Activists brace for Trump's border czar, who says Chicago will be ground zero for mass deportations

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Staff members at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, known as ICCR, are gearing up for President-elect Donald Trump's promise of mass deportations.

Chicago Republicans on Monday night got a taste of what is to come with a visit from Trump's incoming border czar, Tom Homan.

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"All of that starts January 21, and we are going to start here in Chicago, Illinois," Homan said.

Homan says Chicago will be ground zero for mass deportations.

"We are talking about disrupting households. We're talking about disrupting communities. We're talking about disrupting local economies," said Fred Tsao with ICCR.

Tsao says his organization is working overtime to update and conduct a series of "Know Your Rights" presentations for Chicagoans who may be targets. He wants to remind immigrants that all people in the United States, regardless of legal status, have certain rights under the constitution.

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"We have the right to be safe in our homes, and to require a warrant if law enforcement wants to come in. We have the right to remain silent," Tsao said.

Similar to previous administrations, Trump plans to prioritize people with a criminal history. Ald. Ray Lopez, who met with Homan on Monday, says the city should allow police to help U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deport criminals.

"The federal government is going to go after them one way or another, with our help or without, and innocent people just trying to achieve that American dream may get caught up in the crosshairs," said Lopez, who represents the 15th Ward.

Illinois is a sanctuary state and Chicago is a sanctuary city, meaning police are not allowed to cooperate with ICE to deport someone. Homan had some crass words for Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson.

"Chicago is in trouble, because your mayor sucks, and your governor sucks," Homan said.

A spokesperson for Gov. JB Pritzker issued a statement, saying, "It's no secret that Illinois will face countless, baseless attacks over the next four years from the Trump Administration. Rather than responding to every ridiculous boast from Trump lackeys, Governor Pritzker is focused on what he was focused on during the first Trump term: leading our state with competence instead of chaos."

ABC7 reached out to Johnson's office on Homan's take, but did not immediately hear back.