Immigrant rights activists and state and local lawmakers in Illinois warned Wednesday that ICE has invaded homeless shelters in a new chapter of raids in search of undocumented immigrants.
The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights(ICIRR) reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained and released at least two people from a shelter located in the North Park neighborhood.
ICE uses shelters as target for raids
The building was a U.S. Marine Corps Reserve training center.
But it was purchased by the city in 2023 to transform it into a shelter for asylum seekers and now assists homeless people in Chicago.
Activists claimed that targeting shelters is a new tactic that immigration is using to arrest people suspected of not having proper papers.
“This is inappropriate, disgusting and unacceptable,” said Democratic state Sen. Ram Villivalam.
Activists accuse authoritarian tactics
“We are facing an authoritarian regime that acts like white supremacists.”
Added Alderman Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez, of Chicago’s 33rd Ward where the shelter raided by the feds is located.
The operations in Illinois go beyond what was announced by President Donald Trump in his mass deportation plan.
And they include arbitrary arrests and detentions without due process, say activists.
Legislators question raids
In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem released Wednesday, Democratic lawmakers representing Illinois in Congress question the “military-style tactics” of ICE agents.
They request a definitive answer on how many arrests have been made since federal authorities announced the launch of ‘Operation Midway Blitz’ on September 8.
“As we have seen, DHS is not targeting the ‘worst of the worst,’ as claimed.”
“Rather, it has mainly arrested hard-working immigrants with no criminal record,” he notes.
Demand transparency on ICE operations
The lawmakers, urge DHS to “end its dangerous operations in Illinois and provide our residents with transparency about these operations.”
The administration has identified dozens of immigrants who have been detained, along with some arrested in other states.
However, the full extent of the operation remains unclear, and federal immigration officials have not provided a complete tally of the arrests.
ICE raids in sensitive locations criticized
The letter states that members of Congress have been denied oversight of facilities used by ICE in its operations.
And the lawmakers criticize the use of military-style tactics to break down doors, “with little transparency about the rationale for such raids.”
There are also inquiries about arrests in churches, schools, health centers and businesses, which were considered “sensitive locations” and off-limits to immigration agents.
“We urge them to abandon their reckless operations in Illinois, provide much-needed transparency, and collaborate with local leaders on initiatives that will truly improve community safety,” they wrote.
With information from EFE
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