Illinois ICE facility to be used for 'large-scale' immigration enforcement, mayor of Chicago suburb says

As immigration efforts are expected to ramp up in Illinois, officials in the western suburbs of Chicago are telling residents that a building in the area will serve as a “primary processing location” for what federal officials said is a “large-scale enforcement campaign” that will soon be underway.

A letter, sent Tuesday by Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson, said the building — a federal immigration facility — at 1930 Beach St., is expected to be used for the campaign, seven days a week for approximately 45 days.

According to the letter, federal officials recently notified the village of the plans.

“The Village of Broadview is committed to keeping you informed and engaged in matters regarding federal government and ICE activities that may impact our community,” the letter said. “Recently, a situation has arisen that requires clear and timely communication with both our residents and our local businesses.”

Early Thursday morning, photos and video from the brick building showed the windows boarded up with wood planks. It wasn’t immediately clear when that action was taken.

Broadview officials also warned residents that protests and demonstrations could occur near the building, “like those seen earlier this year in Los Angeles, where property damage and assaults against law enforcement were reported.”

“As a result, we will be working closely with all businesses along Beach Drive to alert them to the possibility of traffic disruptions that may affect employees and deliveries over the next 45 to 60 days,” the letter read.

The letter comes as other suburbs and cities around Chicago also put out messages to residents, in anticipation of federal agents coming to the Great Lakes Naval Base in North Chicago as part of the Trump administration’s enhanced operations from ICE, Customs and Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security.

“In the coming days, we expect to see what has played out in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., to happen here in Chicago,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said during a news conference Tuesday. “Many of these individuals are being relocated from Los Angeles for deployment in Chicago. We believe that staging that has already begun started yesterday and continues into today.”

A joint statement from the Lake County Government and the City of North Chicago on Wednesday called the planned federal operations at the Naval Station “unprecedented.”

“First and foremost, these activities are coordinated entirely at the federal level,” the statement said. “Under Illinois law, local and state law enforcement agencies do not and will not participate in federal immigration enforcement. Immigration matters remain solely under federal jurisdiction and our local resources remain focused on serving and protecting our residents.”

“We know that this situation may cause fear, especially for immigrant families,” the statement went on to say.

At his news conference Tuesday, Pritzker said he was “deeply concerned“ that ICE will target festivities for Mexican Independence Day, which is Sept. 16.

“We have reason to believe that Stephen Miller chose the month of September to come to Chicago because of celebrations around Mexican Independence Day that happen here every year,” Pritzker said. “It breaks my heart to report that we have been told ICE will try and disrupt community picnics and peaceful parades. Let’s be clear: The terror and cruelty is the point, not the safety of anyone living here.”

In Waukegan, organizers of Fiesta Patrias, said they were postponing their Mexican Independence Day parade until November over fears of an increased ICE presence.

“We just thought, what are we celebrating? We’re under attack,” organizer Margaret Carrasco told NBC Chicago. According to Carrasco, the Waukegan event has been a 30-year-old tradition. “The second thing, we can’t be concentrating on festival parade celebrations when our community is under siege, so we just had to make that call.”

What we know about ICE in Chicago

The Chicago Sun-Times first reported that the suburban base could have federal agents stationed there in September, with NBC Chicago obtaining an email from naval officials confirming a request from federal officials.

The email suggested agents from the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol could be housed at the base.

According to a U.S. Navy spokesperson, officials at the base have been approached by Trump administration officials about potential “limited support” for immigration enforcement operations in the area this fall.

“Naval Station Great Lakes has been approached by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding a potential request to support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “At this time, no decisions have been made. The request involves limited support in the form of facilities, infrastructure, and other logistical needs to support DHS operations.”

Last week, The New York Timesreproted that Homeland Security officials requested to use Naval Station Great Lakes near North Chicago for their operations, which would include space for 250 department personnel plus a “Tactical Operations Center” and an “Incident Command Post,” as well as bathrooms, laundry, parking for 140 vehicles and storage space for medical supplies and weapons like rubber bullets and tear gas.

On Wednesday, Sen. Dick Durbin announced that he and Illinois' other senator, Tammy Duckworth, both Democrats, had requested a meeting with the secretary of the Navy to “demand information around President Trump’s plan to use Naval Station Great Lakes to house ICE officers.”

“Our service members and the American taxpayers deserve transparency,” the announcement said.

NBC 5 Investigates has learned that a border patrol chief is expected to lead the impending increased immigration enforcement efforts.

Gregory Bovino, who most recently led immigration enforcement efforts in Los Angeles — which at times have devolved into violent clashes between authorities and protesters — has been tapped to lead the efforts in Illinois.

NBC 5 Investigates also learned that it was Bovino himself who contacted Illinois State Police to inform the agency of the potential operations, according to the governor’s office.

In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for Illinois State Police would not provide specifics about the conversation, only saying: “Consistent with normal law enforcement protocol, ISP continues to communicate with a variety of federal agencies, including border patrol, to ensure the safety of officers and the public. ISP operates within the requirements of the TRUST act and is not involved in immigration enforcement.”