’s parent information center.
Over the summer, 152 newcomers signed up for Chelsea Public Schools, compared to 592 new-to-country students the previous summer.
Some are also picking up and leaving. Since January, 844 students have withdrawn from the district, compared to 805 during the same period last year. Mojica said a greater share of students leaving – roughly a quarter – are returning to their native countries.
He attributes that partly to the presence of masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers walking the city’s streets.
“You can feel the fear in the air,” he said.
Educators worry students are missing out
In San Diego, Principal Fernando Hernandez has enrolled dozens of newcomer students from across Latin America over the past couple years. Many made the treacherous journey through the jungles of the Darien Gap before setting up camp in a park near Perkins K-8 school.
About a third of students at the school are homeless. Staff have become experts on supporting kids who are facing adversity. As more newcomers arrived, Hernandez watched as Mexican American students switched up their playground slang to be better understood by their new classmates from Venezuela, Colombia and Peru.
But so far this school year, he hasn’t enrolled a single newcomer student. Other families did not return when the new school year began.
Hernandez fears the toll of the disruption will extend far beyond students’ academic progress. He worries students are missing out on chances to learn how to show empathy, to share, to disagree, to understand each other.
“This is like a repeat of the pandemic where the kids are isolated, locked up, not socializing,” he said.
“These kids, they have to be in school,” he added.
Natacha, a parent who moved with her family to California after leaving Venezuela, said she tries to avoid going out in public, but continues sending her daughters to school. Natacha, who asked to only be identified by her first name because she fears immigration enforcement, said she braces herself as she drives the girls home each afternoon, scanning the road behind her in case another car is following hers.
“I entrust myself to God,” she said.
Kate Payne, Bianca Vazquez and Gisela Salomon | The Associated Press
Republicans in California have diverging opinions on President Trump’s immigration enforcement policies, according to a study published by the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute on Monday.
The Trump administration has deployed a sweeping crackdown on immigration, launching ICE raids across the country and removing legal barriers in order to make deportations faster. The study found that while Democrats were largely consistent in their opposition to these immigration policies, Republican sentiment varied more, especially by age, gender and ethnicity.
“At least some subset of Republicans are seeing that these immigration strategies are a step too far,” said G. Cristina Mora, a sociology professor and co-director of the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, which administered the poll. The polling data were collected from nearly 5,000 registered voters in mid-August. Just over 1,000 of those surveyed were registered Republicans.
Latino Republicans, with whom Trump made historic gains during the 2024 elections, showed the highest levels of disagreement with the party’s aggressive stance on immigration. Young people from 18 to 29 and moderate women in the Republican Party also more significantly diverged from Trump’s policies.
The majority of Republican respondents expressed approval of Trump’s immigration strategy overall. However, the study found respondents diverged more from Trump’s policies that ignore established legal processes, including due process, birthright citizenship and identification of federal agents.
“On these legalistic issues, this is where you see some of the bigger breaks,” Mora said.
Of those surveyed, 28% disapproved of the end of birthright citizenship, which Trump is pushing for, and 45% agreed that ICE agents should show clear identification. Four in 10 Republican respondents also support due process for detained immigrants.
Young people, who make up about 15% of the party in California, were on average also more likely to break from Trump’s policies than older Republicans.
The analysis also found that education level and region had almost no impact on respondents’ beliefs on immigration.
Latinos and women were more likely to disagree with Trump on humanitarian issues than their demographic counterparts.
Nearly 60% of moderate Republican women disagree with deporting longtime undocumented immigrants, compared with 47% of moderate men. 45% of women believe ICE raids unfairly target Latino communities.
The political party was most split across racial lines when it came to immigration enforcement being expanded into hospitals and schools. Forty-four percent of Latinos disagreed with the practice, compared with 26% of white respondents, while 46% of Latino respondents disagreed with deporting immigrants who have resided in the country for a long time, compared with just 30% of their white counterparts.
Trump had gained a significant Latino vote that helped him win reelection last year. Democratic candidates, however, made gains with Latino voters in elections earlier this month, indicating a possible shift away from the GOP.
The data could indicate Latino Republicans “are somewhat disillusioned” by the Trump administration’s handling of immigration, Mora said. “Latinos aren’t just disagreeing on the issues that we think are about process and American legal fairness. They’re also disagreeing on just the idea that this is cruel.”
Mora said the deluge of tense and sometimes violent encounters posted online could have an impact on Republican opinion surrounding immigration. A plainclothes agent pointed his gun at a female driver in Santa Ana last week, and two shootings involving ICE agents took place in Southern California late last month.
“You now have several months of Latinos being able to log on to their social media and see every kind of video of Latinos being targeted with or without papers,” Mora said. “I have to believe that that is doing something to everybody, not just Latino Republicans or Latino Democrats.”
