Now that portions of Lake County are under siege by federal henchmen, some are wondering when the withdrawal will occur. If ever.
Are agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, who have been scouring the county for undocumented residents these past weeks, here indefinitely? That’s what U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem hinted last week.
She indicated the agency will expand the number of ICE and Border Patrol agents throughout the region. To do that, she said, President Donald Trump has approved buying additional buildings across the Chicago area for ICE use.
Currently, the government operates an ICE holding facility in west suburban Broadview which has been the site of protests from those opposed to rounding up the usual suspects. Noem, the former South Dakota governor and Trump loyalist, said the protesters are trying to, “distract us and keep us from going after those murderers and rapists that are out in the streets.”
In fact, most of the estimated 1,000 or so caught in the federal dragnet and being held for eventual deportation have been living peacefully, yet illegally, in the U.S. That is of little consolation to those in federal custody.
“We’re not going to back off. In fact, we’re doubling down, and we’re going to be in more parts of Chicago in response to the people there,” Noem promised during a briefing last week during a presidential Cabinet meeting. “I was there a few days ago, and looked at some facilities that we can deploy more law enforcement out of.”
Unsure if any of those real estate moves could be in Lake County, but federal agents have been using Naval Station Great Lakes as their headquarters since Operation Midway Blitz began on Sept. 8 in Illinois, which happens to be a sanctuary state. “We’re not just here, we’re here to stay, and we’re expanding and we’re going to make this city safe again,” Noem pledged.
The DHS czarina and other federal officials last week toured a number of locales, mainly vacant warehouses, in the Chicago region for possible future ICE garrisons, several media outlets reported. Long-term plans and the mission for the agents remain unclear.
But if the reception area officials have greeted ICE activity — targeting mainly members of the Hispanic community — a facility located in Lake County would not be welcomed. Officials are quite icy when it comes to DHS’s use of the Navy base.
Residents, too, have been outspoken in support of area immigrants, and in opposition to the growing federal presence.
Those numbers now include about 500 members of the Illinois and Texas National Guard cooling their heels in south suburban Elwood after a federal judge last week issued a temporary restraining order keeping them from hitting area streets.
Trump and his minions have said the troops would be “directly confronting the sinister threat of left-wing domestic terrorism and violence.” Haven’t seen much terrorism, unless one considers challenges to ICE and Trumpian practices.
Two peaceful demonstrations in Lake County are set for Saturday. The No Kings rallies are planned for Gurnee and Highland Park, both known hotbeds of civil disobedience and lawlessness.
The Gurnee gathering is slated between 10 a.m. and noon at Grand Avenue and Hunt Club Road; the one in Highland Park is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Highland Park City Hall, 1707 St. Johns Ave.
Others are planned across the region, from Evanston’s Fountain Square to the Naperville Municipal Center. All of the rallies mesh with hundreds of similar events planned for Oct. 18 during a national day of action throughout the U.S.
Large contingents of those opposed to Trump administration policies are expected to turn out for both Lake County assemblies, rain or shine. Protesters may not be enough to signal federal satraps that overwhelming numbers of Illinoisans are against the immigration crackdown policies, directives and postings coming from Washington, D.C.
The actions have been spreading fear for more than a month, causing the cancellation of a number of events in Hispanic communities, including a soccer game between Puerto Rico and Argentina which was to be held Oct. 13 at Chicago’s Soldier Field. It was moved to Miami, which apparently has no illegal immigrants among its residents.
This brings up the eventual endgame involved in the tactics of federal authorities. Outside allegedly fighting crime in Illinois and ridding Chicagoland of dangerous undocumented immigrants, the legion of federal agents can’t stay on point forever. They must be racking up loads of overtime and per diem being charged to American taxpayers.
Eventually, the president and Noem will have to declare victory, like President Richard Nixon did in ending the Vietnam War, and slowly withdraw their forces. The alternative is continuing the siege indefinitely.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor.
sellenews@gmail.com
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