In Chicago's South Loop, a confrontation unfolded at an ICE subcontractor's office on Tuesday, where two members of the National Guard ensured their mother's attendance at an immigration appointment, juxtaposed against two Illinois Congressmen who were expelled from the same facility. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Jonathan Jackson sought to perform what they described as an oversight review, as documented in a video posted by Krishnamoorthi to his Facebook page. Their visit coincides with increased deportation efforts in Democrat-led cities announced by President Trump.
The Reyes brothers, clad in their National Guard uniforms, were on hand to accompany their mother, who has been in the U.S. for over 20 years and is navigating the citizenship process on a work permit. They expressed concerns about the potential for detention upon attending mandated appointments, as their mother followed the procedure only to be asked for another telephonic check-in later in the year. "The main reason we came here is for our mother," Andres Reyes told NBC Chicago. "We fear that she might get taken into custody."
However, things turned less cordial for Krishnamoorthi and Jackson when their efforts to enter the facility at 2245 S. Michigan Ave. were rebuffed. A point of contention arose around the apparent use of guileful text messages to summon immigrants for appointments, which subsequently led to their detention. “My constituents have been summoned here via these scammy text messages," Krishnamoorthi told NBC Chicago. "For ICE and (President) Donald Trump to specially target Chicago is wrong."
After being allowed entry, the Congressmen were soon escorted out by Chicago police, an act that attracted criticisms over accountability and access to information on federal actions. "We made it through the double doors into the facility. We talked to an ICE officer, who refused to identify himself," Krishnamoorthi said in a statement obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times. "He then called Chicago police to evict us from the property as trespassers. This is [federal] property. We should be able to conduct oversight here, and we’re going to insist following this visit on doing just that."
The events in Chicago mirror a growing trend where Democratic officials face resistance when questioning the actions of immigration enforcement. In New York City, Comptroller Brad Lander was arrested under similar circumstances, and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a Department of Homeland Security news conference in Los Angeles. These incidents underscore the tensions between local and federal jurisdictions, particularly in cities that have historically championed the sanctuary city designation. Amidst such conflict, the Reyes family represents a personal face to a national conversation—one where uniformed American service members are imbued with a palpable fear for their immigrant mother's future.
