NORTH CHICAGO, Ill. (WLS) — The mayor of North Chicago, where the Navy base to be used by federal agents is located, is shedding light on what the upcoming immigration operation might involve.
Naval Station Great Lakes has confirmed that it is preparing to host federal immigration agents.
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The Navy’s largest training installation is poised to become a hub for a major enforcement initiative anticipated to start next week. Sources informed ABC News that the Trump administration plans to escalate immigration enforcement in Chicago potentially by next Friday.
Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr. of North Chicago disclosed to ABC7 on Friday his understanding that there might be close to 300 federal agents operating out of Naval Station Great Lakes.
According to White House Border Czar Tom Homan, Chicago is a targeted area. However, there are now concerns about the operation extending into communities within Lake County, which has a significant immigrant populace.
The usual activities at Naval Station Great Lakes might appear quite different next week, as a wave of federal agents is anticipated to move in for enhanced immigration enforcement.
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.
Rockingham has been informed that these federal agents will be based at the Navy station but will reside in local hotels during their stay in the vicinity.
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.
President Donald Trump has also said that he may send National Guard troops to Chicago to help deter crime.
Garien Gatewood, Deputy Mayor of Community Safety, talks about a potential National Guard deployment to Chicago.
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.
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