Children teargassed during Halloween celebrations. Women thrown to the ground and arrested. Journalists targeted and obstructed from doing their jobs. ICE has transformed their original role — investigating and executing lawful immigration warrants — into a chaotic, dangerous, and potentially illegal operation against civilians. Chicago has found itself at the center of this nightmare.
In this week’s Looped in with Lynn Sweet, Sweet updates Jen on what is happening in the streets of Chicago, including the real time reactions to U.S. Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino’s hearing with U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis. As the hearing develops, Sweet also describes how Chicago communities are getting savvy in their response to these ICE raids.
Lynn Sweet is the Chicago Sun-Times’ special correspondent for Chicago Public Media, and was previously their Washington Bureau Chief. She appears frequently on CNN & other outlets as an analyst and previously worked at the late PoliticsDaily.
The transcript has been edited slightly for formatting.
Jen Rubin
Hi, this is Jen Rubin, editor-in-Chief of the Contrarian. We’re thrilled to have back with us Lynn Sweet from Chicago. Lynn, welcome.
Lynn Sweet
Thanks for having me.
Jen Rubin
You are really in the center of, the ICE slash border control action, and we’ll talk a little bit about that. First of all, I want to talk to you about whistles. You did a report today about the use of whistles. What is that all about?
Lynn Sweet
Well, there is a growing movement in Chicago, in the Chicago area, to use whistles as a way of warning people in the neighborhood of ICE agents. I have a TikTok that I would like you all to see, if you go to Wbez TikTok. WBEZ is the partner of the Chicago Sun-Times over at Chicago Public Media, and the, neighborhood residents are coming together to form, warning systems for people who may be out in the street. One long, whistle means agents are around, you know, then you go two whistles and… and three, there are pamphlets being passed out. There’s also the same, signals that you could do with car horns, one long car horn. And this is part of, kind of, the, grassroots movements, movements plural, that have grown up in different communities in Chicago as the federal agents have moved from neighborhood to neighborhood in this immigration enforcement action that by now is, you know, weeks and weeks old, and in some ways is getting increasingly, more aggressive, Jen.
Jen Rubin
And these are just ordinary people. There was one woman, I believe, who ordered 1,500 whistles, and now these are being used throughout the community.
Lynn Sweet
Right, that’s from a report that WBEZ had. You know, the video that I hope you watch includes information from the Sun-Times and WBEZ, and yes, people are taking this upon their own. If anyone has a notion, there’s one centralized place in the Chicago area that’s directing people to come here, go there, protest, do this. It… it’s not true. We have…Reporters and photojournalists on the streets every day recording how this grassroots movements are coming up. You know, there are some organizational meetings now to organize whistleblowers, pass out whistles. But it is a decentralized effort with people throwing in their own time, effort, and money to acquire the whistles. And the appearance of the federal agents on streets is often a surprise. One doesn’t know where they’re going to come, because this is an operation that, my analysis depends strategically on an element of surprise, to… to go to different neighborhoods and try and find people who they may want to, detain.
Jen Rubin
It’s really remarkable the degree to which politicians are relying on citizens to report and to provide evidence. The governor of Illinois, Governor Pritzker, has set up a commission where he’s gonna hear testimony, people can bring in evidence. We saw a shadow hearing by members of the congressional delegation last Friday, in which they’re hearing compelling evidence. It really is a remarkable effort on behalf of people in the city to let the rest of the country know what’s going on. Well, one of the things… this action is happening in a time where everybody has a camera. Everybody has a way of recording things that they see, and the camera’s always with you. I wonder what it would have been like in the 30s in Germany. if people had iPhones to record what was happening, and had platforms that existed to get this out. So one of the things that the Sun-Times and WB is trying to do in our reporting and documenting what is going on is we’re collecting photos of federal agents in action in Chicago, and we are mapping them. Now, we’re mapping this after the fact, we’re not interfering with any law enforcement effort, and…We do that, that’s why we do not post anything in real time, and I want to let everyone know, we’re journalists, we review everything, we approve the images, you know, but our goal here is to give our readers a clear understanding in our documentation of what is going on in our area. I know on the Senate floor, just the other day, Senator, Dick Durbin, cited, a, you know, Chicago Sun-Times, letter to the editor, it was on another topic, but I want people to know that we are publishing and documenting what is going on in our local area, because our devotion to telling the stories of this particular time In our city’s history, where we have unprecedented federal actions going on in many, many areas.
Jen Rubin
Now, as we speak, literally as we speak on this, Tuesday at around noon, there is a hearing going on in federal court. Judge Sarah Ellis, she previously issued an order, addressing some of the abuses that she had seen in the city of Chicago regarding use of tear gas and rubber bullets. She got reports, perhaps some of the ones you’re referencing, that her orders were not being followed. She had a hearing last week, and today, as we speak, the individual who is sort of the face of this entire operation, the Customs and Border Patrol, is on the stand testifying. Tell us about him, and the kind of thing that apparently has concerned, Judge Ellis.
