Governor Pritzker Demands Pause in ICE Operations for Halloween, Citing Fear for Children's Safety
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has asked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and top Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to suspend enforcement operations in Chicago for three days during Halloween. The request comes as a response to recent allegations that ICE agents used tear gas on children walking to a Halloween parade in the Old Irving Park neighborhood.
Pritzker's letter, obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, states that he is "asking respectfully" from Friday to Sunday for these areas: schools, hospitals, parks, places of worship, and community gatherings where Halloween celebrations are taking place. The governor believes this will help protect local families and ensure children can enjoy Halloween without fear.
The governor's statement emphasizes the need to safeguard communities in Chicago and align with long-standing DHS guidance on enforcement actions at sensitive locations. He argues that recent actions under the current administration have compromised this guidance, putting children and others at risk of being targeted by ICE agents while accessing basic necessities like education and medical care.
Pritzker claims if the alleged tear gas deployment on October 26th had occurred as reported, "it would have been a direct violation of the statements and guidelines issued by her administration." The DHS has stated that multiple warnings were given before releasing the gas, but witnesses claimed not to have heard any such warnings.
The request to Noem, Interim ICE Director Todd M. Lyons, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney S. Scott seeks cooperation and confirmation that federal agents will refrain from taking actions that could put children in danger during this Halloween weekend. Pritzker concludes by asking the public to "allow kids to be kids for one day of celebration, free from intimidation and fear."
Chicago neighborhoods like Old Irving Park have seen recent instances of federal activity, with other areas like Lake View, La Villita, East Side, Albany Park, Brighton Park, and Logan Square experiencing similar events.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has asked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and top Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to suspend enforcement operations in Chicago for three days during Halloween. The request comes as a response to recent allegations that ICE agents used tear gas on children walking to a Halloween parade in the Old Irving Park neighborhood.
Pritzker's letter, obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, states that he is "asking respectfully" from Friday to Sunday for these areas: schools, hospitals, parks, places of worship, and community gatherings where Halloween celebrations are taking place. The governor believes this will help protect local families and ensure children can enjoy Halloween without fear.
The governor's statement emphasizes the need to safeguard communities in Chicago and align with long-standing DHS guidance on enforcement actions at sensitive locations. He argues that recent actions under the current administration have compromised this guidance, putting children and others at risk of being targeted by ICE agents while accessing basic necessities like education and medical care.
Pritzker claims if the alleged tear gas deployment on October 26th had occurred as reported, "it would have been a direct violation of the statements and guidelines issued by her administration." The DHS has stated that multiple warnings were given before releasing the gas, but witnesses claimed not to have heard any such warnings.
The request to Noem, Interim ICE Director Todd M. Lyons, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney S. Scott seeks cooperation and confirmation that federal agents will refrain from taking actions that could put children in danger during this Halloween weekend. Pritzker concludes by asking the public to "allow kids to be kids for one day of celebration, free from intimidation and fear."
Chicago neighborhoods like Old Irving Park have seen recent instances of federal activity, with other areas like Lake View, La Villita, East Side, Albany Park, Brighton Park, and Logan Square experiencing similar events.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one... Like, isn't Halloween supposed to be a time for fun and not, you know, fear of getting caught by ICE? 
And what's with the lack of transparency about those tear gas warnings? It's like, if it was really safe, wouldn't they have told everyone before deploying it? 
I mean, I've seen some sketchy stuff on the news lately, but this is just... 
what's next? Asking schools to cancel their Halloween parties or something?
Like, can we please just focus on getting this done and letting kids enjoy Halloween without drama? 
It's not like they were doing anything wrong or breaking any laws. And I guess it's good that Pritzker is advocating for the protection of his constituents.
especially since there are those scary reports of them using tear gas on kids walking to a parade 
it makes total sense for him to ask for a 3-day suspension to keep families safe during this festive time 
i mean who wants their little ones to be intimidated or scared while just trying to enjoy some candy and fun 
... this is just heartbreaking 
... I mean, can you even imagine if something happened to those kids on Halloween? 
it's like, they're already so scared with all the crazy stuff going on in the world... and then ICE shows up and puts them in harm's way? 
no, no, no... this is just not right 
... I don't know if that's gonna make things better or worse... 
governor pritzker is right to ask for a pause enforcesment operations for 3 days during halloween 
maybe we can find some common ground here but at the same time i get why pritzker wants to make sure families are safe especially with all these ICE operations going on its not easy to navigate
i mean what if they really did use that gas? it's a total disaster waiting to happen. i'm all for governor Pritzker asking for a pause, i mean who wants their kid to be scared while trick-or-treating?! 
but at the same time, this is just soooo frustrating... like what even is the point of enforcing immigration laws if it's gonna put ppl in danger? 
.
. I'm not sayin the gov shouldn't be lookin out for these families, but maybe we should just chill out a bit? I bet most of the parents are thinkin the same thing as me 
. and what's with the tear gas thing anyway? seems like a huge overreaction to me...
, but at the same time, it's kinda crazy how one action (allegedly using tear gas on kids) can make people freak out and lead to a whole lot of drama 
Still, I guess it's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to our young'uns 
ugh, why do we need all this drama?
It's about time someone spoke up for these communities, tho. As long as it doesn't infringe on their rights, I say let 'em have their Halloween celebration without fear of ICE agents showin' up. 
It's just not fair to the law-abiding citizens who have nothing to do with these border issues. I mean, if there were no enforcement operations in Chicago during Halloween, wouldn't that just create more chaos and risk for families trying to navigate crowds and traffic? 
And what about all the good people who want to protest or express themselves during this time - would they be unfairly silenced because of some alleged "fear" of kids' safety?