Over 80 people gathered at a ‘ICE Out of Home Depot’ protest in Niles on Saturday to combat the detention and deportation of immigrants in Chicago suburbs.
The demonstration was one of over 140 ‘ICE Out of Home Depot’ protests, freedom vigils and Día de los Muertos memorials held over the weekend nationwide under the national Disappeared in America Project aimed at raising awareness around resistance against rising Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity under the second Trump administration.
The Disappeared in America Project, spearheaded by the National Day Labor Organizing Network, mobilized protesters in communities throughout the country to criticize ICE’s targeting of day laborers, many of whom seek work at or near Home Depot locations.
“They attack people. They are bounty hunters, and they are terrorists,” said Evanston resident Melissa Arkin, who co-hosted the event. “They’ve been grabbing people, whether they’re undocumented or not … We are sick and tired of bulls–t.”
Sue, who has asked to be referred to only by first name due to privacy concerns, also co-hosted the event. Across the Home Depot parking lot entrance, protesters thrusted signs and hollered chants, demanding the corporation take a stand against ICE activity, while drivers passing by honked their horns.
In October, ICE detained at least one person at the Evanston Home Depot on Oakton Street and Dawes Elementary School. Agents were also seen at a Home Depot in Lincolnwood.
Longview resident Lisa, who also requested to be referred to by only first name due to privacy concerns, said the current political climate is reminiscent of the harrowing World War II environment under which her uncle, an Auschwitz survivor, lived through.
“In his words, ‘This is the Gestapo,’” she said. “I never believed it would happen again.”
The Niles community is currently working on building a stronger response network to federal enforcement activity, Niles resident Josh Hurwitz said. Hurwitz noted that Niles has previously “flown under the radar,” but with more federal pressure to deport more people, the community is witnessing a growing — and unwanted — ICE presence.
“They’re just grabbing people,” protester Debbie Kroopkin said. “There’s no rhyme or reason except that they’re brown or Black, so it’s completely illegal.”
Two weeks ago, the Niles Home Depot made national headlines after Ruben Torres Maldonado, a father whose teen has Stage 4 cancer, was detained. Torres had been purchasing supplies for his job at the Home Depot, where ICE agents were waiting to arrest him. He was released on bond Thursday.
In the past few days, multiple Chicago suburbs have witnessed a spike in ICE activity.
On Friday, at least 10 federal agents were present in Evanston when a civilian rear-ended a vehicle carrying agents, multiple witnesses confirmed to The Daily. According to Mayor Daniel Biss, the agents punched people and sat on someone’s neck.
The Department of Homeland Security made at least eight arrests across Evanston and Skokie on Friday, including both protesting citizens and those it said lacked legal status, a DHS spokesperson confirmed to The Daily. Biss said the increase in enforcement activity has incited an unprecedented fear across communities.
“It’s hard to explain how big the shift has been,” Biss told The Daily at the Niles protest. “People are scared every time they hear a whistle, they’re scared every time they see a suspicious-looking SUV that’s missing the front plate.”
Biss added that local governments are “doing everything (they) can,” including creating ‘ICE-free zones’ on city property. According to Biss, police are investigating Friday’s incident and obtained the badge number of an ICE agent at the site of the crash. Biss called these actions an effort to enforce a higher degree of accountability against the federal agencies.
Illinois’ 9th Congressional District candidate and progressive content creator Kat Abughazaleh also attended and spoke with protesters. On Wednesday, Abughazaleh was indicted along with five others by a special grand jury over protest activity at the ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois, in September. Abughazaleh told The Daily she plans on “pleading not guilty” and “winning,” calling the indictment a “political prosecution.”
Abughazaleh added that there is more work to be done in Illinois in resisting the Trump administration.
“People are still being terrorized,” Abughazaleh said. “The conditions at Broadview have only worsened … These are trends against humanity, and so we need to have serious conversations about how we are going to ensure that ICE is held accountable and that people are kept safe in Illinois.”
Global Health Studies Prof. Noelle Sullivan said she attended the protest because of her concern over the lack of due process amid the federal immigration crackdown. For her, it’s important that community members continue to stand with the immigrant community and make an effort to protect civil rights.
Sullivan said other Northwestern faculty and staff members feel just as passionate as she does about immigration. She said she is also involved in mutual aid efforts in Skokie.
“We live and work in this area,” Sullivan said. “I don’t want to be sitting there 10 years from now, with my kids (asking), ‘Why didn’t you do anything?’ No, I’m going to do something. Doing nothing to me seems like it’s a higher risk than doing something.”
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
Bluesky: @lucaskubovchik.bsky.social
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