Los Angeles was just the prelude.<\/p>\n
The Department of Homeland Security has been carrying out a large-scale immigration enforcement campaign in Chicago \u2014 dubbed \u201cOperation Midway Blitz\u201d \u2014 since early September, detaining at least 1,000 people in the process.<\/p>\n
As my colleague Susan Rust highlights in her recent dispatch from Chicago<\/a>, what\u2019s happening there feels like a mirror image of what transpired here over the summer.<\/p>\n You\u2019re reading Latinx Files <\/p>\n Fidel Martinez delves into the latest stories that capture the multitudes within the American Latinx community.<\/p>\n By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service<\/a> and our Privacy Policy<\/a>. <\/p>\n The Trump administration has justified unleashing federal agents on the country\u2019s third-largest city by portraying it as a \u201cwar zone,\u201d alleging that Illinois\u2019 status as a sanctuary state has resulted in undocumented criminals running rampant on the streets of Chicago.<\/p>\n Sound familiar<\/a>?<\/p>\n The White House even released a cinematic video on social media showing agents putting a stop to all the lawlessness in the area. Except, it turns out some of the footage used in the clip was outdated and wasn\u2019t even filmed in Chicago<\/a>.<\/p>\n In fact, the only scene remotely resembling a war zone was caused by federal agents, who in the early morning of Sept. 30<\/a> literally descended from Black Hawk helicopters to an apartment building in Chicago\u2019s South Shore neighborhood that was alleged to be a hot spot for members of Tren de Aragua<\/a>, a multinational criminal organization with roots in Venezuela.<\/p>\n Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Border Patrol zip-tied and detained hundreds of residents outside of the building. In the end, the military-style raid resulted in the arrest of 37 individuals, only one of whom had any connection to Tren de Aragua<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been on military bases for a good portion of my life,\u201d Darrell Ballard, who lives next door to the apartment complex, told CNN<\/a>. \u201cAnd the activity I saw \u2014 it was an invasion.\u201d<\/p>\n In reality, as was the case in L.A., it\u2019s been business as usual for large swaths of Chicago \u2014 last Sunday, 50,000 runners hit the city\u2019s streets for the Chicago Marathon, which went off without a hitch. Much of the immigration enforcement activity has been concentrated in predominantly Latino neighborhoods, deeply impacting those communities. Students have stopped going to class and local businesses have seen their bottom lines affected.<\/p>\n This<\/a> also happened<\/a> in L.A.<\/p>\n \u201cBusiness is down 60%,\u201d Victor Sanchez, who owns a taco truck in Chicago, told The Times. \u201cI don\u2019t know if they have been taken, or if they are too afraid to come out. All I know is they aren\u2019t coming here anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n Since the start of Operation Midway Blitz, federal agents have: fired pepper balls at a pastor in the head<\/a> (an action defended by DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin); deployed tear gas in a busy neighborhood<\/a>; arrested a local police officer<\/a> whom they accuse of overstaying his visa; detained an alderperson<\/a> checking in on a constituent, as well as a WGN producer who was simply walking to a bus stop<\/a>; orchestrated a PIT maneuver on a vehicle<\/a>; and shot and killed a man<\/a> shortly after he had dropped off his daughter at school.<\/p>\n Perhaps unsurprisingly, Trump\u2019s immigration enforcement campaign appears to be losing the battle of public opinion. According to an Economist\/YouGov poll released last week<\/a>, the majority of people surveyed said that ICE agents have been using excessive force, that they should wear uniforms while conducting arrests and that they should not be allowed to wear masks while doing so.<\/p>\n At least one Democratic politician is already looking to retaliate.<\/p>\n \u201cThe tables will turn one day,\u201d Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in an interview with Fox 32 Chicago<\/a> of federal agents. \u201cThese people should recognize that maybe they\u2019re not gonna get prosecuted today, although we\u2019re looking at doing that, but they may get prosecuted after the Trump administration because the statute of limitations would not have run out.\u201d<\/p>\n If all of this feels bleak and you\u2019re looking for a silver lining, I\u2019ll offer this. Much like we saw in L.A.<\/a>, Chicagoans are stepping up for their most vulnerable neighbors \u2014 from blowing whistles<\/a> alerting people of the presence of federal agents to organizing street vendor buyouts<\/a>.<\/p>\n Consider subscribing to the Los Angeles Times<\/p>\n Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Become a subscriber<\/a>.<\/p>\n D\u00eda DE LOS Muertos is upon us!<\/p>\n In 2021, the Times published its first D\u00eda de Muertos digital altar. The project was born out of a desire to virtually replicate the communal experience found in the many events observing the holiday held across Southern California that were canceled that year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, the fifth iteration of the digital altar went live<\/a>.<\/p>\n The tool lets readers make an ofrenda by uploading a photo of a loved one who has passed along with a short written message. These submissions are manually reviewed by a De Los staffer before they\u2019re added into the community altar.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll be writing more about the holiday\u2019s growing significance for me in next week\u2019s newsletter. In the meantime, staff writer Andrea Flores has compiled this helpful list of 28 D\u00eda de Muertos events<\/a> taking place in the region over the next two weeks.<\/p>\n De Los will also be hosting its own celebration Nov. 25 at Las Fotos Project in Boyle Heights. The event will feature a public altar, face painting, a paper marigold workshop by Self Help Graphics and a sugar skull decorating class hosted by Tia Chucha\u2019s Centro Cultural and Bookstore. Admission is free, but will require an RSVP. To learn more and to sign up, you can go here<\/a>. <\/p>\n Stories we read this week that we think you should read<\/p>\n Unless otherwise noted, stories below were published by the Los Angeles Times.<\/p>\n ImmigrationArts, culture and mediaSports<\/p>\n\n