Chicago is at the center of Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. ICE raids and National Guard deployments have sparked anger, and activists are patrolling their own streets to track and confront federal agents. DW's Benjamin Alvarez Gruber reports.
00:03ICE agents in plain clothes without any identification and in unmarked cars
00:08arresting people on the streets they suspect are undocumented.
00:12These videos show recent arrests in and around Chicago.
00:16They have one thing in common.
00:18Bystanders filming the arrests and facing off with the agents.
00:22Many people hear about ICE operations in real time thanks to activists.
00:26They call themselves the People's Patrol.
00:29A 200 member strong rapid response network countering the Trump deportation blitz in the Chicago area.
00:36Cristóbal Cavazos leads those efforts.
00:38Every day people patrol at least a half hour a day.
00:41People are connected typically on signal or some other site.
00:45They connect this is what I saw, this is what I didn't see.
00:48Once they see ICE agents they confront them hoping to get them to leave the area.
00:54ICE has been found in court.
00:56They can profile you based on the color of your skin.
00:59So we're seeing people in Chicago being taken with or without documents just based on the color.
01:05You know a few years ago this would have been a hate crime.
01:08Chicago, a Democrat-led city with a big Latino population, has been especially targeted by the White House with massive ICE operations.
01:16The Department of Homeland Security says it's about safety as they say illegal aliens have terrorized Americans in Sanctuary Illinois.
01:25Official government accounts have published videos of an action movie resembling massive ICE raid on a whole building complex.
01:31President Donald Trump has also called for the arrest of the mayor of Chicago and the governor of Illinois, both Democrats.
01:40The city and its residents are fighting back with protests on the street and are organizing, like Kristen, from the local chapter of a national NGO.
01:48We want to build community because it's easier to be an activist when you've got other people around you.
01:55Somebody said something to the effect of action is the antidote to hopelessness and at this point there's not really space to sit at home and wait for my elected officials to do their jobs.
02:10That is also what Cristóbal and the People's Patrol are trying to do. Not waiting for others to act, but taking action themselves.
02:18We did a space over here. So if ICE were to come, this is our safe room. A private property to keep out, no entry with outside warrant.
02:35Cristóbal wants to encourage neighbors and companies to think about similar ways to keep their friends and neighbors safe from ICE,
02:44vowing to keep resisting what he sees as an unjust campaign against his community.
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