Of course it is important to keep your readers informed. But, now, it is important to discuss the sensible and humane alternatives to mass deportation. Please lift the lid on the population of undocumented immigrants in the US who are hard working, law abiding people and contributing to our economy. Please explore what a pathway to legalization might look like and why it is important to us all. Keep up the good work.
My wife and I just got home from our first visit ever to Aguascalientes. We were moved by your reporting to make the trip from Evanston, where ICE has made a lot of trouble but not ground business to a halt. Business at the restaurant was slow, with only about a quarter of the tables occupied. The food was quite good, and we were glad to offer a bit of support to Little Village.
I was at Aguascalientes yesterday for lunch and it was great being able to support a local community. Little did I know that ICE was there earlier in the morning, but I sensed the community was on edge.
When I was walking to the restaurant after I parked a group of locals stopped an SUV with tinted windows and everyone started blowing their whistles. Luckily the car in question was not an ICE vehicle. But the whole thing was surreal to think about and feels like a nightmare. No one in this country should have to live in fear like this. We should do as much as we can to support these communities and our neighbors.
I was born and raised in Chicago, lived on the west side a few blocks from Cicero near 22nd St. I haven't lived in the city for the largest part of my life (though I have visited many many times) but cherish the memories I have of the vitality, beauty and generosity of the people and place. I have many relatives who live in or near the city and have been following what is happening. I thank the Bulwark for making what is happening so real for those who are not there. I am so proud of the people who are fighting against the authoritarians who think they can win though intimidation and behavior that makes one think of Nazi SS. Well they won't win!! Because the people in and for Chicago won't let them.!!!!!
We have lots of family ties to Chicago. Visit multiple times a year. Making a point to go to these neighborhoods again next time. I cannot express how grateful i am for the kindness of folks who suffer so much. It’s always true that those who give continue to give and those who take will always take more.
I find it disturbing how it’s gone relatively “under the radar” that the Supreme Court has essentially given the green light for immigration enforcement to arrest people on the basis of looking mestizo.
This is so obviously a violation of the equal protection clause it is shocking, but in combination with the Court’s absolutist opposition to using racial criteria in affirmative action contexts like hiring and school admissions, where the coercive power of the state is far less at issue, it beggars belief.
You have entire ethnic communities living in fear of state terror simply because of the way they look and the language they speak. I’m not sure there could be a clearer example of exactly what the 14th amendment was intended to prevent than what’s happening to this neighborhood in Chicago.
Why do I suspect that the Supreme Court would have ruled differently if the majority of the illegal immigrants were from places like Germany, Ireland, and Ukraine? /s
There's been 2 million "illegals" living in Texas for the last 20-25 years. In that time the Texas economy has boomed, diversified, created massive amounts of wealth and opportunity. I 'm not seeing Trump or Abbott talking about that or disrupting that society and economy. This is about racial hatred for sure but political hatred too. This military type action in Chicago is political and economic punishment for opposing Trump and MAGA policies
Thanks for writing about my home town. While I was there this summer and fall I ate Mexican food a lot. At one point a man with a camera came to where my family was eating outside and I asked if he was ICE because he had a mask on and was taking pictures of people inside the restaurant. He told me no and that he was surveying, and that he has a mask on because he had a cold but had to work, and that he views no one as illegal, but it seems very suspicious that he was taking pictures and surveying for the city at night. I have never seen that before. I don't know if I buy it.
I am glad that people are stepping up to help businesses, but behind that is the story that people are really suffering and businesses are badly hit. Also, I know that Home Depot has lost a lot of business. The contractor we use in Chicago had to do runs for 8 jobs he had going on all on his own because he could not send anyone to the store after ICE really started picking people up. He also started ordering more. I hope that Home Depot does suffer, because they give money to Trump.
Thank you for the inspiration! Just finished lunch in Little Village. Both yummy and good to feel like you’re DOING something. And frankly, eating good Mexican food is literally the least I can do.
This is classic Trump wins and there’s nothing Democrats can do about it. He gets to drive fear into the immigrant communities forcing even US citizens to be afraid of being harassed or even worse detained.
If the communities go about business as usual and stand up to Trump’s intimidation then he has shown he will back up the threats by detaining people and causing tangible harm to them. And when they overstep their authority there is no one there to hold them accountable his justice department is in on the crime they are the mafia that allows Agencies like ICE to act extrajudicially.
Of all the groups that have had significant caving to Trump (tech billionaires, media companies, entertainment companies, etc.), the most depressing of them is the legal community. The only way to push back would be to file thousands of lawsuits against not just the Trump administration but the individuals associated with the crimes. A few here and there won’t cut it. The cities need to detain rogue ICE officers and make them feel the pressure.
