U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem used a visit to the Chicago area on Friday to criticize Illinois politicians, blasting Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson over state policies that limit local cooperation with federal immigration authorities, even as locals vowed to step up efforts to confront overly aggressive enforcement tactics.
Noem’s message to Chicagoans was met with swift condemnation from community groups and local politicians who promised to continue to educate immigrant communities about their rights, arguing that the secretary’s goal was simply to stoke more fear.
“In carrying out this campaign of fear and division the federal administration has repeatedly violated the Constitution, denied people due process, and separated hardworking families who are integral to our neighborhoods,” Johnson’s office said in a statement. “What Secretary Noem’s DHS is doing is not accountability. It’s mass targeting, fearmongering, and it undermines our work to ensure every Chicagoan can feel safe in our city.”
As about three dozen people protested outside, Noem spoke to the media at a Lombard field office, relaying oft-repeated talking points about immigration enforcement priorities for President Donald Trump, who came into office with sweeping promises to hit record-level arrests and deportations.
Though arrests and deportations have increased since Trump took office, the numbers have fallen short of the stated goals, and the administration has aired frustrations with so-called “sanctuary cities.” Earlier this week, the Justice Department placed Chicago, Cook County and Illinois on its latest “sanctuary jurisdiction list,” as Attorney General Pam Bondi promised to continue pursuing litigation against the jurisdictions on the list.
State and local statutes ban official cooperation between local law enforcement and federal deportation authorities, requiring that authorities seeking information or access have warrants or court orders.
“I’m here today because the elected leaders in this state of Illinois are ignoring the law,” Noem said, even though a recent finding from a federal judge affirmed the legality of such laws. “In fact, they are being obstructionists when it comes to getting dangerous criminals off of their streets.”
A federal judge in Chicago, though, last month blocked a Trump administration challenge to state, city and county policies, finding that their right to choose not to participate in federal immigration enforcement is protected by the 10th Amendment.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Johnson pushed back on Noem’s allegation, saying: “In Chicago, we follow the law.”
“We don’t harbor criminal(s), we arrest them,” the statement said. “But we will not be a tool for militarized mass deportations.”
Pritzker has repeatedly defended the “sanctuary” law known as the TRUST Act, which Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner signed in 2017, including at a Republican-led congressional hearing earlier this year.
“What we will not do is participate in any violations of the law or abuses of power. We will uphold the law, and we will continue to prioritize precious local and state law enforcement resources for fighting crime,” he said.
During the news conference, Noem said that so far this year ICE has issued more than 1,664 detainer requests in Chicago, of which 8% were honored. Requests to the city to confirm the number were not returned by deadline. Local officials have previously said that they follow the law in regards to immigration-related requests.
Chicago’s sanctuary designation has existed since Mayor Harold Washington signed an executive order four decades ago, but it was adjusted after President Donald Trump first took office in 2017. Now, it aims to ensure immigrants in the country without legal permission can report crime without fearing deportation, while depriving the feds of using local police as a key resource.
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A crowd gathers outside the Lombard office of Homeland Security as Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at a news conference inside about immigration enforcement priorities for President Donald Trump on Aug 8, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
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A crowd gathers outside the Lombard office of Homeland Security as Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at a news conference inside about immigration enforcement priorities for President Donald Trump on Aug 8, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton called Noem’s visit “embarrassing theater.”
“Our administration, the Pritzker-Stratton administration, will continue to put public safety first, and that includes honoring the rule of law,” said Stratton’s during a news conference Friday morning.
Stratton referenced a Tribune investigation that found that immigration detainees have been held for days at the processing center in west suburban Broadview designed to hold people no longer than 12 hours.
“Kristi Noem is trying to make an example out of us because we refuse to join her in kissing the dirt under Trump’s shoes. And I’m sure it only infuriates her more that the law is simply on our side.”
During the news conference, Noem also highlighted four people that she said were recently arrested by immigration authorities and had been convicted of violent crimes.
The Trump administration has frequently touted that they target people with serious criminal backgrounds, though such individuals were also enforcement priorities under the Biden and Obama administrations.
A Tribune analysis of data showed spikes in the number of people initially detained at two Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing centers in the Chicago area, many of whom had no criminal record logged by ICE.
The analysis found that in Trump’s first 150 days, ICE detained three times the number of immigrants convicted of crimes than in President Joe Biden’s last 150 days in office. But, under Trump, ICE detained nine times as many immigrants without any known criminal past.
Noem said the agency is working to recruit more ICE agents. In less than a week, 80,000 people have applied, she said.
In response to a question about agents wearing masks during enforcement operations, Noem said that they are generally allowed to do so to protect their identities.
In June, Chicago Ald. Andre Vásquez and Ald. Mike Rodríguez introduced a resolution calling on the Illinois General Assembly to ban federal agents from concealing their identities by wearing masks.
Vásquez said he introduced the resolution “because communities should not have to live in fear that a masked agent can kidnap their loved ones at any time without a warrant, and without any accountability.”
Long after the news conference ended, immigrant rights advocates and their allies remained outside the HSI office in the western suburb, chanting, “Immigrants are welcome here.”
“As the Secretary alluded to earlier today, Illinois communities have long demanded protections for immigrant neighbors, and our state has been successful in defending our welcoming laws against baseless federal litigation,” said Dulce Ortiz, executive director of Mano a Mano Family Resource Center and Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights board president. “We know that our campaign to make sure our community members know their rights, and are organized to look out for one another, is working.”
Others said they are remaining vigilant in light of what they view as continued escalation by the Trump administration.
“We are committed to making sure our communities are ready for the next escalation from ICE and Trump, while educating all immigrants in our communities of their rights, including green card holders, temporary visa recipients and mixed-status families,” said Itedal Shalabi, executive director of Arab American Family Services.
Federal immigration authorities conducted highly public sweeps in the Chicago area shortly after Trump took office, even bringing TV personality Dr. Phil McGraw along.
The Trump administration has singled out Chicago and other so-called sanctuary cities as targets for enforcement, with Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan calling the area “ground zero” for mass deportations.
The enforcement activity locally has created a climate of fear and uncertainty, as well as outward ripples of economic impact.
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