Local leaders say illegal immigrants should know their rights, cooperate within the law, and make a plan for the care of their children.
CHICAGO—Residents of Little Village, a predominantly Mexican neighborhood on Chicago’s southwest side, are bracing for the possibility of mass deportations of illegal immigrants in the days following President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
People are anxious about what the days ahead will bring, either for themselves or for loved ones, according to local leaders who are helping all immigrants prepare for the expected operations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel in their community.
Trump’s promise to initiate the largest deportation operation in U.S. history has had a chilling effect on W. 26th Street, Little Village’s normally bustling commercial district.
Little Village, known to locals as “La Villita” or “the Mexico of the Midwest,” is known for being a significant entry point for Mexican immigrants, some of whom are illegal entries.
“Fear and worry are definitely disrupting normal activities, and it’s just keeping people basically on edge,” Jennifer Aguilar, executive director of Little Village Chamber of Commerce, told The Epoch Times. “Today, just walking up and down the corridor, it looked like a ghost town.”
Laura Gutierrez Ramos, owner of Nuevo Leon restaurant, told The Epoch Times, “People are scared. You can’t blame them.”
Tom Homan, the newly appointed border czar, said in a Jan. 21 interview with CNN that the ICE deportations—prioritizing but not limited to illegal immigrants with a criminal record—have already begun.
Homan said the operations are targeting those who pose a threat to public safety, which he defined as people in the country illegally who have a criminal conviction. “[ICE officers] know exactly who they’re looking for, and they have a pretty good idea where they’ll find them,” Homan said.
Homan said if other illegal immigrants are found with the targeted deportee, they will also be detained. “When we go find our priority target, which is a criminal alien, if he’s with others in the United States illegally, we’re going to take enforcement action against them,” he said.
“That is the difference between the last administration and this administration: ICE is going to enforce immigration law. There’s nothing in the INA (Immigration and Nationality Act) that says you’ve got to be convicted of a serious crime in order to be removed from this country.”
