One day after the president signaled it was a sure thing the National Guard was coming to Chicago, now he's suggesting he might send them somewhere else: New Orleans.
Meanwhile, crews began boarding up the windows of the ICE detention center in Broadview on Wednesday as the village's mayor says for the next 45 to 60 days it will serve as the primary base for the large-scale federal operation that Governor JB Pritzker says could begin as soon as this weekend.
Broadview's mayor is preparing for possible protests to play out at the ICE detention center in the village as it will soon serve as the primary processing center for the Trump administration's plans to ramp up immigration enforcement in the Chicago area.
The Sun-Times reported Wednesday that nearly 30 federal agents have already arrived at the Naval Base in North Chicago. The North Chicago mayor's office confirmed to ABC7 he and leaders of nearby Lake Bluff met with federal authorities Wednesday. They confirmed as many as 300 ICE agents could be sent.
Governor Pritzker made it clear Illinois has to be ready for whatever may follow the deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C., which the president praised again Wednesday afternoon.
"We have a great thing going. I could do that with Chicago," President Donald Trump said. "We could do that with New York. We could do it with Los Angeles. So we're making a determination now, do we go to Chicago, or do we go to a place like New Orleans, where we have a great governor, Jeff Landry, who wants us to come in."
Governor Pritzker says some federal agents are being relocated from immigration operations in Los Angeles while the Texas National Guard is preparing for a Chicago deployment.
While not confirmed by the White House, the governor says his office believes federal agents will assemble by Friday and begin enforcement by Saturday.
Meanwhile, in preparation for increased federal immigration enforcement, the city of Chicago has an updated website and information hub led by the Office of Immigrant, Migrant, and Refugee Rights (IMRR). It will highlight services and protections for the city's immigrant and refugee communities.
City organizations are also preparing for possible National Guard sweeps of encampments for people experiencing homelessness in Chicago.
Communities prepare for National Guard sweeps of homeless encampments
As the president seems to waffle on whether the Guard will be deployed to Chicago or elsewhere, Governor Pritzker joined a group of nearly 80 community violence interrupters from 15 to 20 different organizations during a training exercise at the Metropolitan Peace Initiative. The training was to make sure the members of these groups were prepared for any potential interactions with ICE or the National Guard.
The looming immigration operation is why organizers of the Fiestas Patrias Parade and Festival in nearby Waukegan, which is the largest of its kind in the state, have now postponed the nearly 30-year-old event that was set for September 14.
"Our objective is not to frighten the community, but to let them know what's the real deal, what's the reality. They are here," said Margaret Carrasco, Fiestas Patrias Parade and Festival organizer. "We do have 50,000 people that come out to our parades, and our number one priority is the safety of our residents, and we just had to make that call."
It comes amid upcoming Mexican Independence Day celebrations in our area that could also see an ICE presence.
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Illinois Democratic Congresswoman Delia Ramirez was joined by other Illinois lawmakers in Washington, D.C., Wednesday morning calling out the president's planned actions in Chicago.
"It's about control," Congresswoman Ramirez said. "It's about threatening diverse successful Democratic-led cities like Chicago that refuse to bow down to authoritarianism.
Along with Ramirez, Illinois Congressman Jesús "Chuy" García and Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin are calling out the legality of Trump's use of guardsmen.
"This escalation is not about public safety or about law and order," García said. "It's an authoritarian power grab that has profound consequences that seeks to target and profile working class immigrant and Brown communities."
"They are moving troops where we understand into federal facilities like Great Lakes Naval Training Station," Durbin said. " I've contacted the secretary of the Navy. I want a briefing on just what exactly is happening at that important federal facility in the Great Lakes area that serves Chicago and the region."
In a statement Cook Commissioner Sean Morrison responded to Pritzker's claims, writing in part, "Most citizens, real parents, workers, families, support the rule of law and want safe communities. This should not be controversial. Asking for calm, empathy, and operational collaboration with federal law enforcement is reasonable and responsible."
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While Republican state Representative Martin McLaughlin says he's questioning why people are wary of National Guard troops in the city.
"I'm trying to understand why an American in uniform standing on a street corner trying to protect other Americans is a threat to anyone," Representative McLaughlin said. "I think it is a threat to those that have failed."
North suburban Evanston's Human Service Committee also just passed a resolution calling on Congress to ban federal agents from wearing masks.
Governor Pritzker made clear Wednesday there's nothing that could be done on a city or state level to prevent immigration enforcement, but says they will hold federal agents legally accountable, if necessary.