Chicago Democratic officials refuse to cooperate in Trump-ordered mass immigration raids
Uncertainty paralyzes migrant neighborhoods. ‘Many children have stopped going to school. On the first day of Trump’s term, 400 high school students stayed home,’ says a social worker in Brighton Park
Donald Trump is trying to make Chicago, with its Democratic governor and mayor, the spearhead of his promise to deport undocumented migrants en masse. The operation, which began on Sunday, is expected to be expanded in the coming days, with the presence of several Republican administration officials on the ground to guarantee results. The president’s move, however, has been met with the rejection of local officials, who are refusing to cooperate. It has also generated fear among the residents of predominantly immigrant neighborhoods, such as Brighton Park, where asking for directions from the window of an unfamiliar vehicle causes the few pedestrians walking through the dimly lit streets to speed up.
