CHICAGO (WLS) — Protesters demonstrated across the Chicago area Friday ahead of an expected surge in ICE operations this weekend.
Crews have put up fencing around Dirksen Federal Courthouse in downtown Chicago. The expected increase in immigration enforcement could come as soon as Saturday.
Naval Station Great Lakes will serve as the logistical hub for some 300 federal agents each day carrying out operations in Chicago.
ABC7 saw no sign of ramped up activity Friday night at the Broadview ICE facility that’s expected to be used as a processing center, but that could soon change Saturday.
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With the Trump administration providing few details about ICE operations that could begin this weekend, Illinois U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin and Congressman Brad Schneider went to the Navy for answers.
“What we learned today was there are limitations to the relationship between the Department of Homeland Security and the Navy,” Durbin said.
Those elected officials cited the admiral-in-charge at Naval Station Great Lakes, where federal agents plan to stage, say ICE and DHS on August 14 requested office space and parking at the base, from September 5 to October 5. The Navy agreed, but will not provide barracks or housing and won’t allow federal agents to have lethal munitions on the base.
“The security of our nation depends on the mission of Naval Station Great Lakes, and we need to make sure that what DHS does… does not get in the way of that mission,” Rep. Schneider said.
Durbin, Duckworth, and Schneider say they tried to meet with DHS officials on the base to no avail.
“DHS refused to meet with us,” Duckworth said. “They actually gave everybody the day off, and they left the facility, and they locked the doors. This is not the action of somebody that is proud of what they’re doing.”
President Donald Trump is defending is the stepped-up enforcement plans.
“We know exactly who we’re looking for,” Trump said. “We had 11,000 murderers dropped in our country. We’ve gotten a lot of them out.”
Protesters descended on an ICE processing facility in Broadview Friday, demonstrating against the planned use of the location as the main processing hub for those detained by ICE as a part of their upcoming operation.
It was a small victory for protestors demonstrating outside the facility as they forced a vehicle trying to enter to leave by blocking the entrance to the Beach Street location and refused to move. With signs in hand and chanting, it’s just one-way supporters of immigrant rights rallied Friday morning to disrupt operations at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“When Donald Trump runs out of other people to blame, when our state our city, our federal government run out of non-white people non-privileged people to point the finger at, they will come for you as well,” protest organizer Rachel Cohen said.
Officials with the village, which is predominantly Black and Latino, boarded up the building’s windows in advance of Friday’s protest after federal authorities informed them the facility would serve as a primary processing location, open seven days a week for the next month-and-a-half.
Two transport vans were seen leaving the center before daybreak. Border czar Tom Homan says it’s a part of the president’s immigration enforcement crackdown.
“The president said weeks ago, I said weeks ago that with sanctuary cities, how are we going to address it?” border czar Tom Homan said. “We are going to flood the zone.”
Protesters said detainees being processed for transfer are usually held at the facility for no more than a day. But that changed under the Trump administration, with people being held for extended periods in inhumane conditions.
“They’re a great risk of illness injury death losing their livelihood they’re losing their families,” a protester named Jennifer said.
Activists vowed to keep Friday’s protests peaceful as not to give President Trump any excuse to deploy the National Guard to Chicago.
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There were no arrests at the protests. There have been protests at the facility before and demonstrators want it to be closed.
There was also pushback from neighboring suburbs near Naval Station Great Lakes Friday morning, before missions even begin.
Demonstrators gathered on overpasses by I-94 in Wilmette and Evanston, holding up signs and flags calling out ICE’s bolstered presence in the area. Some cars driving under the overpass or by the demonstrators could be heard honking in support. Organizers said they plan to be out demonstrating on the overpass throughout September during rush hour in the morning and afternoon.
David Borris with North Shore Says No said the Trump administration has gone too far.
“When they see us up on these overpasses they know they are not alone and they can get out and organize,” Borris said. “It’s neighbor to neighbor, it’s over the backyard fence. It’s what built this country.”
Meanwhile, Illinois Republican chair Kathy Salvi is welcoming the federal support and says Trump is following through on his campaign promises.
“Well within the bounds of law, I think that what American citizens want, what Americans want is crime to be reduced,” Salvi said. “They want to have safe neighborhoods, safe communities, and certainly those people visiting our beautiful city in Chicago deserve to have a beautiful, safe journey to Chicago, and that hasn’t been the case under the leadership of this mayor and this governor, within the bounds of the law.”
Broadview’s mayor said she has been told the facility is expected to be used seven days a week for perhaps the next month and a half.
Chicago communities are expressing their fears ahead of an expected surge in federal immigration enforcement this weekend.
There is ongoing fear of ICE enforcement in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood. Community leaders are urging residents to make a plan, but at the same time keep living their lives by going to work or sending their kids to school. The hope there is to continue with as much normalcy as possible.
“I think going to school, having lunch, being able to still participate in programs and sports and try to go as business as usual to help you stay focused and not be distracted,” said Ismael Dominguez, Enlace Chicago resource coordinator.
Dominguez is working inside Little Village High School to let students know their rights and calm their fears.
“I still believe, honestly, that schools are the safest basis for our kids,” said Angel Gutierrez, Enlace deputy director and school board member.
Gutierrez says his organization is encouraging families to stay calm and develop an emergency plan.
“Make sure everyone in your family knows where you’re going and if you’re going to go to store, let them know what store,” Gutierrez said.
The Resurection Project’s Erendira Rendon will be tracking the patterns of ICE. She reminds people federal agents must have a federal warrant to enter any private place. Rendon is also fearful as she is a DACA recipient.
“I feel a little bit more protected in terms of deportations, but I’m also very aware that I could get swooped up, and so I’m taking my precautions and probably not attending many festivities,” Rendon said.
One festivity that is going on as planned is Little Village’s 54th annual Mexican Independence Day Parade, one of the largest in country.
The Mexican Independence Parade will kick off on Sept 14 at noon along 26th street. Organizers are urging Chicagoans of all ethnicities to come celebrate.
Concerns about an increase in ICE activity caused the postponement of Chicago’s El Grito Festival. The festival in Grant Park is meant to celebrate Mexico’s Independence. The postponement was announced after organizers got a call from Governor Pritzker.
The festival also put out a statement, calling the postponement “a painful decision, but holding El Grito at this time puts the safety of our community at stake – and that’s a risk we are unwilling to take.”
Chicago police said “regular days off will be cancelled and tour of duty extensions will be implemented for sworn members” from Sept. 12 through Sept. 16.
In preparation for increased federal immigration enforcement, the city of Chicago has an updated website and information hub led by the Office of Immigrant, Migrant, and Refugee Rights (IMRR). It will highlight services and protections for the city’s immigrant and refugee communities.
In the suburbs, Wauconda is canceling its Latin Heritage Fest. Organizers say they know how meaningful the event is for the community, but safety needs to come first.
Aurora’s Fiestas Patrias is still on for this weekend. The city’s special events team says it is working closely with public safety departments to make sure it is safe for everyone.
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