Chicago’s ICE Raids Aren't Just About Crime or Even Immigration

It should be obvious by now that President Donald Trump’s deliberately aggressive incursions into blue cities are not about curbing crime, but about exercising raw power. Militarizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, attempting to federalize National Guard troops and issuing threats to jail opponents — these are not the actions of a leader intent on improving public safety.

Consider the president’s foray into Chicago, where the crackdown has been among the most fearsome — and contested. In recent weeks, ICE agents have stormed a South Side apartment building in a scene out of a bad Rambo sequel: a nighttime raid with federal agents rappelling down the sides of buildings, kicking in doors and hauling residents out of bed. Countless episodes of needless brutality against immigrants have followed, captured on video. Tensions between ICE and local police have flared. On Tuesday, a car crash involving Border Patrol agents triggered a standoff in an East Side neighborhood, with residents throwing rocks and agents firing tear gas and pepper balls into the crowd.