During a recent run near Lake Michigan, I watched a black S.U.V. make a U-turn and chase down three young men. Two armed immigration agents, their eyes peeking out from behind their balaclavas, jumped out and approached them. One asked what visas they held.
“H-1B,” they responded, looking bewildered. That’s the visa for foreign workers with special expertise.
Nothing that I could see would have attracted the attention of the agents, except for the fact that the men had brown skin. After questioning them, the agents let them go.
This scene is now unfolding across Chicago every day.
Federal immigration agents have been asking people about their legal status outside churches, homeless shelters, apartment buildings, parks and even a cemetery. Officers have questioned both U.S. citizens and legal residents, asking for passports and visas as proof of identity.
The presence of officers from Border Patrol and ICE has brought forth an intense backlash. Chicagoans are shouting at immigration agents, calling them fascists and Nazis, throwing objects at them and chasing their unmarked S.U.V.s or minivans, honking their horns to warn bystanders of ICE’s presence.
In response to what a Homeland Security official called “a surge in assaults,” the officers are using increasingly aggressive tactics. In recent days, they’ve hurled tear gas, pepper balls and smoke bombs at the public, protesters, journalists and even Chicago police officers, often without warning. Today’s newsletter is about the conflict on the streets of Chicago.
The intervention
The Trump administration began a crackdown on illegal immigration here five weeks ago, promising to help the city by arresting “criminal illegal aliens.” But the tactics are unusual.
Schools. Officers are lingering just off campus in some places. So principals have ordered “soft lockdowns,” keeping students in classrooms until the agents are gone. Last month, ICE tried to arrest a father after a day care drop-off; in the confrontation, he was shot and killed. Now some schools use neighborhood volunteers, at parents’ request, so white adults can walk Latino children home.
Restaurants. Kitchens are often staffed by undocumented immigrants, and ICE knows it. Workers are afraid to leave their homes, and many have cut their hours. One Mexican spot I like keeps its door locked — even when it’s open — as a shield against ICE, allowing customers in one at a time.
Public spaces. Many people, even those with legal status, are asking friends to do their grocery shopping for them. Streets are quieter. One man with legal residency got a $130 ticket for not having his papers, The Chicago Tribune reported.
Why here? It is not surprising to people here that the administration has focused on Chicago, which calls itself a sanctuary city. That means it doesn’t help the federal government deport undocumented immigrants. Half a million Chicagoans, nearly one-fifth of the population, were born outside the United States, and support for immigrants is generally strong in the area. Local police officers won’t ask suspects about their immigration status.
Trump and Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois, a Democrat, have an adversarial relationship, and Trump regularly criticizes Chicago’s Democratic mayor, Brandon Johnson. The president wrote online that they “should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers!” City and state leaders said they were receiving no communication from the Department of Homeland Security or the White House about the operations.
The backlash
The fury over immigration enforcement has expanded in the last few days. After a car chase and crash involving agents, more than 100 people came out of their homes and shouted, “ICE go home.” At least one person threw eggs at the agents, hitting an agent directly in the head. (Trump ordered National Guard troops into Illinois over Pritzker’s objections, but a federal judge blocked their deployment last week.)
In response, federal officers released tear gas on the crowd, including 13 Chicago police officers who had been called to the scene. For weeks, Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have disbursed people filming and shouting at them by shooting pepper balls and tear gas.
This is very different from norms of modern policing: Officers typically release chemical agents only in extreme situations, and only after warnings. Agents have pointed guns at people who get in their way.
On Wednesday, Pritzker complained that ICE was causing “mayhem” and warned that other cities would face the same fate. In the Oval Office yesterday, Trump named San Francisco. He said, “We’re just at the start. We’re going to go into other cities.”
ASSAD’S ENFORCERS
No dictator rules alone. For two decades, and amid a 13-year civil war that left half a million people dead, the Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad relied on a network of henchmen to support his rule, writes Christiaan Triebert, a reporter on our Visual Investigations team.
These men tortured civilians. They built and used chemical weapons. They ran drugs that helped fund the government. They ordered the bombing of hospitals. And when the regime fell in December 2024, many of them simply vanished. My colleagues and I set out to uncover evidence of their alleged crimes and find out where they might be now — in Russia, for instance, or plotting revenge from Lebanon.
We chased down fragments of information — a photo of a lavish Damascus home posted to a neighborhood Facebook page, the name of a small village mentioned in a sanctions document, a phone number with a Russian country code discreetly shared with reporters — and added the normal journalistic legwork of reading legal filings, knocking on doors, calling people’s friends, family and co-workers. Read about how the officials got out, including the middle-of-the-night flight that carried many of them away.
RELATED: Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Shara, just met with Vladimir Putin. Putin backed the regime al-Shara’s rebels overthrew.
THE LATEST NEWS
Voting Rights Act
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The Supreme Court appears poised to weaken the Voting Rights Act, after the justices heard arguments about whether to preserve a section that lets states consider race when drawing congressional districts.
