Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has rejected a request from Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker to suspend immigration enforcement operations in the Chicago area during this weekend’s Halloween celebrations.
“We’re absolutely not willing to put on pause any work that we will do to keep communities safe,” Noem said at a news conference in Gary, Indiana, on Thursday.
“The fact that Gov. Pritzker is asking for that is shameful and, I think, unfortunate that he doesn’t recognize how important the work is that we do to make sure we’re bringing criminals to justice and getting them off our streets, especially when we’re going to send all of our kiddos out on the streets and going to events and enjoying the holiday season.”
Why It Matters
Tensions between Illinois officials and federal authorities have risen amid a recent wave of immigration raids in the Chicago area. Border Patrol agents disrupted a family Halloween parade, firing tear gas, in Old Irving Park last weekend, residents said. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said that agents “had to deploy crowd control measures.”
What To Know
In a letter on Wednesday, Pritzker asked Noem to “suspend enforcement operations … where Halloween celebrations are taking place” between Friday and Sunday, Chicago Sun-Times reported…