A noticeable decline in Halloween and Day of the Dead festivities over the weekend in and around Chicago was attributed to heightened immigration enforcement actions, according to reports. At least one Halloween parade was canceled as tensions escalated.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, had previously urged federal agents to pause immigration enforcement during the holiday, stating that “our children should not be victims.” This request was rejected by the Trump administration. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem criticized Pritzker’s appeal, calling it “shameful” and asserting, “We’re absolutely not willing to put on pause any work that we will do to keep communities safe.”
Incidents occurred in Evanston, where clashes broke out between protesters and immigration agents near a middle school. Witnesses shared videos showing an agent restraining a man and striking him repeatedly in the head. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson stated that agents were “aggressively tailgated” by a red vehicle, leading to a crash with Border Patrol. The agency reported that a hostile crowd surrounded agents, verbally abusing them and spitting on them. Pepper spray was used during an arrest of an individual resisting capture, resulting in the detention of three U.S. citizens for violence against law enforcement.
DHS also confirmed the arrest of five undocumented migrants from Mexico during the operation. All were found to be in the country without proper documentation and had criminal records, including trespassing charges and multiple illegal entries. ICE currently holds nearly 60,000 individuals in detention, the highest number in years, with most lacking criminal histories.
