Roughly 300 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will be sent to the Chicago area as part of increased operations ordered by the Trump administration, suburban officials have been told.
With Naval Station Great Lakes serving as the nerve center for the effort, federal officials met with Lake County law enforcement Wednesday morning to brief them on the agents’ arrival and the potential for the National Guard’s deployment, according to Gregory Jackson, the chief of staff for North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr. The city’s police chief, Laz Perez, was among those in attendance, Jackson said.
As a result, Rockingham and Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham said they are taking steps to ensure the safety of people in their communities, where there is fear of family separation in mixed families where some members are documented and others are not.
“I don’t believe that a time has come in our country where the National Guard and ICE are coming into our community to basically scare the Latino population,” Rockingham said. “I didn’t think our country would ever get to that point.”
Waukegan officials also expressed concern about the federal plans ahead of a Sept. 14 event celebrating Latin American independence. A similar Fiestas Patrias parade and festival scheduled for that day in North Chicago was cancelled on Wednesday afternoon, Jackson said.
Jackson said as many as 300 ICE agents will be part of the operation. The officers will stay in hotels in Waukegan, Gurnee and possibly other area communities. National Guard troops will be used as they were in Los Angeles to protect federal buildings, he said.
Federal buildings in the area include the Navy base, the James A. Lovell Federal Healthcare Center and an FBI firing range in North Chicago, as well as a U.S. Social Security Office in Waukegan.
Along with representatives of law enforcement from neighboring communities, Jackson said U.S. Navy personnel and naval police were at the briefing, as well as representatives of ICE, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Perez declined to comment on the meeting.
With the parade celebrating Mexican Independence Day and the freedom of other Latin American countries still on in Waukegan for Sept. 14, local officials and parade organizers are concerned about the safety of local residents.
Cunningham said due to the influx of federal officials into the area, he and members of his staff spent about an hour with Mexican Consul General Reyna Torres Mendivil discussing ways to keep people safe.
“She will be in touch with the various organizing groups and will advise them on the best way to ensure the safety and security of their families,” Cunningham said. “This is a fluid situation.”
Elizabeth Marrero, one of the organizers of the Waukegan parade, said she plans to make an informed decision about whether to hold or cancel the parade. Her primary concern is the safety of the community.
“We’re watching very closely, and I’m trying to get the feel of the community,” she said. “It is a great concern. It’s 11 days away. We’re going to see what happens.”
Cunningham said his concerns go beyond the parade. Though President Donald Trump keeps talking about sending troops to Chicago, Cunningham worries Waukegan may not be spared.
“They’re (staying) much closer to Waukegan and North Chicago than Chicago,” the mayor said. “I’m worried about ICE in our neighborhoods. Thoughts of that in the Latino community really scares people.
During the Waukegan City Council meeting on Tuesday at City Hall, Cunningham tried to calm people during his opening comments. He said immigrants formed the fabric of Waukegan since its earliest days in the 1800s. It is as true today as it was then, he said.
“We want our community to know challenges may arise, and we will face them together with courage and resolve,” Cunningham said. “The people of Waukegan do not hide from fear. We stand up and support one another.
“That is our stand until this situation has passed us,” he continued. “If we stick together and stay focused on leading our residents through this, this too shall pass.”
With ICE increasing its presence in the area, Mano a Mano Executive Director and Waukegan Township Trustee Dulce Ortiz said Wednesday people must know their rights if they encounter an agent. They are masked and do not resemble other law enforcement officers, she said.
“The Trump administration is terrorizing the Brown community by trying to bring his agenda to us,” Ortiz said.
Should people encounter an ICE agent, she said they have the right to remain silent or ask to speak to a lawyer. If an agent comes to a person’s home, they do not have to open the door unless the person there has a warrant signed by a judge, Ortiz said.
