In recent weeks, cities across the United States have found themselves at the center of a growing storm over federal immigration enforcement, with Seattle and Chicago emerging as focal points in a national debate about the limits of federal power, local autonomy, and the rights of immigrant communities. As the Trump administration intensifies its immigration crackdown, local officials, police departments, and grassroots activists are scrambling to respond—each with their own strategies, anxieties, and hopes for a peaceful outcome.
Seattle, often viewed as a progressive bastion, is bracing for what some fear could become a repeat of the heavy-handed federal presence seen recently in Portland. On October 8, 2025, Mayor Bruce Harrell signed a series of executive orders directing the Seattle Police Department (SPD) to treat any call involving federal agents as a top-priority response. This means that whenever federal officers are spotted in the city—particularly those engaged in immigration enforcement—an SPD officer and supervisor must attend the scene.
Chief Operating Officer Brian Maxey explained the reasoning behind these new protocols. “We do our best to identify [if] this is a legitimate federal agency of some kind,” Maxey told KUOW. He noted that while federal agents may be reticent to identify themselves to members of the public, “they typically do to local law enforcement.” The city is also developing new guidance for officers, including a requirement to activate body-worn cameras during such encounters—a move aimed at boosting transparency and public trust.
Deputy Mayor Greg Wong emphasized the importance of this transparency. “That’s why under the directive there’ll also be a requirement that body-worn cameras are turned on, and that we’re documenting these interactions as well to increase transparency,” Wong said. The city is not stopping there: two ordinances are in the works, expected within two weeks, that would ban the use of face masks by law enforcement and prohibit the use of city property for federal immigration enforcement, to the extent allowed by law.
Seattle’s preemptive measures come amid widespread concern that the Trump administration could deploy the National Guard or additional federal agents to the city, as has occurred in Portland. “It’s all speculative until it’s reality,” Wong admitted, but he stressed the need for readiness—especially with the “No Kings” anti-Trump protests looming on the calendar. Wong worries that any incident during these demonstrations, particularly if it results in damage to federal property, could serve as a pretext for federal intervention.
Maxey, attending a conference of police chiefs from major cities, shared his admiration for the largely peaceful protests in Portland. “I was just talking to Chief [Bob] Day out of Portland and admiring the absurdly peaceful protests that are happening down there that are so wonderful, because you can’t do much in a frog suit,” he quipped, alluding to the creative and nonviolent tactics employed by demonstrators. “If we could go that direction, we’d love it.”
But the fear of escalation is real. Wong cited the recent use of tear gas by federal agents against residents and local police in Chicago as “unnecessary and scary.” Maxey echoed this sentiment, warning that a deployment of federal forces in Seattle would be “counterproductive to all.” He insisted, “This really needs to be handled on a political and legal setting rather than out on the streets in public.”
Meanwhile, in Chicago, the situation on the ground has already reached a boiling point. According to NPR, the city’s immigrant communities have been living in a state of heightened fear since the Trump administration ramped up enforcement in Illinois in September 2025. Tear gas has been deployed by federal agents during confrontations in the city’s East Side, and a federal judge has now ordered that ICE agents must use body-worn cameras during enforcement actions—at least for now.
Grassroots resistance has sprung up in response. In the suburb of Hanover Park, volunteers with the People’s Patrol, or Patrulla Popular, have taken matters into their own hands. “When you see somebody and you see a car or something suspicious, you do a break of a whistle like this,” Ruby, a volunteer, explained to NPR, demonstrating the signals used to alert neighbors. She and other activists remind residents, many of whom are undocumented, of their rights: don’t sign anything without an attorney, remain silent, and always ask for a warrant.
The impact of the crackdown has been profound. Some children are not attending school; adults are avoiding work. Diana, a mother of two, described living in “a state of panicking fear” after witnessing ICE agents arrest her neighbors. The community now relies on a 17-year-old, Ivan, to keep watch each morning. “I may not be no cop, none of that, you know what I’m saying? But I’ll be, you know, taking care of the community,” Ivan said, underscoring the sense of solidarity among residents. “All these people make U.S. work. Without them, how long U.S. going to be, you know what I’m saying?”
Activists like Cristobal Cavazos, also with the People’s Patrol, use non-aggressive tactics to deter ICE agents—bullhorns, honking, and public gatherings. “I’ll take out my bullhorn. I will start to make some noise. People start to honk their horns. People start to pull up. You know, ICE starts to get nervous. They start to look around, you know, and they start to ask, you know, is it worth it right now?” Cavazos told NPR. But such activism is not without risk. The Department of Homeland Security has accused groups like Cavazos’ of interfering with enforcement and endangering agents, while activists argue they are defending free speech and the right to protest.
Back in the Pacific Northwest, Seattle’s leaders are determined to avoid the chaos seen in Chicago and Portland. While state and city laws prevent SPD from facilitating or coordinating federal enforcement, Maxey made clear that police will respond to the “collateral effects” of federal actions—specifically to ensure that any demonstrations remain lawful and peaceful. “If a demonstration gathers, we don’t abdicate our responsibility to the people of Seattle to facilitate that demonstration and make sure it proceeds lawfully and peacefully. That could be seen as us facilitating ICE, it’s not. We’d be responding to that within our jurisdiction,” Maxey stated.
The Department of Homeland Security, for its part, is doubling down. Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told KUOW that Secretary Kristi Noem “is willing to send 4 times the number of federal law enforcement to Portland to re-establish law and order and keep the community safe from the violence of Antifa and other dangerous rioters.” The federal government’s position remains clear: local officials must “take action and deliver security measures to protect law enforcement and the public from violent agitators and rioters.”
As the nation watches, the tension between federal enforcement and local control continues to build. For many in Seattle and Chicago, the stakes are personal—and the outcome uncertain. With new policies, grassroots activism, and federal resolve all colliding, the coming weeks may well define the next chapter in America’s long-running debate over immigration, protest, and the meaning of community safety.