Give me a place to send money and I will. I’m just north of Seattle so I can’t frequent Chicago restaurants. But I did that with our local Mexican restaurant during covid and they actually credit me with helping them get through. So I know it doesn’t take a lot of money. It just takes caring and consistency.
Thank you for your work, I’ve been grateful for it! I wish there were more coverage of the conditions in the detention centers and something new on those “lost” when the Everglades detention center was temporarily closed. I feel like these stories are underrepresented in general, and I can’t understand why the Bulwark isn’t focusing more on them (not you, but at large). Thank you again. May God have mercy on us.
I never know who remembers what about Chicago's Mexican community. Old Rt. 66 began at Balbo on the Lake. It went down across west Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, the perfect on-ramp for Mexicans' migration to Chicago. Then, as now, Chicago was a city of neighborhoods. It wasn't until the mid to late 60s, when I was in high school, that I made friends who lived in the midst of the City's incredible Mexican community. I had two favorite restaurants that are gone now but still live in my head and heart.
Mi Casa Su Casa was on Southport near Belmont, so about 3200 north. But my favorite place ever was La Choza, on Howard, just east of Paulina, almost at the Howard L station. La Choza, for food and Mexican culture and life was just the best. You could feel the life walking in the door. You had to step over passed out drunks and junkies to get in, but it was worth it and not even a scary scene.
This piece of shit Trump, and his hate mongering thugs aren't going to stamp out Mexico in Chicago.
I hope someone else remembers the delight of La Choza from 55-60 years ago.
A lot of the Mexicans in Chicago are from Michoacán. In my class in a Chicago Public School I had students whose families were from Mississippi and some from Michoacán. Both traced routes of great migrations north from different places. So, a lot of Mexican restaurants in Chicago feature foods from Michoacán. My students often went to Mexico for Christmas and would stay for 2 months and go to school while they were there. I remember one complaining about it.
I had students who lived in Little Village, and others who lived in housing projects. Then some who lived in the neighborhood, which was Italian and gentrifying. We used to go to Little Village's Mexican Fine Arts Museum for their Day of the Dead exhibit and experiences. I cannot believe that so many Americans were anti-immigrants, which basically means anti-themselves or their families who came to the US from somewhere at some point in time, that they allowed this regime to happen. Let us hope people survive it and get rid of it.
Of course it is important to keep your readers informed. But, now, it is important to discuss the sensible and humane alternatives to mass deportation. Please lift the lid on the population of undocumented immigrants in the US who are hard working, law abiding people and contributing to our economy. Please explore what a pathway to legalization might look like and why it is important to us all. Keep up the good work.
Unfortunately, Trump would probably view the contents of your article as a win for him. He is totally devoid of a moral compass.
My wife and I just got home from our first visit ever to Aguascalientes. We were moved by your reporting to make the trip from Evanston, where ICE has made a lot of trouble but not ground business to a halt. Business at the restaurant was slow, with only about a quarter of the tables occupied. The food was quite good, and we were glad to offer a bit of support to Little Village.
Thank you for continuing to cover this horror show in Chicago.
I was at Aguascalientes yesterday for lunch and it was great being able to support a local community. Little did I know that ICE was there earlier in the morning, but I sensed the community was on edge.
When I was walking to the restaurant after I parked a group of locals stopped an SUV with tinted windows and everyone started blowing their whistles. Luckily the car in question was not an ICE vehicle. But the whole thing was surreal to think about and feels like a nightmare. No one in this country should have to live in fear like this. We should do as much as we can to support these communities and our neighbors.
@bulwark
I was born and raised in Chicago, lived on the west side a few blocks from Cicero near 22nd St. I haven't lived in the city for the largest part of my life (though I have visited many many times) but cherish the memories I have of the vitality, beauty and generosity of the people and place. I have many relatives who live in or near the city and have been following what is happening. I thank the Bulwark for making what is happening so real for those who are not there. I am so proud of the people who are fighting against the authoritarians who think they can win though intimidation and behavior that makes one think of Nazi SS. Well they won't win!! Because the people in and for Chicago won't let them.!!!!!
We have lots of family ties to Chicago. Visit multiple times a year. Making a point to go to these neighborhoods again next time. I cannot express how grateful i am for the kindness of folks who suffer so much. It’s always true that those who give continue to give and those who take will always take more.
I find it disturbing how it’s gone relatively “under the radar” that the Supreme Court has essentially given the green light for immigration enforcement to arrest people on the basis of looking mestizo.
This is so obviously a violation of the equal protection clause it is shocking, but in combination with the Court’s absolutist opposition to using racial criteria in affirmative action contexts like hiring and school admissions, where the coercive power of the state is far less at issue, it beggars belief.
You have entire ethnic communities living in fear of state terror simply because of the way they look and the language they speak. I’m not sure there could be a clearer example of exactly what the 14th amendment was intended to prevent than what’s happening to this neighborhood in Chicago.
