CHICAGO – At least one large-scale protest is scheduled this weekend in downtown Chicago as President Donald Trump threatens to send National Guard troops and additional immigration enforcement agents to the city.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and other officials have warned that stepped-up enforcement operations could begin as early as this weekend.
What we know:
Federal immigration agents are expected to increase their presence in the area and will be staged at Great Lakes Naval Base in North Chicago. Beyond that, few details have been confirmed.
Several groups have announced plans for demonstrations, including a protest on Saturday at 5 p.m.
Other organizations — including Indivisible and a coalition of labor unions known as “Hands Off Chicago” — said they intend to mobilize quickly in response to any raids.
What they’re saying:
On Friday, two U.S. senators said they attempted to meet with Department of Homeland Security officials for more information about the operations but were turned away.
“They would not even meet with us to discuss it. This kind of secrecy is not part of our government and shouldn’t be. It’s an indication that there’s something about this mission they don’t want the public to know. We want to make sure that the public and members of Congress know in detail what’s going to happen here…,” Sen. Dick Durbin said.
“DHS fled, and they’re hiding and that is a clear indication of how secretive they want to be on this effort, and so we are deeply concerned, and we are going to stay on top of it,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth said.
Both senators later met with Great Lakes officials, who briefed them on the operation.
What’s next:
Polling conducted by M3 and funded by the Conservative Law and Order PAC found that 65% to 70% of Chicago residents oppose deploying military troops to city streets.
For now, National Guard involvement does not appear to be part of the immediate plan, though Trump has repeatedly shifted positions on the issue.
FOX 32 has reached out to spokespeople for ICE and Homeland Security. We have heard nothing back.
The Source: The information in this article was reported by FOX 32’s Paris Schutz.
