DHS in Chicago: Criminals Cannot Hide in Schools and Churches, Deportation Plans Unveiled

CHICAGO (WLS) — Some individuals in Chicago are staying indoors and avoiding businesses due to the combination of extreme cold temperatures and concerns about immigration raids on Tuesday.

The Department of Homeland Security announced that the Trump Administration has rescinded the memo issued during President Joe Biden’s term, which aimed to prevent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection from conducting operations in or around designated “sensitive areas.”

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Acting DHS Secretary Benjamine Huffman issued the “sensitive areas” directive and the directive to end “broad use” of humanitarian parole.

“Criminals will no longer have the opportunity to seek refuge in schools and churches to evade arrest in the United States. The Trump Administration is determined to empower law enforcement agencies rather than restrict them, allowing discretion in their operations,” stated a DHS spokesperson.

This comes after Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez reminded families all CPS schools are safe havens amid possible mass deportation plans in Chicago.

“I want our families to feel confident they can send their children to school; we are not going to interact with ICE,” Martinez said.

Sources have told the ABC7 I-Team that federal authorities have identified dozens of targets for deportation. All targets are either in custody, on bond or wanted by law enforcement, sources said.

In a lengthy statement Monday, Chicago police said, in part, “The Chicago Police Department does not assist federal immigration authorities with enforcement action solely based on immigration status. Additionally, CPD does not document immigration status and does not share such information with federal authorities.”

Chicago police ended that statement by making clear they will not intervene in immigration enforcement, but they will continue to enforce the law if a crime occurs, regardless of citizenship status.

But that enforcement could be for something like a traffic violation, and while the promised raids have not yet materialized in Chicago, the immigrant community here is on edge.

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“Now that we are on the first day or second day of the Trump administration, God knows what the enforcement is going to look like. It is that unknown that really has people worried,” 22nd Ward Ald. Michael Rodriguez said.

Activists and elected officials are continuing to canvass the neighborhoods like Pilsen and Little Village letting people know what their rights are, should ICE come knocking.

Up and down Cermak Avenue Tuesday, business after business prominently displayed the same flyer: “Don’t open for ICE.” Little Village business owners told ABC7 it is the least they can do.

“People need to stick together, no matter their immigration status,” Little Village business owner Jose Luis Vasquez said, in Spanish.

He has owned this computer and phone repair shop for nine years now.

A few blocks away, at the Little Village arch, a handful of activists braved the subzero wind chills to rally against the Trump administration’s stated plans to conduct mass deportation raids in Chicago.

“We’ve been out here since 5 a.m., educating the community, educating our people that they have rights. You have the right to an attorney. You have a right to a trial,” said Baltazar Enriquez with the Little Village Community Council.

Rodriguez was among those canvassing the neighborhoods. The alderperson spent the morning passing out informational flyers, instructing people what to say should ICE come knocking.

There has been little foot traffic in Little Village on Tuesday, and while much of that may very well be related to the cold, there is most certainly fear. Lawrence Benito, the executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, told ABC7 their hotline has been inundated with calls.

“From January 1st to January 19th, we saw 800 calls. But on January 20th alone, we saw almost 400 calls,” Benito said.

But even as images of the 2007 raid carried out in Little Village are still vivid in the eyes of many here, it is unclear if and when that same level of crackdown will be seen again.

Border Czar Tom Homan appeared on Fox Business on Tuesday.

“The president’s been clear. That right out of the gate we’re looking for public safety threats. ICE agents are out there doing that now,” Homan said.

Gov. JB Pritzker said the number of people targeted – those with criminal records – might be much higher than initially believed.

“They’ve not communicated with us, so we don’t know when exactly those enforcement actions might take place. We have heard that they’re targeting as many as 2,000 people initially in the city of Chicago alone,” Pritzker said.

While at least one of those scheduled for Tuesday was moved online due to the cold weather, “Know your rights campaigns” appear to be here to stay for the time being, with Pilsen’s Perez Elementary school hosting weekly sessions every Tuesday starting next week.

Full CPD statement:
“In accordance with the City of Chicago’s Municipal Code, which includes the Welcoming City Ordinance, the Chicago Police Department does not assist federal immigration authorities with enforcement action solely based on immigration status. Additionally, CPD does not document immigration status and does not share such information with federal authorities.

CPD is prohibited by the Welcoming City Ordinance from participating in civil immigration enforcement operations or assist in the civil enforcement of federal immigration law. CPD’s Responding to Incidents Involving Citizenship Status policy also states that if the Department receives a request from an immigration agency to provide assistance with a civil immigration enforcement operation, a supervisor will respond to the scene. If the request is to assist in the enforcement of civil immigration law, the supervisor will decline the request. If the request is unrelated to civil immigration law, appropriate police action will be taken. The Responding to Incidents Involving Citizenship Status policy was recently revised to require a supervisor of higher rank (a Watch Operations Lieutenant or Street Deputy) respond to the scenes of these requests, in addition to the previously required supervisor from the district of occurrence.

To be clear, the Chicago Police Department will not assist or intervene in civil immigration enforcement in accordance with the City of Chicago Municipal Code. As always, we will continue to enforce the law if a crime occurs, regardless of the citizenship status of those involved.”