The Trump administration’s militarization of U.S. cities like Chicago makes us all less safe. It is a deliberate strategy meant to create chaos, instill fear, and it weakens our rights and democracy. Below are recent examples of the abuse of power and the human and economic costs of mass deportation.
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Abuse of Power in Chicago
The Trump administration is expanding its targeting of U.S. cities, including Chicago, under the guise of public safety to terrorize communities and trample our rights and democracy – making us all less safe.
- The Illinois National Guard and Texas National Guard continue to occupy Chicago with Trump’s order, regardless of the objections from local officials.
- Trump signaled that he will use the Insurrection Act should courts block his deployment efforts, and has called for both the Chicago Mayor and Illinois Governor to “be in jail” for not protecting his ICE agents.
- ICE agents are “draining resources” of the local police departments through false 911 calls, according to Broadview Police Chief Thomas Mills.
- In one instance, an ICE agent called 911 from an ICE detention facility claiming “someone was trying to force their way into a door” – but it was just a CBS News photographer filming the exterior of the building.
- There is an increasing level of aggression from immigration agents toward local elected officials in Chicago.
- Daniel Biss, Evanston mayor, and Kat Abughazaleh, Illinois 9th district candidate, were both tear gassed in a protest outside the Broadview Detention Center during a protest.
- Jessie Fuentes, a city alderwoman, was arrested at a local emergency room for asking to see a warrant on a man ICE detained in the hospital.
- Local Broadview officials – Mayor Katrina Thompson, Police Chief Thomas Mills, and Acting Fire Chief Matt Martin – came together to criticize ICE agents’ use of “chemical agent and tear gas on protesters.”
- Mayor Thompson states that “relentless deployment of tear gas, pepper spray and mace at the ICE facility is endangering nearby village residents, harming police officers, harming firefighters and American citizens exercising their First Amendment rights.”
- Mills warns that “we are experiencing an immediate public safety crisis.”
- ICE is targeting immigration court proceedings, disincentivizing lawfulness, and agents are also at domestic violence courthouses, deterring victims of domestic violence from reporting their abusers or taking actions to protect themselves.
Human Cost Of Mass Deportation In Chicago
Trump’s mass deportation operations in Chicago will further undermine fundamental rights, create chaos, and make the city less safe. Regardless of immigration status, everyone is at risk.
- At least two adult U.S. citizens and four U.S. citizen children were detained in the largest raid in Chicago history in a South Shore neighborhood apartment.
- Isaiah Johnson, one of the U.S. citizens that was arrested said he was detained for almost two hours with plastic zip-tie handcuffs.
- Another arrested U.S. citizen, Rodrick Johnson, asserted his rights,asked for a warrant, and to call a lawyer – all his requests were ignored.
- Valentina Galvis and her U.S. citizen baby son were detained in Chicago’s O’Hare airport hotel with no contact with the outside world for five days. Her husband — who has an identical asylum case after both were brutally assaulted by a paramilitary group in Colombia — had his case approved just two weeks prior. She thought she would be safe.
- Sergio and Kristina, a Chicago couple, were detained at the US-Canada border after making a wrong turn during their business trip. Kristina is a U.S. citizen who was released after three days. Her husband is still detained, even though he has a pending visa and Green card application.
Economic Cost Of Mass Deportation In Chicago
Chicago is one of the most diverse metropolitan areas in the United States, with immigrants making up 18% of its population.
- There are 1.7 million immigrants in the Chicago metro area and at least 150,000 undocumented immigrants.
- As of 2023, there are around 29,180 DACA recipients, 19,730 TPS holders and 14,929 approved H-1B visas in Illinois.
Chicago’s economy could lose up to $2.8 billion from mass deportation operations, not including state and local tax contributions.
- Currently, there are around 1 million immigrant workers in Chicago, which is about 23% of Chicago’s labor force; in other words: one out of every five workers in Chicago is an immigrant.
- Immigrant households in Chicago earn $90.3 billion and have an enormous spending power of $64.5 billion.
- The same immigrant households paid $25.8 billion in total in taxes.
- $15.9 billion went to federal taxes and $9.9 billion went to state and local taxes.
- There are three sectors that will be the hardest hit in Chicago: the construction, manufacturing, and shipping industries heavily rely on immigrant workers.
