CHICAGO — Four weeks into President Donald Trump’s aggressive deportation campaign dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz,” Chicago’s immigrant communities are living in a state of heightened dread, with parents arrested on school drop-off lines and National Guard troops patrolling nearby.
The raids, which have netted over 1,000 arrests in the area since September 8, 2025, have prompted teachers to distribute “Know Your Rights” leaflets at school gates and sparked urgent discussions about switching to e-learning to shield undocumented students from the fallout.
As the city’s Latino neighborhoods grapple with the terror, local leaders and educators are pushing back, decrying the federal actions as sowing unnecessary fear in classrooms meant to be safe havens.
The operation, spearheaded by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with support from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has intensified since Trump’s inauguration, targeting what officials call “criminal illegal aliens.”
But the human cost is hitting hard at the grassroots level. On October 3, 2025, a standoff near an elementary school in Little Village escalated when ICE agents deployed tear gas to disperse protesters, sending children scrambling for cover.
Stories From the Public
Just days earlier, Silverio Villegas Gonzalez, a father of two U.S.-born children, was fatally shot by ICE officers in suburban Franklin Park after dropping his kids at daycare and school; DHS defended the incident as justified, but Illinois officials demanded an investigation, leading to a soft lockdown at the affected school.
Yaritza Santana, a science teacher at Nash Elementary School on the city’s South Side, described the atmosphere as suffocating.
“My Latino students, they’re fearing everything… They fear that they’re going to just be taken,” she told Reuters, her voice cracking as she recounted teary-eyed kids hugging each other during recess, promising not to let go.
At Thomas Kelly Preparatory High School, social studies teacher Anna Lane has turned her classroom into an impromptu rights workshop.
“I’m not going to lie, I’m afraid. But I’m also very angry, and that anger fuels me,” Lane said. During one session, she reassured her students: “You’re not going anywhere… You’re staying here. You just got to make sure you’re informed and know your rights.”
The fear is palpable beyond the school walls. Erika Mendoza, a Mexican immigrant and single mother in Little Village, confessed her daily dread: “I have a lot of fear when it comes to sending my daughters to school… I’m afraid, but it’s important to be strong. I don’t want to relay my worries to my daughters.” (Translated from Spanish.)
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) data reflects the ripple effects: Enrollment among English language learners dropped 2.7% this year, from 88,807 to 86,172 students—who make up about a quarter of CPS’s total.
Advocates suspect many are staying home to avoid encounters with federal agents.
In response, educators are taking matters into their own hands. Leaflets with bold red text—”Defend your rights under the threat of occupation”—have popped up outside schools on chilly mornings, advising families on constitutional protections: the right to remain silent, to request a lawyer, and to deny entry without a warrant.
City Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez, representing a heavily immigrant ward, noted the uptick: “Operations around schools are increasingly more and more common… It’s caused so much fear and terror in schools.”
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates has amplified the call for action, advocating for e-learning options so undocumented students can learn safely from home. “E-learning is not ideal, but we must use every tool to protect our kids,” she said.
Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former teacher, echoed that sentiment, insisting CPS remains a “sanctuary space” since 2019—no ICE agents without a warrant inside buildings. “People should not be afraid to come to school… I’ve ensured that our Chicago public schools and all of our public institutions are very clear about the rights that we possess and the rights that we get to protect,” Johnson stated.
Still, he admitted the limitations: “We will use every single tool” from courts to executive authority.
A Broader Federal Push: Raids, Troops, and Rising Tensions
The Chicago chaos is part of a national pattern under Trump’s “America First” enforcement surge. On Wednesday, October 9, 2025, approximately 500 National Guard troops began deploying near the city, authorized by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “protect federal facilities” amid protests.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin defended the operation in a press release: “ICE does not target schools,” but the agency dodged questions on incidents like the Franklin Park shooting.
Similar scenes have unfolded elsewhere.
In Los Angeles, ICE raids in July 2025 led to school lockdowns and parent arrests, prompting California Governor Gavin Newsom to sue the federal government for “breathtaking abuse of power.” “America is on the brink of martial law. Do not be silent,” Newsom posted on X, tying it to deployments in Portland and Illinois.
Oregon’s federal judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, blocked a National Guard call-up on October 4, ruling it based on “false claims about unrest” and risking “unconstitutional military rule.”
In Texas, where Governor Greg Abbott has partnered with ICE, raids near schools in Houston drew protests in August 2025, with families chanting “No more separations.”
A CNN report detailed how one raid disrupted a back-to-school event, leaving 50 children unaccompanied.
The ACLU filed a lawsuit in September, arguing the tactics violate sanctuary policies and chill education rights.
Protests have escalated too. On October 5, 2025, a Dallas ICE facility shooting—where the perpetrator killed two immigrants—sparked nationwide rallies, with Chicago’s Little Village marching under “Families Belong Together” banners.
The Southern Poverty Law Center tracked a 25% rise in anti-immigrant incidents since the operation launched, linking it to rhetoric from Trump advisers like Stephen Miller, who called opponents the “enemy within.”
Related: Former DHS Chief Now Shares Disgust with Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
Community Resilience: From Leaflets to Legal Fights
Amid the fear, resilience shines. Teachers like Lane have woven “know your rights” into curricula, using real-time examples from raids.
“It’s not just a lesson—it’s survival,” she said. The Chicago Teachers Union has trained 5,000 educators since September, distributing 10,000 leaflets in multiple languages. Parents’ groups, like Familias Latinas Unidas, host weekly workshops, with attendance up 40% since the Guard arrived.
Still, legal challenges mount. The ACLU’s Midwest branch sued DHS on October 7, 2025, alleging raids near schools violate the Fourth Amendment. “Fear shouldn’t be part of a child’s school day,” said attorney Claudia Valenzuela.
Illinois AG Kwame Raoul demanded a federal probe into the Gonzalez shooting, calling it “a tragic escalation.”
As winter approaches and raids continue—DHS reports 5,000 nationwide arrests since September—Chicago’s schools stand as battlegrounds of hope and horror. For families like Mendoza’s, every drop-off is a gamble.
“We’re afraid, but we’re fighting,” she said. In a city built by immigrants, the leaflets aren’t just paper—they’re lifelines.
Will the Chicago ICE raids cool down? Or is this just beginning?
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