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The rule sought to undo the suppression of Black voters. But it is decades old, and Justice Brett Kavanaugh suggested that race-based remedies should have expiration dates.
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If the justices strike the provision, Democrats would be in danger of losing around a dozen districts across the South, writes Nate Cohn, our chief political analyst.
More on Immigration
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Trump may overhaul the U.S. refugee system to give preference to English speakers, white South Africans and anti-migration Europeans.
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Los Angeles declared a state of emergency over federal immigration raids. It lets officials give financial aid to people affected.
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The State Department says it has revoked the visas of at least six foreign citizens it accuses of celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
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The Justice Department asked Meta to take down a Facebook group where members shared information about ICE agents in Chicago. The tech company complied.
Venezuela
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The Trump administration authorized the C.I.A. to conduct covert action in Venezuela, and President Trump is considering possible ground strikes.
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“We are certainly looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” Trump said. U.S. attacks on boats have killed at least 27 people.
War in Gaza
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Hamas has handed 10 bodies to Israel, but said it would need more equipment to recover any others. The remains of more than a dozen Israeli hostages unaccounted for, which could jeopardize the cease-fire.
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After the cease-fire, Hamas is pursuing a bloody crackdown. A video captured its militants executing rivals in public.
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Israelis are burying their dead hostages. “Rest,” a father said, “after a journey of two years in worlds unknown to us.”
More International News
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Hundreds of South Koreans are missing in Cambodia. They traveled there to take up high-paying job offers from online scam centers. Some have been kidnapped, tortured or killed.
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Afghanistan and Pakistan announced a cease-fire after a week of deadly border clashes.
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People in China are frustrated by the government’s plan to attract foreign scientists who struggle to get U.S. visas under Trump.
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The Gen Z protests that have swept through Kenya, Madagascar and now Morocco reflect governments’ failure to provide economic opportunities for them.
Other Big Stories
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Katie Porter, a leading Democrat in the California governor’s race, said she “fell short” after videos showed her berating a staff member and belittling a reporter.
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The Trump administration has targeted a federal birth control office for layoffs, which could leave millions of low-income women struggling to get contraception.
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China is turning to Brazil instead of the U.S. for its soybeans. That means trouble for Brazil’s rainforests.
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In Greenville, Miss., local leaders imposed a strict evening curfew to curb gun violence. It’s working.
OPINIONS
The autism spectrum is too broad. We need more specific diagnoses, Emily May writes.
Here is a column by Nicholas Kristof on Trump’s Middle East win. And M. Gessen profiled Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories.
MORNING READS
Chicago rat hole: This rodent-shaped hole in the sidewalk is famous. But it wasn’t made by a rat.
Wesley Morris on D’Angelo: “Many great singers aim for the stratosphere. His vocals pooled around you. He multiplied himself and blanketed you with his devastating stank.” Read more.
Modern Love: Malala Yousafzai talks about her new memoir on the podcast. Listen here.
Your pick: The most-clicked story in The Morning yesterday was about why London became a global hub for phone theft.
Formal wear for the bedroom: Derek Rose sold luxury pajamas for men that were akin to high-end suits. He died at 93.
SPORTS
Baseball: The Blue Jays hit five home runs to rout the Mariners, 13-4, and they now trail the ALCS 2-1. They play again in Seattle tonight.
N.B.A.: Americans were searching online for news about Malcolm Brogdon, who will retire from the league after nine seasons.
Tennis: Players on the A.T.P. tour were wondering why organizers didn’t stop play in extreme heat. “You want a player to die on the court?” one asked after Novak Djokovic vomited at the Shanghai Masters.
HOW TO SAVE WINE
Wine is in trouble: People are drinking less, climate change is threatening vineyards and tariffs are disrupting trade. Eric Asimov, who has covered wine for more than 20 years, says the challenges have never seemed greater.
So what can be done to save it? Eric has ideas. One of them is that the industry could lose the snobbery and become more accessible. “Nobody explains how an electric guitar works before a concert,” he writes. “Let those who want to be educated come to you.”
More on culture
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Britney Spears said that “constant gaslighting” from Kevin Federline, her ex-husband, was “extremely hurtful and exhausting.” (He’s publishing a memoir next week.)
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Stephen Colbert joked about Trump’s picture on the cover of Time magazine: “Worst Georgia O’Keeffe ever.” Here’s a late night roundup.
THE MORNING RECOMMENDS …
Toss ramen noodles in chile oil and sesame paste for a dan dan noodle salad.
Read “The Wayfinder,” Adam Johnson’s novel about the ancient South Pacific.
Test your drinking water.
GAMES
Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were ejection and injection.
And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands.
Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow.
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Amelia Nierenberg contributed to this newsletter.
Julie Bosman is the Chicago bureau chief for The Times, writing and reporting stories from around the Midwest.
The post Chicagoans Resist I.C.E. Agents appeared first on New York Times.
