Group of Chicagoans say they're working to protect neighbors from ICE actions

A group of several hundred Chicago residents are conducting daily patrols they say are meant to protect their neighbors amid increased ICE operations.

The group, working under the name “Northwest Side Rapid Response Network,” says it is working to alert neighbors to ongoing ICE actions in the city and suburbs, conducting patrols each morning to alert those neighbors to the presence and actions of agents.

“We are at the churches and schools, in every corner of our community,” Leticia Barrera said.

In addition to residents, some lawmakers are also joining in the efforts, including Illinois State Sen. Graciela Guzmán.

“I wish I could say I’m happy to be here. I’ve been in my car since 6 a.m. like many of our community members trying to protect other community members,” she said.

Guzmán and other residents have been critical of ICE’s operations, both because of who has been targeted by enforcement actions but also because of the behavior of agents, which she says has endangered the public.

“What I know is that there are literally agents driving recklessly because I’ve witnessed this today,” she said. “This is the heinousness that is ICE.”

The group says it is especially active in the morning because of ICE agents operating primarily during those times.

“We have communities now looking at those patterns and patrolling, and we are going to look for new patterns, because when they change, we change and we adapt,” advocate Juliet De Jesus said.

While Trump administration officials have said they are seeking out the “worst of the worst” amid Operation: Midway Blitz, an NBC 5 Investigates’ review of court records has called those statements into question.

While the administration and the Department of Homeland Security have not provided details on the total number of arrests made in the area, in 18 of 22 cases that DHS described as targeting “worst of the worst” offenders, NBC 5 Investigates was unable to find any arrests or criminal histories, despite searching court systems in 12 Illinois counties and in Wisconsin and Indiana.

According to the TRAC website, whose researchers closely monitor immigration data, 70.8 percent of those in ICE custody do not have criminal convictions.

The Trump administration in the past has said even those arrested without criminal backgrounds committed a crime if they crossed the border illegally, but even that has traditionally been considered a misdemeanor for the first offense.