Immigrants in Chicago and other US cities prepare for deportation arrests expected by Trump

CHICAGO (AP) — The Rev. Homero Sanchez said he didn’t realize the depth of fear within the Chicago immigrant community he serves until someone asked him to manage the sale of their family’s home and other finances if they are recovered this week when President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

Immigrants from big cities were prepare for mass arrests since Trump won the election in November, but reports that his first surge would be in the Chicago area have brought a new sense of urgency and fear.

“They feel like they have been targeted for who they are. They feel like they’re reviving that fear they had eight years agosaid Sanchez of St. Rita Parish in Cascia on Chicago’s South Side. “They feel like something is going to happen. It’s not their town because of the threat.

Sanchez, whose congregation has consisted primarily of people of Mexican descent since the 1980s, dedicated Sunday Mass “to solidarity with our immigrant brothers and sisters.”

Some immigrants without legal status in the country have given power of attorney to trusted friends, planned custody of children in the event of separation and installed security cameras at their doors in case immigration agents come. Others have left voluntarily, as Trump aides encouraged them to do.

Plans for deportation arrests are in flux, but federal immigration agents will target more than 300 people with a history of violent and egregious crimes after Trump takes office on Monday, an official said Saturday. speaking on condition of anonymity because the plans have not been made public.

The operation will be concentrated in the Chicago area and will continue throughout the week, subject to possible weather delays, the official said. Temperatures in Chicago dropped to 6 degrees Fahrenheit (-14.4 degrees Celsius) with cold temperature forecast throughout the week.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests a fraction of its targets in such operations, although Trump is expected to cast a wider net than President Joe Biden, whose focus on repatriating people away from the border has largely been limited to those with serious criminal histories or who pose a risk to national security. The Biden administration also ended the practice of mass arrests at workplacesthat were common under Trump, including an operation in 2019 targeting Mississippi chicken plants.

Trump aides have said they will arrest other people, like spouses or roommates, who are not targets but are in the country illegally.

Trump told NBC News on Saturday that mass deportations remain a top priority. He didn’t give an exact date or city where they will start, but he said they will start soon.

“It’s going to start very soon, very quickly,” he said, adding: “I can’t say in which cities because things are evolving. And I don’t think we want to say which city. You’ll see it from your own eyes.

Sanctuary citiesThe , which limits how local police can cooperate with federal immigration agents, has been one of Trump’s favorite targets, particularly Chicago.

The country’s third-largest city became a so-called sanctuary city in the 1980s. strengthened its policy repeatedly since, including after Trump took office in 2017. Last week, the City Council heartily rejected a long-shot plan calling for exceptions allowing local police to work with state troopers. ICE on deportation cases for people accused of or convicted of crimes.

Trump’s new “border czar,” Tom Homan, blasted the state’s top Democratic leaders during a visit to the Chicago area last month, where he indicated enforcement would begin there. down. But in recent days he told media that plans were evolving.

Homan told Fox News on Sunday that Chicago was still on the table but the new administration was “reconsidering when and how we would do it.”

An ICE spokesperson referred questions Sunday to Trump’s transition team, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The project was reported earlier by the Wall Street Journal, which said the operation was expected to begin Tuesday.

Community and faith leaders in Chicago said they were disappointed by the potential operation, but ready.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said on X Sunday that his “commitment to protecting and supporting this city remains unwavering.”

Cardinal Blase Cupich, who heads the Archdiocese of Chicago, also spoke.

“The reports circulating about planned mass evictions targeting the Chicago area are not only deeply disturbing but also deeply hurt us,” Cupich said Sunday during a visit to Mexico City, according to a copy of his prepared remarks. “We are proud of our immigration heritage that continues today to renew the city we love.”

Immigrant rights advocates in Chicago rallied Saturday, including Democratic U.S. Reps. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia and Delia Ramirez. They urged Chicago immigrants to remain calm and exercise their rights, including remaining silent and refusing to let officers into their homes without a warrant. Some advocacy groups have planned legal workshops in anticipation of mass arrests next week.

Ramirez planned to skip Monday’s inauguration to post flyers in Chicago neighborhoods with high concentrations of immigrants with information on what to do if encountered by immigration agents.

“We will not let our guard down in Chicago,” Garcia wrote on X.

Carlos, a Mexican immigrant, has lived in the Chicago area for decades. This 56-year-old man does not have legal status to stay in the country but has a work permit in construction and welding. He refused to give his last name or discuss details of his immigration status for fear of being deported.

He has three children who have legal status to stay in the country during the Obama era. Deferred action for child arrivalsor DACA, which remains in legal vacuum.

Carlos said the family’s contingency planning for eviction includes finding someone to manage their bank accounts, house and car. They also installed a camera in their suburban Chicago home and plan to screen all visitors.

“If people come into the house, don’t open the door,” he said. “Ask who it is. Don’t open it unless they have an order.

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Associated Press writer Elliot Spagat contributed to this report from San Diego.