Escalation of Chicago immigration operations lead to claims of discriminatory stops

CHICAGO (AP) — The sight of armed, camouflaged and masked Border Patrol agents making arrests near famous downtown Chicago landmarks has amplified concerns about the Trump administration’s growing federal intervention across U.S. cities.

As Memphis, Tennessee, and Portland, Oregon, brace for a federal law enforcement surge, residents in the nation’s third-largest city met a brazen weekend escalation of immigration enforcement tactics with anger, fear and fresh claims of discrimination.

“It looks un-American,” said Chicago Alderman Brandon Reilly, who represents downtown on the City Council. He deemed the Sunday display a “photo opp” for President Donald Trump, echoing other leaders.

Trump has called the expansion of federal immigration agents and National Guard troops into American cities necessary, blasting Democrats for crime and lax immigration policies. Following a crime crackdown in the District of Columbia and immigration enforcement in Los Angeles, he’s referred to Portland as “war-ravaged” and threatened apocalyptic force in Chicago.

“Whether it takes place here in the city or the suburbs, it’s all the same to us,” Border Patrol agent Gregory Bovino, known for aggressive tactics in Los Angeles, said Sunday as he walked Chicago streets with dozens of agents.

Here’s a snapshot of where things stand with federal law enforcement activity in Chicago, Portland and Memphis.

Chicago raises discrimination claims

Many Chicagoans were already uneasy after a federal immigration crackdown began earlier this month. Agents have targeted immigrant-heavy and largely Latino areas, including through traffic stops.

Dozens of Border Patrol agents walking Michigan Avenue and upscale neighborhoods on Sunday skyrocketed the response.

Among the biggest concern from activists and elected leaders is discriminatory stops, particularly after the Supreme Court lifted restrictions on roving patrols in LA. The court cleared the way for immigration agents to stop people based on race, language, job or location.

In Chicago, activists said a Latino family of four was led away by federal agents Sunday near the popular “Cloud Gate” sculpture, commonly called “The Bean.”

“The downtown operation of being racially profiled and kidnapped by immigration in broad daylight represents a major escalation by the Trump administration,” said Veronica Castro with Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, an Illinois Democrat, said agents continue to profile based on looks.

Bovino told The Associated Press that agents will go after “anyone who is here illegally,” an approach that fell under immigration authority, known as Title 8. He told the Chicago Sun-Times that a person’s appearance goes into the calculation.

“It would be agent experience, intelligence that indicates there’s illegal aliens in a particular place or location,” he told the newspaper. “Then, obviously, the particular characteristics of an individual, how they look.”

The Department of Homeland Security did not return messages Monday.

Chicagoans trail Border Patrol

As Border Patrol agents marched near downtown, a trail of activists and citizens followed closely. At one point, agents chased a man on a bike who rode off.

Shirley Zuniga was celebrating her 24th birthday when she saw agents. Still wearing a hot pink birthday sash, she left brunch to follow them.

Zuniga, among the first in her family of Honduran immigrants to be born in the United States, said she forgot all about her birthday plans as she yelled at them to go home.

“This is much more important to me,” she said as she grew emotional. “I’m celebrating my people.”

Portland goes to court

In Oregon, Democratic Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed a motion in federal court Monday seeking to temporarily block the Trump administration from deploying the National Guard.

The motion is part of a lawsuit Rayfield filed Sunday, after state leaders received a Defense Department memo that said 200 members of the state’s National Guard will be placed under federal control for 60 days to “protect Federal property, at locations where protests against these functions are occurring or are likely to occur.”

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson and Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek are among city and state leaders who object to the deployment.

“Putting our own military on our streets is an abuse of power and a disservice to our communities and our service members,” Rayfield said in a statement Monday.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building outside Portland has been the site of nightly protests that peaked in June, with smaller clashes occurring since then.

A larger crowd demonstrated at the building Sunday. Two people were arrested for assault, according to authorities. That followed a peaceful march earlier in the day that drew thousands to the city’s downtown and saw no arrests, police said.

Some residents are already frustrated.

The building manager of the affordable housing complex adjacent to the ICE building said “the impacts of violent tactics, including tear gas and late-night altercations, are traumatizing for residents,” including the veterans who live there.

“Sending federal troops will only escalate the situation. The last thing we need is an escalation,” Reach Community Development said in statement.

Memphis residents worry

Memphis was in wait-and-see mode Monday, the first day of a planned federal law enforcement surge ordered by Trump to help fight crime. There were no immediate reports of large-scale federal law enforcement operations.

Still some residents, including Latinos, expressed concerns that immigration agents will increase their presence and detain people regardless of immigration status.

“We know the presence of the National Guard will lead to our neighbors being afraid to seek help when they need medical care, need to report crimes, or require social services, because of this military presence,” said Sandra Pita, a community organizer.

The city has experienced high numbers of violent crimes such as carjackings and homicides in recent years, but both Democratic and Republican officials have noted that the majority-Black city is seeing decreases this year in some crime categories.

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Associated Press writers Adrian Sanz in Memphis and Clare Rush in Portland contributed to this report.