Naval Station Great Lakes has confirmed that it is preparing to host federal immigration agents.
The Navy's largest training instillation is set to be a base of operations for a significant enforcement operation that is expected to begin next week. Sources told ABC News that the Trump administration will ramp up immigration enforcement in Chicago as soon as next Friday.
North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr.'s understanding is there could be nearly 300 federal agents working out of Naval Station Great Lakes, he told ABC7 on Friday.
White House Border Czar Tom Homan said Chicago will be a target. But now, there are concerns that the operation will spill over into communities in Lake County, where there is a large immigrant population.
"The president has been clear repeatedly that we're going to be prioritizing enforcement in these sanctuary jurisdictions as a matter of public safety and national security," Homan said.
The usual comings and goings at Naval Station Great Lakes could take on a very different look next week, when a surge of federal agents is expected to arrive for a ramped-up immigration enforcement operation.
SEE ALSO: Trump administration asks Naval Station Great Lakes for support on Chicago immigration operations
"They're talking about anywhere to 275, to 300 you know, personnel that would be stationed around this area," Rockingham said. "These raids are not law enforcement, but instead they are fear enforcement."
Rockingham says he has been told that those federal agents will be working out of the Navy base but staying in hotels around the area while they are in the area.
On Friday, state and local elected officials and community leaders stood together in a show of unity.
"To be clear, the so-called immigration enforcement operation being staged at Naval Station Great Lakes is an engineered crisis, designed not for safety, but for spectacle," said Illinois Lt. Gov. Julian Stratton.
There is also concern that any ICE operation that may be focused on Chicago could very easily target undocumented immigrants in communities closer to the base.
"A lot of the community here happen to be, you know, undocumented immigrants. So, I have family here who are scared, you know, like, what's going to happen? Are they going to use the naval base here? Are we going to be able to go outside our door, go to the store, take the kids to school?" said Giselle Rodriguez with Illinois Workers in Action.
RELATED: CPD prepares for possible arrival of National Guard troops, immigration enforcement expected
There is also concern that if ICE is patrolling the streets, immigrants may become afraid to report crimes.
"As prosecutors, as police, as community leaders, as people who care about safety and health, we don't fear that the phone is going to ring off the hook when and if ICE comes here. We fear the silence," said Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart.
"These are civilian law enforcement, to be clear, they have a legal right to come, but we don't appreciate when they mistreat our residents, when they go after people who, many of whom are have been here for decades," said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
Immigration crackdown prompts some asylum-seekers to leave country
This all comes as Waukegan immigration advocate and Pastor Julie Contreras, who works with United Giving Hope, says many asylum-seekers, faced with the prospect of ICE detention, have decided to return to their home country.
"What comes to mind is a reign of terror inside of our family homes," Contreras said. "The horror stories we hear are people who are not being fed, people who are being physically harmed."
"It's terrorizing," said one asylum-seeker, Alexander, who has a heart condition and other medical problems. "I feel like I could die."
Alexander says he left Venezuela fearing death because of his political activism. He says he was bused to Chicago from Texas in 2023 and had a work permit before his Temporary Protected Status was revoked in April.
On Saturday morning, Alexander plans to board a bus to Mexico.
"It's sad, because I had dreams," he said. "But now, it's the best decision for me to make."
Contreras says, "We're not going to allow America to lose her humanity. We're going to stand and extend our hands to the most vulnerable."
Trump threatens to send in National Guard
Deputy Mayor Gatewood on possible Trump National Guard deployment
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has also said that he may send National Guard troops to Chicago to help deter crime.
The surge in ICE agents could be similar to the stepped-up enforcement operation in Los Angeles.
There, the National Guard was deployed in a support role so that, according to federal officials, immigration agents could do their jobs.
"It's a show of unity," said Dulce Ortiz, president of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. "We know that Trump is bringing his hate agenda to the state of Illinois, and I want to make it really clear that he is not only targeting Chicago, he is targeting Illinois. This is an issue that impacts a lot of Black and Brown communities throughout the state, and so, we want to make sure that we send a message to the president that here in Lake County, we stand together united against this plan to militarize the state of Illinois, essentially."
Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling says while officers will not interfere with federal agents, they will not take part in any immigration-related enforcement.
And community activists in Lake County, as well as Chicago, have been stepping up their information campaigns, targeting immigrant neighborhoods so people know their rights and have a plan in place if a family member is taken into federal custody.