Halloween Celebrations Dimmed by Immigration Enforcement Tensions in Chicago

A noticeable decline in Halloween and Day of the Dead festivities over the weekend in Chicago was linked to intensified immigration enforcement actions, according to NPR. At least one Halloween parade was canceled amid heightened federal activity.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, had previously urged federal agents to suspend immigration operations during the holiday, stating, “Our children should not be victims.” This request was rejected by the Trump administration. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem condemned the move as “shameful,” asserting at a press conference, “We’re absolutely not willing to put on pause any work that we will do to keep communities safe.”

An incident occurred in Evanston on Friday when protesters clashed with immigration agents near a middle school. Videos captured an agent restraining a man and striking him repeatedly in the head. A DHS spokesperson described the scene, stating agents were “aggressively tailgated” by a red vehicle that collided with Border Patrol units. The crowd reportedly verbally abused agents and spat at them before pepper spray was used to disperse the group. Three U.S. citizens were arrested for assaulting law enforcement.

DHS also reported five undocumented Mexican migrants were detained during the operation, all of whom had criminal records, including trespassing and multiple illegal entries into the U.S. ICE currently holds nearly 60,000 individuals in detention, the highest number in years, with most lacking criminal histories.