As we had already indicated, Border Patrol has also returned to Chicago – fear and panic in the neighborhoods

What we described yesterday in our article “Christmas in Hell – When ICE Uses the Holidays for Mass Arrests”, has now become reality. Greg Bovino is back in Chicago with his unit. The senior Border Patrol official, who like few others stands for the hard and brutal immigration policy of the Trump administration, has returned to the city with additional units – right in time for the Christmas season. This reinforces indications that the operations are not only continuing, but are being expanded especially during the holidays.

Bovino is considered the face of a strategy that relies on presence, pressure, and deterrence. Already in the fall, his operation in Chicago triggered thousands of arrests and put entire neighborhoods on alert. Residents responded at the time with whistles, spontaneous protests, and warning chains to inform neighbors. These images are now returning. In predominantly Mexican neighborhoods, Bovino was again sighted, accompanied by heavily equipped units. The message is clear: the operations are continuing, regardless of holidays or social circumstances. See also our article “Trump’s Campaign Against Chicago”

“Alright, folks. Merry Christmas, in case we don’t see each other again,” Bovino said and walked away (There is probably nothing more to add to that – Editor’s note)

The governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, reacted sharply. He said that he had not been informed in advance either about Bovino’s return or about the scope of the new operations. He also said he did not know how long the Border Patrol agents were supposed to remain. Pritzker also called on Bovino to testify before a state investigative commission established in October to document alleged misconduct by federal enforcement personnel. His criticism is directed not only at the lack of transparency, but at a practice he describes as aggressive and intimidating.

The coming weeks will also be hard for us. Already now, our desks are full of cases, calls, documentation, and requests for help. People who have been arrested. Families suddenly left without contact. Lawyers being sought. The Christmas season will likely surpass this. Whether we can continue to report, document, and provide concrete help depends on whether this work is supported. Many will need help. And we will be there.

At the same time, Pritzker demonstratively stood behind the people of his state. He said he was proud of the people in Illinois who protect their neighborhoods, stand up for one another, and do the right thing. These words are more than political platitudes. They are a contrast to the line from Washington, where the operation is portrayed as necessary and without alternative. For many communities, they are a signal that resistance to this form of enforcement is not isolated.

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security made it unmistakably clear that no withdrawal is to be expected. A spokesperson said that a month ago they had already stated that they were not leaving Chicago and that the operations would continue. This statement leaves little room for de escalation. It means that uncertainty will become a permanent condition – for families, for workers, for children who do not know whether a parent will return in the evening.

Bovino’s return shortly before Christmas is no coincidence. Holidays mean that families come together, that routes are more predictable, that people are reachable. For the operational logic, this increases efficiency. For those affected, it increases fear. Chicago is once again experiencing what it means when immigration policy is not treated as an administrative act, but as a demonstration of power. The city is once again an operational zone. And for many, a time of waiting, caution, and constant alertness begins.