Illinois governor says troops could be deployed to Chicago as immigration agents patrol downtown
CHICAGO: The sight of armed, camouflaged and masked Border Patrol agents making arrests near famous downtown Chicago landmarks has amplified concerns about the Trump administration’s growing federal intervention across US cities.
As Illinois leaders warned Monday of a National Guard deployment, residents in the nation’s third-largest city met a brazen weekend escalation of immigration enforcement tactics with anger, fear and fresh claims of discrimination.
“It looks un-American,” said Chicago Alderman Brandon Reilly, who represents downtown on the City Council. He deemed the Sunday display a “photo opp” for President Donald Trump, echoing other leaders.
Memphis, Tennessee, and Portland, Oregon, also braced for a federal law enforcement surge. Meanwhile, Louisiana’s governor asked for a National Guard deployment to New Orleans and other cities.
Trump has called the expansion of federal immigration agents and National Guard troops into American cities necessary, blasting Democrats for crime and lax immigration policies. Following a crime crackdown in the District of Columbia and immigration enforcement in Los Angeles, he’s referred to Portland as “war-ravaged” and threatened apocalyptic force in Chicago.
“Whether it takes place here in the city or the suburbs, it’s all the same to us,” Border Patrol agent Gregory Bovino said in Chicago.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has issued a memo that also directs component agencies within the Justice Department, including the FBI, to help protect US Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, including in Chicago and Portland.
Here’s a snapshot of where things stand with federal law enforcement activity in Chicago, Portland, Memphis and New Orleans.
