‘GOAL IS TO BE INSTRUMENT OF TERROR’: On the ground in Chicago where protesters rage against ICE

Fox News Digital spoke with protesters in Chicago about the Trump administration’s mass deportation plan.

“The immigrant population, whether they are recent migrants or longtime residents — statistics show that they are very unlikely to commit crimes. They are the least likely really among the populations in the U.S.,” Ruth said to Fox News Digital.

Ruth joined dozens of outraged protesters on Saturday who swarmed downtown Chicago near the Water Tower. Many carried signs displaying criticism of U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) after border czar Tom Homan vowed to crack down on the migrant influx in the Windy City.

More than 100 people in the region have been detained since ICE and federal authorities began their raids on Sunday, Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said. 

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Chicago’s Mayor Brandon Johnson accused President Donald Trump of “attempting to get us to surrender our humanity” as he ripped the White House Tuesday for the ICE operations that are unfolding in his city. 

Furthermore, Johnson was among several mayors from big cities called by House Oversight and Government Reform Chair James Comer to testify about their sanctuary policies. 

He reportedly declined to respond to the request from the chairman.

“I think raids are clearly a violation of people’s due process. Immigrants pose no real threat to us. The Trump administration is actually who poses real threats. And the billionaire’s agenda is what is actually going to hurt the working class,” said Erin, an employee of Chicago Public Schools.

This split image shows Mayor Brandon Johnson and migrants in Chicago.  ((Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)/ (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images))

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CPS and the CTU released a joint letter reaffirming that they are a “sanctuary” space for “all students, parents, employees, and community members at the school for school-related business.”

“CTU has advocated for years for Chicago Public Schools to be a sanctuary zone, which it currently is. So we don’t cooperate with ICE, and we don’t allow them into our school buildings,” Erin added.

While several of the protesters shared concern over raids and deportations, ICE released a statement saying they were targeting “known criminal aliens who threaten national security or public safety.” Although the federal agency clarified their objective in Chicago, the protesters were not convinced.

“That’s a farce,” Erin said, reacting to the statement.

“That’s a lie,” Andrea told Fox News Digital while the crowd marched.

Andrea went on to say, “Because we’ve seen it. We know. We see testimonies. We see people actually being targeted. And we now are definitely highlighting, you know, what’s happening now.”

“We are not actually seeing a lot of ICE because they don’t know what they are doing, because the role is not to keep people safe,” Elena said.

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Many Chicago residents have been railing against housing an influx of migrants in their neighborhoods since the beginning of the year.  (Fox News)

She explained further, “Their goal is to be an instrument of terror. And ICE is a direct descendant of Stalin’s secret police.”

“I think that ICE kind of says whatever they want. And I’m waiting to see what actions they do,” Laura said.

Chicago residents, especially from the southside region of the city, have been critical of the migrant influx and Mayor Johnson’s handling of the issue. More than 20,000 migrants have arrived in the city since August 2022, according to Fox 32 Chicago, and thousands are in shelters. 

Fox News’ Joshua Nelson and Elizabeth Heckman reported from Chicago, Illinois.