More than 100 arrested in Chicago area as targeted immigration enforcement efforts continue
CHICAGO (CBS) -- More than 100 people in the Chicago area have been arrested this week as the federal government begins targeted immigration enforcement efforts.
Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling said multiple federal agencies have told the Chicago Police Department they are focused on arresting undocumented immigrants who have been convicted of violent crimes.
Snelling reiterated that the Chicago Police Department is not assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but the two law enforcement agencies are in communication.
"There is direct communication," Snelling said. "It would be irresponsible for me as the leader of the Police Department in the City of Chicago not to have some communication with these federal agencies to know when they're coming to our city."
Snelling said, while he does not know who specifically has been arrested in Chicago, more than 100 people in the Chicago area have been arrested this week.
"The communication that we have directly from the federal agency is that their focus would be people who are undocumented who have committed violent crimes, and have been convicted of crimes," Snelling said.
The superintendent also sought to calm fears among immigrant communities that federal agents might be going to schools or places of work looking for undocumented immigrants.
"What we have not seen is that we have not seen federal agents running through Chicago looking for children, going to work locations and grabbing people," he said. "There's no need to be afraid to show up to work. There's no need to be afraid to go to school."
Across state lines in Indiana, the situation is the opposite. Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signed an executive order Tuesday directing law enforcement there to cooperate with ICE.
Mayor Brandon Johnson asked to testify before Congress about sanctuary city policies
Mayor Brandon Johnson had strong words Tuesday for the mass deportations for which so many Americans voted.
"That's what terror does. It works to disrupt the way of life," Mayor Johnson said. "We literally have acts of terror that are being promulgated from the federal government."
Mayor Brandon Johnson declined to say Tuesday whether he would testify on Capitol Hill next month about Chicago's sanctuary city status, after a congressional committee asked him and three other big city mayors to testify about their policies protecting undocumented immigrants.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has launched an investigation into policies in so-called "sanctuary cities" – including Chicago, Boston, Denver, and New York – that prohibit local law enforcement from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on the Trump administration's "mass deportation" efforts.
The mayors of those cities have been asked to testify before the committee on Feb. 11, and to hand over all documents and communications related to their cities' sanctuary policies.
"Sanctuary jurisdictions and their misguided and obstructionist policies hinder the ability of federal law enforcement officers to effectuate safe arrests and remove dangerous criminals from American communities, making Americans less safe," U.S. Rep. James Comer (R-KY), the committee's chairman, wrote in letters to each mayor.
Johnson on Tuesday stood by Chicago's status as a sanctuary city, saying that the Welcoming City Ordinance and Illinois TRUST Act providing protections for undocumented immigrants are the "law of the land."
"Regardless of who's in the White House, Chicago is a city that opens its arms to people from around the globe. We will continue to protect civil and human rights, and we welcome all individuals and families who want to work, live, and thrive here in our beloved city," Johnson said. "We are a welcoming city, we're proud of that work, and we'll continue to make sure that we're protecting the interests of all working people in this city."
However, the mayor was noncommittal about testifying before Congress about Chicago's sanctuary city policies, referring questions to Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry, who said city attorneys are reviewing the specifics of the congressional committee's request before formally responding.
"This is not a question of not being proud of our claim of status of a welcoming city ordinance, nor is it a question of not being proud of our status as a sanctuary city," she said. "The objective isn't to force anything, the objective is to take the letter that we received, do the analysis, and then make any determinations as to how, when, where, and whom responds."
Johnson said he supports efforts to deport undocumented immigrants who have been convicted of violent crimes, but he said it's up to the federal government, not local police, to carry out those efforts.
"There's a federal law that clearly states that if you are undocumented and you are convicted of a crime, you are subject to deportation. That's the law. I fully expect the federal government to uphold that law. Being a welcoming city just simply states that our local police department will not behave as federal agents. There's a clear separation of powers there," he said.
White House seeks to freeze spending on federal assistance programs
Also on Tuesday, the Trump administration announced it was freezing spending on federal assistance programs, which could affect everything from aid to nonprofits, universities, small business loans and state and local government grants.
A memo from the Office of Management and Budget is directing federal agencies to assess compliance with President Trump's executive orders — specifically targeting "DEI, woke gender ideology and the Green New Deal." It does not give specifics on what these policies refer to, especially since the Green New Deal was never signed into law.
Late Tuesday afternoon, a federal judge said she would put the matter on a temporary pause as she considers arguments from the U.S. government and the plaintiffs in the case, who had asked for the asked the court to issue a restraining order against the government to stop the funding freeze.
Before the judge's ruling pausing the order, Johnson declined to speculate on whether the Trump administration was pausing such funding in an effort to encourage sanctuary cities like Chicago to assist with mass deportation efforts. But the mayor said it's clear President Trump has disdain for working people and is trying to incite fear.
"He wants to stoke fear in the people so that he can ultimately behave as the supreme existence, which is quite dangerous, because when you have a leader that believes they are supreme and above the law, there's some real nasty history that demonstrates how damning that can be for the people of the planet," Johnson said.
Pilsen food pantry sees drop in visits, Evanston church opens doors to those worried about deportation
In response to immigrant communities living in fear, even food banks in Chicago have reported changes to their clientele.
"It could be because they're afraid because Immigration and Customs Enforcement is here in Chicago — and they've made it pretty clear that they are here — so some people are a bit worried," said Steve Wiley, the pantry manager at the Pilsen Food Pantry.
The pantry serves 30,000 to 35,000 people a year. It is open five days a week.
"Based on average numbers on a n ice day, we are down over the last couple of day," Wiley said. "We usually easily break about 120 for a three-hour period that we're open, and yesterday was 97. Today looks like it'll be roughly the same."
Wiley vowed that no matter how many ICE agents are out on the streets, the doors to the pantry will be open.
"We support the community, and we support anybody that is in need in our community, or what we consider the community of Chicago. So that's anybody," Wiley said. "We won't close down. We never closed down during the pandemic, and so we have no intention of closing just because Immigration [and Customs Enforcement] is in town."
Wiley said the people who use the pantry just want to work and take care of their families — and do not want to take handouts.
Meantime, a church in Evanston said it is opening its doors to anyone worried they might be a target of ICE for deportation.
"We make this announcement so that those who are in fear know they have a place – a physical structure, God's house – to turn to," Lake Street Church senior minister Michael Woolf said, flanked by other local faith leaders and Mayor Daniel Biss.
Evanston recently approved several changes to its own Welcoming City Ordinance to prohibit the sharing of city databases or information with federal immigration authorities, and to clarify that city officials may not participate in civil immigration enforcement by any agency—including private contractors.
"My heart has also been lifted in these recent days, as I see the people in this community are ready; are ready to stand up, are ready to put their arms around one another," Biss said.
Woolf said, even though ICE now has permission from the Trump administration to enter houses of worship to make arrests, Lake Street Church's commitment to providing sanctuary to anyone who needs it is "ironclad."
ICE has reported around 1,000 arrests nationwide each day over the last three days.
President Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, said in an interview that people in Chicago are "very well-educated," which has made it more difficult for agents to take people into custody.
