Since September, Evanston has experienced an influx in activity from federal immigration agencies, with several community members taken by agents in the fall.
The first verified alert of federal immigration activity in Evanston in over 5 weeks came on Dec. 17. The Daily also verified Customs and Border Protection helicopter activity in the city.
The city first informed residents it expected ICE agents in Evanston in a Sept. 8 statement.
The agents’ presence is part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Operation Midway Blitz, a federal immigration crackdown targeting undocumented immigrants in the Chicago area, first announced in September.
This page will be updated with credible reports of federal immigration enforcement in the city. Updates will be posted as activity is confirmed by official government sources at the local, state and federal levels as well as through verified alerts from the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. ICIRR operates a text alert system to inform community members on ICE sightings. According to ICIRR’s website, alerts are only issued when recent sightings are verified by an affiliated rapid response team.
Since the beginning of the year, the city has taken efforts to protect residents against federal agents, such as strengthening the Welcoming City Ordinance. City Council also voted to establish “ICE free zones” on city property and the city held a Community Preparedness & Empowerment Seminar.
“In short: ICE is not welcome in Evanston,” Mayor Daniel Biss wrote in an Oct. 17 email to residents.
Community members and leaders have also taken action through community workshops, protests and nonprofit work. Many have encouraged reporting ICE activity by calling the ICIRR hotline at 855-435-7693.
To see where ICE activity is occurring in Evanston, The Daily created an interactive map that is updated daily.
To read live updates from earlier in the year, view them here.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
DEC. 17 — last updated 4:21 p.m.
In a joint statement sent at 3:32 p.m., the city and EPD wrote that the police department’s response to the day’s CBP operations aligned with the Evanston’s Welcoming City Ordinance, the Illinois TRUST Act, the state’s broader sanctuary law, and all prior guidance publicly communicated by city officials.
EPD said it would dispatch supervisors to respond to reported incidents of federal immigration enforcement and obtain information about the agencies and team of agents conducting the operations, at an Oct. 27 City Council meeting. Supervisors are expected to interview witnesses and collect video footage as part of their investigation, and determine if the case needs referral to the State Attorney General’s office.
“The Evanston Police Department does not, and will not, coordinate with U.S. Customs and Border Protection or Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” the Wednesday statement read.
Mayor Daniel Biss said he saw two people being taken by federal agents at the Home Depot on Oakton Street in a video posted on Instagram at 12:40 p.m.
At least eight agents, including Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino, were present outside the Home Depot located at 2201 Oakton St., according to multiple photos and videos posted on social media and verified by The Daily.
In the video, Biss said he confronted Bovino, who said he was going to continue enforcement. Biss also said federal agents plan to be in Evanston for the rest of Wednesday, according to a conversation agents had with Evanston Police Chief Schenita Stewart.
In a 3:29 p.m. X post, Bovino thanked the Chicago and Evanston Police Departments for providing assistance in “preventing violent mobs” from assaulting their officers amid continued immigration enforcement, claiming that both departments “cleared the way” for federal agents to continue their operations “unimpeded.”
In the same post, Bovino commented upon his exchange with Biss, saying that the mayor fell into “divisive talking points” while Bovino argued he was making Evanston a safer place. Bovino added that Biss may “see the light” while agents “continue to remove bad people” from Evanston.
Biss responded on X at 4:09 p.m., accusing Bovino and his agents of “terrorizing innocent people” and “lying” about Evanston to sow chaos.
At least one CBP-operated Black Hawk helicopter was also seen circling overhead the Home Depot, according to a video sent to The Daily.
Multiple people were reported taken by federal agents at retail stores, and agents are present in Evanston, Wilmette and Skokie, according to a 1:20 p.m. ICIRR alert. Federal agents are driving 10 suburban SUVs in the colors white, black and silver, the alert read.
Black Hawk helicopters were also seen circling near Ryan Field, according to an employee who works at a nearby Central Street business. The employee said they last heard the helicopters at 12:15 p.m.
At least one CBP-operated H125 helicopter was also seen flying over Evanston, according to photos and videos verified by The Daily as well as flight transponder data. One H125 helicopter circled over the Northwestern campus for over 30 minutes before it stopped transmitting position data around 11:50 a.m. Another H125 helicopter traveled north over Evanston, Wilmette and Kenilworth for around 30 minutes in a series of circles before it stopped transmitting position data around 1:00 p.m.
At least seven agents were present at a Mobil gas station located at 1950 Green Bay Rd. around 11:30 a.m., according to a video sent to The Daily.
An ICIRR alert at 11:35 a.m. reported at least 10 federal agents’ cars having been spotted in Evanston. The cars were seen near the intersections of Green Bay Road and McCormick Boulevard and Green Bay Road and Simpson Avenue and were still active in the area, according to the alert.
In an 11:30 a.m. X post, Biss wrote that ICE and CBP have been spotted in Evanston, Rogers Park and surrounding areas. He wrote that there are no reports of anyone being taken at the time of the post.
Email: [email protected]
Related Stories:
— When federal immigration agencies came to Evanston, their helicopters went off the grid
— Evanston community mobilizes amid increased ICE and Border Patrol enforcement on Halloween
— Evanston leaders, lawyers recommend best practices for encounters with immigration enforcement
