For many at DePaul, immigration enforcement is no longer a distant political debate but a daily reality across the country, as more intense immigration enforcement activity sparks fear and anger. 

Illinois state officials have sued the Trump administration for dangerous tactics and unlawful use of force criticizing their handling of immigration enforcement operations as large numbers of agents have been deployed into major cities across the country, including Chicago, Minneapolis, Portland and Los Angeles.

ICE and other immigration enforcement agencies have come under increasing fire following the shooting of Marimar Martínez in Chicago and the deaths of Silverio Villegas-González at a traffic stop in Chicago and Renee Good in Minneapolis. Martínez and Good were both shot multiple times while driving cars. 

On Saturday, federal immigration officers shot and killed a man in Minneapolis, where clashes between federal immigration enforcement and protesters have intensified since the death of Good on Jan. 7.

Last Tuesday, Liam Conejo Ramos, a five-year-old from a Minneapolis suburb was detained with his father and sent to a detention center in Texas. The photographs taken during the arrest went viral. 

Ana Rinella, a senior political science student at DePaul, thinks that the federal crackdown will end up harming U.S. citizens.

“I am not proud to call myself a U.S. citizen right now. I don’t feel safe,” Rinella said. “It’s been incredibly disturbing to see what’s happening on our streets.

“Nobody is safe,” she said, referring to the deaths in Chicago and Minneapolis.

She says she wants state and local governments to do more to protect civil and constitutional rights, which she says are being violated by ICE and immigration enforcement operations.

The city of Chicago and state of Illinois sued the Trump administration for the “unlawful and violent tactics” used in Operation Midway Blitz. The suit alleges that the administration violated states’ rights and the Tenth Amendment, which describes how power is divided between states and the federal government.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and former Mayor Lori Lightfoot have also spoken out against ICE operations in the city. On Jan. 8, Lightfoot launched a website that allows people to submit reports concerning ICE violations of rights.

In Illinois, there have been efforts from state and local officials to combat potentially illegal and harmful actions by federal immigration enforcement agencies.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker created the Illinois Accountability Commission to keep a public record of federal agents’ misconduct during Operation Midway Blitz. The commission will also recommend actions to reduce future harm.

Edwin Yohnka, the director of communications and public policy for American Civil Liberties Union Illinois, said that despite these actions, there is a limit to what states and local governments can do to combat any oversteps of immigration enforcement officials.

“Federal immigration officials are acting in … a reckless and violent way on our streets and in our neighborhoods,” Yohnka said.

Malia Bowers, a DePaul political science professor, said that it is difficult to stop federal overreach because over time, Supreme Court rulings have strengthened the supremacy clause of the Constitution, which gives federal law power over state law when they conflict.

Stopping immigration enforcement agencies’ overreach could happen if “ICE agents were not immune from prosecution in cases of violence against protesters or those they were arresting,” Bowers said.

She noted that many of these hypothetical cases could be appealed to the Supreme Court, which would most likely rule in favor of federal agents due to the Court’s current Republican supermajority.

Noah Hager is a freshman graphic design major from Missouri. Senators from his home state have proposed potential immigration detention and processing facilities and training facilities for enforcement officers. Hager identifies more closely with the Republican party but thinks that conversations about immigration often do not focus on human dignity.

“I believe that laws do exist for a reason, but enforcement should be handled with humanity,” Hager said.

Hager said that transparency, outreach and clear communication are needed to ensure people’s rights are respected.

Sofia Chauca is a junior finance and animation major from New York. Her parents immigrated to the U.S. from Columbia and Peru. She thinks the actions of federal immigration enforcement in Illinois are “oppressive and unnecessary.”

“They are creating fear and harassing people in broad daylight,” Chauca said.

She believes the recent decision to pause visa applications of citizens from 75 countries is intended to keep people of color and low-income backgrounds from immigrating to the U.S.

Rinella wants people to organize with their state and local officials to prevent government overreach.

“We need to embody that shining light that we claim to be — that model of democracy,” Rinella said. “We really need to remember what the Statue of Liberty represents — a welcoming figure. She’s a figure of hope.”

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