Why do I suspect that the Supreme Court would have ruled differently if the majority of the illegal immigrants were from places like Germany, Ireland, and Ukraine? /s
There's been 2 million "illegals" living in Texas for the last 20-25 years. In that time the Texas economy has boomed, diversified, created massive amounts of wealth and opportunity. I 'm not seeing Trump or Abbott talking about that or disrupting that society and economy. This is about racial hatred for sure but political hatred too. This military type action in Chicago is political and economic punishment for opposing Trump and MAGA policies
You are right on. And it is an affront to everything we are supposed to stand for.
Wonderful conversation. This boomer with a millennial son learned more about today's young men and young women than from everywhere else combined.
Thanks for writing about my home town. While I was there this summer and fall I ate Mexican food a lot. At one point a man with a camera came to where my family was eating outside and I asked if he was ICE because he had a mask on and was taking pictures of people inside the restaurant. He told me no and that he was surveying, and that he has a mask on because he had a cold but had to work, and that he views no one as illegal, but it seems very suspicious that he was taking pictures and surveying for the city at night. I have never seen that before. I don't know if I buy it.
I am glad that people are stepping up to help businesses, but behind that is the story that people are really suffering and businesses are badly hit. Also, I know that Home Depot has lost a lot of business. The contractor we use in Chicago had to do runs for 8 jobs he had going on all on his own because he could not send anyone to the store after ICE really started picking people up. He also started ordering more. I hope that Home Depot does suffer, because they give money to Trump.
We need to get ICE out of Chicago.
Thank you for the inspiration! Just finished lunch in Little Village. Both yummy and good to feel like you’re DOING something. And frankly, eating good Mexican food is literally the least I can do.
This is classic Trump wins and there’s nothing Democrats can do about it. He gets to drive fear into the immigrant communities forcing even US citizens to be afraid of being harassed or even worse detained.
If the communities go about business as usual and stand up to Trump’s intimidation then he has shown he will back up the threats by detaining people and causing tangible harm to them. And when they overstep their authority there is no one there to hold them accountable his justice department is in on the crime they are the mafia that allows Agencies like ICE to act extrajudicially.
Of all the groups that have had significant caving to Trump (tech billionaires, media companies, entertainment companies, etc.), the most depressing of them is the legal community. The only way to push back would be to file thousands of lawsuits against not just the Trump administration but the individuals associated with the crimes. A few here and there won’t cut it. The cities need to detain rogue ICE officers and make them feel the pressure.
Give me a place to send money and I will. I’m just north of Seattle so I can’t frequent Chicago restaurants. But I did that with our local Mexican restaurant during covid and they actually credit me with helping them get through. So I know it doesn’t take a lot of money. It just takes caring and consistency.
Thank you for your work, I’ve been grateful for it! I wish there were more coverage of the conditions in the detention centers and something new on those “lost” when the Everglades detention center was temporarily closed. I feel like these stories are underrepresented in general, and I can’t understand why the Bulwark isn’t focusing more on them (not you, but at large). Thank you again. May God have mercy on us.
I never know who remembers what about Chicago's Mexican community. Old Rt. 66 began at Balbo on the Lake. It went down across west Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, the perfect on-ramp for Mexicans' migration to Chicago. Then, as now, Chicago was a city of neighborhoods. It wasn't until the mid to late 60s, when I was in high school, that I made friends who lived in the midst of the City's incredible Mexican community. I had two favorite restaurants that are gone now but still live in my head and heart.
Mi Casa Su Casa was on Southport near Belmont, so about 3200 north. But my favorite place ever was La Choza, on Howard, just east of Paulina, almost at the Howard L station. La Choza, for food and Mexican culture and life was just the best. You could feel the life walking in the door. You had to step over passed out drunks and junkies to get in, but it was worth it and not even a scary scene.
This piece of shit Trump, and his hate mongering thugs aren't going to stamp out Mexico in Chicago.
I hope someone else remembers the delight of La Choza from 55-60 years ago.
A lot of the Mexicans in Chicago are from Michoacán. In my class in a Chicago Public School I had students whose families were from Mississippi and some from Michoacán. Both traced routes of great migrations north from different places. So, a lot of Mexican restaurants in Chicago feature foods from Michoacán. My students often went to Mexico for Christmas and would stay for 2 months and go to school while they were there. I remember one complaining about it.
I had students who lived in Little Village, and others who lived in housing projects. Then some who lived in the neighborhood, which was Italian and gentrifying. We used to go to Little Village's Mexican Fine Arts Museum for their Day of the Dead exhibit and experiences. I cannot believe that so many Americans were anti-immigrants, which basically means anti-themselves or their families who came to the US from somewhere at some point in time, that they allowed this regime to happen. Let us hope people survive it and get rid of it.