On September 16, 2025, a wave of federal immigration enforcement swept through Chicago and its surrounding suburbs, sparking widespread concern, confusion, and calls for solidarity across the city. The operation, spearheaded by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and led by veteran border agent Greg Bovino, marked the latest escalation in a series of high-profile crackdowns on undocumented immigrants in major American cities.
The day began with a social media announcement from Bovino, who posted a video to X (formerly Twitter) at 6:17 a.m., accompanied by the song "End Of Beginning" by Djo and iconic Chicago landmarks in the background. "Well, Chicago, we’ve arrived! Operation At Large is here to continue the mission we started in Los Angeles—to make the city safer by targeting and arresting criminal illegal aliens," Bovino wrote, as reported by The TRiiBE and Chicago Tribune. Bovino, a 29-year border patrol veteran known for his social media presence, previously led enforcement efforts in California’s El Centro sector.
Federal agents were soon spotted in multiple locations across the Chicago area, including Elgin, Prospect Heights, Cicero, Blue Island, and within city limits near the Home Depot off 87th Street and the Dan Ryan Expressway. These sightings were confirmed by local newsrooms, rapid response teams, and community members, who documented the activity on social media and urged residents to remain vigilant.
One particularly tense incident unfolded in Cicero, where a video recorded on September 14 captured federal agents arresting Moises Enciso Trejo and Constantina Ramirez Meraz. According to a statement from the Enciso Ramirez family, the arrests occurred as the parents were preparing to drop their oldest son off at college before heading to church. The eldest daughter, who filmed the encounter, repeatedly asked agents about her family’s whereabouts while the agents pressed her about her brother’s citizenship status. The family emphasized in a statement shared with The TRiiBE, "There has been inaccurate information reported in the media about this situation. We want to be clear: the youngest siblings were NOT inside the vehicle during the initial traffic stop. Both parents and the eldest son were in the vehicle and were arrested by ICE. The eldest son was released 2 hours later."
Attorney Shelby Vcelka, representing the family, described Enciso Trejo and Ramirez Meraz as "law-abiding individuals" who have lived in Cicero for nearly two decades. The family, requesting privacy, became emblematic of the fear and disruption wrought by the federal operation.
The enforcement blitz extended beyond Cicero. According to the Chicago Tribune, at least 17 people were arrested across Chicago and its suburbs on September 15, with agents appearing at courthouses and in cities such as Elgin, Aurora, and West Chicago. One particularly alarming case involved an Elgin man—born in the United States—who was handcuffed, questioned, and placed in a CBP vehicle before dawn. The incident underscored the confusion and potential for mistaken identity in the midst of sweeping federal actions.
Community leaders and elected officials responded swiftly. Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, speaking at a news conference at Daley Plaza, condemned the operation in stark terms: "This is an engineered crisis, a spectacle designed for headlines, not for the safety of our neighborhoods. … (This administration is) targeting hardworking people who have been our neighbors for decades. People who run local businesses, sell flowers at the corner, and have shown up every day to build a better life here." Stratton added, "Whatever name they attach, we know the truth. It’s a sick reality TV show to them."
Berto Aguayo, policy co-chairman of the Latino Leadership Council, echoed Stratton’s sentiments and urged citizens and allies to "use our privilege, exercise our rights, protest peacefully, record everything and alert our neighbors of (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) presence." Aguayo also highlighted the economic fallout, noting, "They are seeing reduced foot traffic all over the place in every largely Latino neighborhood. I think businesses are worried, businesses are scared." He called on Chicagoans to support local businesses, especially in neighborhoods like Little Village, Back of the Yards, and Belmont Cragin, which were particularly hard hit by the heightened enforcement.
The economic impact was immediate and tangible. Jel Sert, a major employer in West Chicago with about 1,400 workers, canceled its second and third shifts on September 15 as a precaution, even though ICE did not enter company property. Jennie Peters, vice president of corporate communications, told the Chicago Tribune, "We will follow the law. We will not allow anyone here without a warrant." Business resumed as usual the following day, but the disruption highlighted how federal operations reverberate through local economies.
Throughout September 16, rapid response teams and advocacy groups flooded social media with updates, warnings, and calls for footage of federal agent activity. The Berwyn-Cicero Rapid Response team confirmed ICE detentions on Roosevelt Road off Cicero Avenue around 8:30 a.m. and at 31st Street and Cicero Avenue around 8:50 a.m., urging residents to avoid Cicero Avenue during commutes. In another incident, Cook County Forest Preserves officials reported seeing 20-30 ICE agents at Dan Ryan Woods late in the morning, with officers debriefing before leaving the property.
Videos posted online documented federal agents detaining individuals at Palwaukee Plaza in Prospect Heights, off Cicero Avenue and Roosevelt Road in Cicero, and near the Home Depot on Chicago’s South Side. In one video, a bystander challenged agents, asking, "Did you just pick him up because he’s brown?"—a question that captured the anxiety and anger simmering in communities across the region.
Amid the enforcement activity, Mayor Brandon Johnson signed a "Right to Protest" executive order, aiming to safeguard the free speech rights of all Chicagoans. The move came as President Donald Trump, during a White House press conference on September 15, renewed his threats to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago and targeted Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. Trump’s rhetoric, reported by NBC and others, reignited fears of further federal intervention and heightened tensions between city, state, and federal authorities.
As the day unfolded, local leaders urged calm, resilience, and mutual support. "We want to call on our neighbors … to go to your local businesses, patronize street vendors, give them your business and to encourage other people to do the same," Aguayo said. The message was clear: while federal operations may disrupt daily life, Chicago’s communities would stand together, determined not to let fear define their future.
In the face of uncertainty and federal pressure, Chicago’s neighborhoods responded with a mix of defiance, solidarity, and hope—reminding the city, and the nation, that community strength endures even in the most turbulent times.
