ICE active in downstate Illinois, and it could increase

Three weeks after the White House gave Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) a goal of 3,000 detentions per day, masked agents without warrants made more than 1,000 arrests in the agency’s Chicago Area of Responsibility, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Missouri and Kansas, according to the independent Deportation Data Project.

Some arrests have occurred in Central Illinois, according to the Immigration Project, a Bloomington-based group providing legal services and support for immigrants.

“We have direct and indirect reports of immigration enforcement in some of our service areas. For example, in Champaign, we heard of an arrest of two people outside the Champaign courthouse and the arrest of factory workers on their way to work,” the advocacy group said in a prepared statement. “There have also been reports in Kankakee, Bloomington, [and] Springfield among others. Immigration enforcement is likely happening everywhere in the country. Some are more reported than others.”

Indeed, the government’s Online Detainee Locator System has few details, such as Emmanuel Marroquin-Jiminez being arrested outside the McLean County courthouse in June after appearing there on charges unrelated to his status.

The Community Word contacted two Peoria law firms who say they work on immigration issues, and one declined to comment and the other spoke on the condition no name be used because of concern about retaliation.

“I think there’s some bad and some good in the enforcement,” he said. “I really wish the agents would separate violent criminals from everyone else. Right now, they’re sweeping up everybody.”

Laurie Bergner, McLean County League of Women Voters Community Education director, said ICE agents now seem to be focusing on bigger population centers.

“I'm sure they concentrate on larger cities, which have more immigrants and would be easier to pick up and deport to meet their quota,” she said. “I would guess they will focus on farm workers and meat-packing plants, etc. in rural areas – anywhere they think they will find groups of immigrants.”

In its statement, the Immigration Project said no area is being spared.

“Immigration enforcement is currently happening even in small-sized cities, and considering the fact that the agency is going to receive more funding as stipulated under the One Big Beautiful Bill passed on July 4, for recruitment, expansion of detention spaces, etc., it is very likely that their current attention or more of it may be drawn to workers in these sectors or in mid-sized cities.”