Advocates concerned over ICE tactics near Chicago Home Depot
Federal immigration crackdown having significant impact on some local businesses
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Immigrant advocates shared their concerns about tactics ICE is using during their operations in Chicago.
Meanwhile, the federal immigration crackdown is also having a significant impact on some local business, with sales in some cases plummeting. Restaurants are also struggling as undocumented employees are not showing up to work.
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On Thursday morning volunteers canvassed the city's Northwest Side and passed "Know Your Rights" flyers to keep people informed.
"On Tuesday, five members of our community were detained as they traveled to work and yesterday, Wednesday, we experienced widespread ICE presence occupying our neighborhoods," Palenque LSNA Board Secretary Viviana Barajas said.
Elected leaders and immigrant advocates gathered across the Home Depot along Normandy and Grand Avenue. They said a day laborer was taken into custody this week.
"Here at this Home Depot we received video of a Hispanic man roughly in their 40's getting detained by two agents pretty aggressively at this parking lot...we have not been able to fully connect with the family or identify where he got taken," Northwest Side Rapid Response Team Sandra Puebla said.
Organizers shared cellphone video with ABC7 showing federal agents flashing lights and recording the people inside the vehicle. The footage was taken Thursday morning as volunteers say they were inside their car filming ICE activity near Kostner and Grand.
The Trump administration reiterated that they are going after criminals during their operations.
The parking lot and corner of the Home Depot remained pretty empty Thursday morning as we are told many day laborers have been scared to return following ongoing immigration enforcement.
RELATED | Cook County leaders denounce presence of ICE agents in Chicago area
On the city's Southwest Side, a lunchtime visit to Little Village Thursday told a story. The business corridor on 26th Street, once bustling, is now more of a bust.
Vendors and businesses are struggling as people in the community remain on high alert for ICE.
Luz Martinez and her brother set up her hot dog stand shortly before noon, wondering how many customers might come by and how many might stay away, concerned about ICE showing up.
"Well, the sales had decreased. Like, really bad. There's barely any people out here, and if they're out here, they're like, in a hurry, trying to get home safe to their family," Martinez said. "But we gotta come out. We have family to feed, and we have no other choice but to be out here working."
She said the ICE crackdown has cast a sense of fear over many people in Little Village. Before, she says she sold about 150 bacon-wrapped hot dogs a day.
"We put mayo, ketchup, mustard, grilled onions, tomato and sliced pepper," Martinez said.
Now she sells maybe 50, a two-thirds decline in sales. It's a common report from vendors, including some in the very not busy discount mall.
"It's just been very quiet, very everyone just kind of is, you know, living out of fear. Especially, it's been a lot of workers who just are choosing not to come in," said Jack Santiago with Georgie's Ice Cream Shop.
It is a problem not limited to Little Village, but the restaurant industry as a whole, which provides employment for many undocumented immigrants.
"They are very on edge about ICE coming into the businesses," said Sam Toia, President of the Illinois Restaurant Association. "We've heard from some members that it's up to 20% of their team members not showing up to work."
One community leader, Little Village Community Council President Baltazar Enriquez, thought he spotted ICE agents in an unmarked vehicle just off 26th Street near the hot dog stand.
"But we're encouraging people to come out to Little Village, shop in Little Village, enjoy Little Village, and support the small businesses here that are suffering at the moment," Enriquez said.
He hopes the operation is over after 30 days.
"We try to keep our hopes up and not give up and come out and let the fear, but like deep down, we are scared and we try our best to not worry about it," Martinez said.
In Naperville, a homeowner said his neighbors reported seeing what they believe were ICE agents this week.
Bobby Fischer says his roof was being worked on when neighbors alerted him that five workers were taken into custody.
Fischer says that the owner of the company told him all of the detained workers are documented.
"My neighbors witnessed two agents chasing one guy down the street in a residential area, guns drawn," Fischer said. "A roofer running for his life."
