Activists protest Chicagoland ICE raids with rallies on local overpasses

CHICAGO — As immigration agents continue their enforcement operations in Chicagoland, some in the community are pushing back with a protest set to take place on several local highway overpasses on Friday.

Friday’s demonstrations are set to take place on four Chicagoland overpasses, starting with one set to try and grab the attention of drivers on their morning commutes.

The group behind the demonstration calls itself “Northshore Says No!”

“With the unprecedented assault on constitutional rights and the rule of law—and the blatant disregard for long-established norms of political behavior exhibited by the current administration over the past seven months—we feel compelled to act,” the group’s website read.

The demonstrations come amid an effort the Trump Administration has dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz,” an immigration enforcement operation focusing on Chicago and Illinois.

DHS officials said the operation is targeting “criminal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois because they knew Governor Pritzker and his sanctuary policies would protect them and allow them to roam free on American streets.”

The operation has been met with pushback, not only from residents and community groups, but from state and local leaders.

On Wednesday, some members of the Cook County Board of Commissioners even proposed a resolution to counter federal agents’ presence, as they say agents are not providing any transparency or identification when showing up at public spaces.

In the weeks since the operation began, agents have made dozens of arrests. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was at the head of some of those arrests.

But as the number of arrests continues to climb, federal agents are facing a growing challenge in the form of private citizens.

Residents who make up “rapid response teams” have been making their presence known on the streets of Chicagoland.

In Wheaton, the actions of ICE agents have been met with intense scrutiny this week.

Rapid response teams arrived within minutes of an ICE stop and applied undeniable pressure on federal agents.

Federal agents were later captured on video abruptly departing a scene in Wheaton as the rapid response team appeared to hamper agents’ efforts to make arrests.

The first of Friday’s demonstrations is set to begin around 7 a.m.