Topline
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker asked federal officials to pause immigration enforcement operations in the state for the upcoming weekend after a neighborhood raid in Chicago allegedly led to tear gas being deployed near a Halloween children’s parade, but Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said her agents will do no such thing.
Residents and protesters clash with federal agents in the East Side neighborhood on Oct. 14, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
The Washington Post via Getty Images
Key Facts
Noem said her agency is “absolutely not willing to put on pause any work we do to keep communities safe,” and called Pritzker’s request “shameful.”
The governor on Wednesday sent a letter to Noem, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons and Border Patrol Commissioner Matthew Scott asking Illinois families be allowed to “spend Halloween weekend without fear,” adding, “No child should be forced to inhale tear gas or other chemical agents while trick or treating in their own neighborhood.”
Pritzker’s tear gas comments were in reference to an incident last weekend where neighbors said Border Patrol agents interrupted a children’s Halloween parade and deployed the chemical without warning on residents who tried to intervene.
Noem denied Pritzker’s request Thursday while giving an update on “Operation Midway Blitz,” the name DHS gave to the effort to arrest undocumented immigrants with criminal records in and around Chicago, saying 3,000 people have been arrested including “criminal illegal aliens” and the “worst of the worst.”
Little information has been provided on who has been arrested—though Noem says details are coming—and Pritzker cast doubt on her claims that only “the worst of the worst and gang members” are being arrested: “They’re attacking peaceful children in parades and Halloween costumes,” he reportedly said.
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Key Background
DHS in early September said it would target Chicago for immigration enforcement “in honor of” Katie Abraham, one of two women killed in a drunk driving crash earlier this year, allegedly by a Guatemalan man who was not in the country legally. In its announcement, DHS said “criminal illegal aliens” had “flocked” to Chicago because of the state’s sanctuary policies. Since then, many residents of Chicago have held protests and attempted to impede immigration officers as they conduct raids using controversial tactics like using unmarked trucks and a helicopter to surround an apartment building and allegedly deploying tear gas.
What To Watch For
The Supreme Court is weighing whether or not President Donald Trump will be allowed to send National Guard troops to help with the operation.