CHICAGO (NewsNation) — More than 200 federal agents are poised to be dispatched to Chicago from a suburban Naval base early each morning as part of a large-scale multi-agency immigration enforcement operation that could involve the use flash bang grenades to contain large crowds, according to reports.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said Wednesday that he expects federal agents to be in place at Naval Station Great Lakes by Friday and that agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement could begin working in force as early as this weekend.
The Chicago Sun-Times, citing sources, reported that dozens of the expected 230 federal agents stationed at the military installation are already in place. Agents have been reportedly practicing crowd control with shields and flash bangs, and similar training has been ongoing for months.
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The report also indicated that agents will leave the Naval base at 5 a.m. each morning, so as not to disrupt daily operations and that 140 unmarked vehicles will be used in the operation and are already in place at the base, which is reportedly seeking to establish a no-fly zone around the base to prevent news helicopters and drones from gaining access to what is taking place.
A spokesperson for the base directed NewsNation to the Department of Homeland Security for comment. DHS officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
NewsNation previously reported that agents and officers from Customs and Border Protection departed from Los Angeles for Chicago earlier this week to assist in the operation.
Pritzker said earlier this week that Gregory K. Bovino, the chief of the U.S. Border Patrol’s El Centro sector, which led operations in Los Angeles this summer, is among those traveling to Chicago. Bovino posted on social media that federal troops are “trading palm trees for skyscrapers” without specifically announcing he is en route to Chicago.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, October 2020 (Nexstar)
Pritzker said this week that his office still has not been officially notified by the Trump administration about plans for the federal deployment of troops. However, the mayor of suburban Broadview, where ICE has a processing center, wrote in a letter to residents that the center will operate seven days a week for 45 continuous days as part of the operation.
“This effort may draw protests and demonstrations, like those seen earlier this year in Los Angeles, where property damage and assaults against law enforcement were reported,” Mayor Katrina Thompson wrote in the letter.
She added: “As your Mayor, I want to assure you that the Village is actively monitoring the situation and responding with urgency. We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available. Our priority is to maintain transparency, protect the interests of our residents, and ensure the vitality of our business community.”
Photos of the ICE processing center showed windows of the facility boarded up in preparation for protests that could take place once the operation begins. NewsNation affiliate WGN reported on Wednesday that ICE officers were spotted making two arrests outside the Cook County Domestic Violence courthouse.
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Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said that ICE has been conducting ongoing operations in the Chicago area, but confirmed that more resources would be sent as part of the upcoming operation.
Officials in Lake County, Illinois, where the Naval Base is located, issued a joint statement with the city of North Chicago and called the operations scheduled to take place out of the military installation and the federal operation planned for the region “unprecedented.”
“We know that this situation may cause fear, especially for immigrant families,” officials wrote, adding that the activities are being coordinated entirely at the federal level. Under the Illinois Trust Act, state and local law enforcement agencies are prohibited from cooperating with federal authorities on matters of immigration enforcement. The letter encouraged residents to connect with local legal aid organizations that could help residents affected by the federal operation.
On Tuesday, Pritzker said that President Donald Trump is poised to send “unidentified agents in unmarked vehicles to raid Latino communities,” similar to what took place in Los Angeles over the summer. Pritzker said after a month, the administration would pull resources from the city and redeploy them “to the next blue state,” despite FBI statistics that show crime is higher in some Republican-led states.
Trump seemed to back-pedal from sending the National Guard to Chicago, a day after he said “we’re going in,” referencing sending troops like he did in Los Angeles. Trump, who has criticized Prtizker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson for their lack of cooperation, said he would help Chicago if officials asked for assistance. He inferred that he may send the guard to cities like New Orleans or Baltimore before he would send to Chicago.
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Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that there are “no immediate plans” to deploy the National Guard to Chicago. Pritzker said earlier this week that members of the National Guard from Texas could already be en route to Chicago. A spokesperson for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott did not respond to a request for comment pm Wednesday.
However, Pritzker acknowledged Wednesday that immigration enforcement like ICE is “a different story.”
Pritzker said on Wednesday that Chicago Police and other local law enforcement agencies are aware of federal immigration enforcement plans that could begin in earnest this weekend. He said that officers will not interfere with those operations, but that law enforcement has been notified that the presence of federal troops may lead to protests.
“We cannot stand in the way,” the governor said. “What we’re trying to do is to get them to follow the law, and when they’re not following the law, take them to court and prosecute them if they’ve done something truly illegal.”