Lynn Sweet
Well, Dan Bovino is the, lead Customs and Border Patrol official in the Chicago area, cuts a swashbuckling figure. His agents are dressed in military-style uniforms. Interesting to note why the personnel deployed under him all wear masks. He does not, so he’s very identifiable. Including, in one video, a community member made of bovino tossing a tear gas canister. So… He is the face of what’s going on, of this very aggressive action, and in Chicago, our reporting suggests heavily that the Border Patrol agents are taking on an increasing aggressive role, which may be what may be. You know, this is my analysis, what President Trump had in mind. When, according to news reports, he is asking or contemplating having Border Patrol agents take a lead in his immigration actions and not ICE. But anyway. But we have right now, and since we’re talking in real time, I’m looking at the Sun-Times live blog here, and it’s kind of fascinating. You know, just a few minutes, and Bovino did show up in court. In a few minutes after the session started, Judge Ellis says, you’ve got to leave journalists alone. And then Movino takes a stand and says, good morning, Your Honor. Three minutes later, the judge says, I’m not out in the street, but it is difficult for me to see that the force being used is necessary. Bovino answers questions about making agent identification visible. And that’s because these agents don’t have badges and body cameras on, and body cameras are one of the issues here. And then, just a few minutes ago, the judge said, the body camera is your friend. We may have worn a couple dates before we leave, but I hope everyone who’s listening, you know, gets the idea of, at least the opening moments of this hearing with the man who is now the face in the Chicago area, perhaps nationally, of the Border Patrol’s very aggressive immigration tactics.
Jen Rubin
And you’re exactly right, Lynn, that this is more than Chicago. The reports last night suggested there was a major purge of ICE offices. And it seems to be because they’re not aggressive enough. If folks remember, ICE was always the agency that did targeted investigations, in the… not at the border, but in the interior of the country. The border agents are kind of the swashbuckling, gun-toting guys on the border. Now, there’s a myth that they can only operate, within 100 miles of the border. That is not correct. Now, it is true, they have never operated in this fashion throughout the interior, but it’s not clear that simply because they’re, custom and border that they can’t do that. What this hearing is getting at, Lynn, is That they still have to abide by the law. It doesn’t matter which federal group this is. If there’s a judge’s order, if there are warrantless arrests, if there’s abuse of conduct, they have to be held accountable. And that’s…you know, what’s going on today. I want to talk about last week. There were a great number of images, I reported on it, others reported on it, you folks certainly have, that, the
enforcement people went into a neighborhood that was a relatively affluent neighborhood, and, they, seemed to be throwing tear gas. They seemed to be wrestling people to the ground rather roughly. What was the reaction, to the that kind of effort, and has that, sort of heightened, the concern about whoever they are, whether it’s ICE or border control?
Lynn Sweet
And by the way, as you were just talking, the latest from our live blog of the Danbovino hearing, the judge said just a few minutes ago, kids were tear-gassed on their way to celebrate Halloween. Kids should not, quote, be terrified where they live. Close quote. And one of the reasons that, neighbors in all income segments of the city now are being, target neighborhoods, is be is, is springing up, often this Indigenous outrage at the non… at the way people are being approached. So, the raids that you might be talking about went to some of the more affluent areas of the city. And Nannies were scared. To go outside, so we’ve reported… I mean, just think, if you’re a nanny. And even if your papers are in order, if you’re not, you know, if you might appear not for, you know, not a native. And we do know, Alvino gave an interview to WBEZ where he basically did say that they profile you and what you look like. Can you imagine? You have somebody else’s kids with you, Jen?
Jen Rubin
Yes!
Lynn Sweet
And they may take you in? So, this is equal opportunity outrage that is going on right now over the tactics, and I think I’ve said this before on your show, and I would like to say it again. There is no public official who is against the execution of a lawful warrant On someone who is here illegally, And Every politician would like to hold Trump to his word that this immigration action is getting out the worst of the worst. Our reporting shows that’s not what’s happening on the ground in our area.
Jen Rubin
And what we have seen in Chicago, and most recently in New York, where, Senator Dan Goldman had to intervene, is even American citizens, actual citizens, are being caught up in this, because it’s so indiscriminate, it’s so, sort of… you know, hazard in just kind of pulling in anyone who looks like an immigrant, which is kind of where we got started with this in California, where essentially racial profiling is the means by which they are trying to enforce the immigration laws.
Lynn Sweet
Right, so I suppose, Jen, if you and I, were standing at a Home Depot parking lot. looking for day work, I can’t imagine… you know, it would be a stretch to think, you know old females, white, would be picked up. But maybe… But that is the point. They don’t… they’re looking for…
a way to… my analysis here, to just increase the volume under pressure to prevent Trump, and to detain first, sort out things later. Now. That’s not how our system works. You… and this is the system being tested, this is the issue in many court cases of whether or not, you know, you could seize people. Up until now. When you’re dealing with many criminal cases. how many times have you read an article that, about some, someone selling drug, but the case got tossed out of court because when the agents came to the house, they didn’t have the proper warrant. I mean, this, this is not just a…a minor thing in American, in the American legal system about properly arresting someone Or, if you are stopping them without a warrant, having a reason.
We also are having arrests that have come from people who were protesting, as the protests have escalated sometimes, and There is some thought when you are dealing with protesters and your law enforcement to let some events de-escalate on their own. Rather than do anything provocative. And you may have seen, or our listeners may have seen, pictures of people who have had tear gas, canisters, thrown near them, or some kind of pellet, non-lethal pellet, but still hurtful, you know, that is being shot. And the techniques of the Border Patrol and ICE have not been to de-escalate But rather to, you know, yeah, but rather… now, by the way, we just got this just in, I’m looking at our, live updates, that Border Patrol boss Gregory Bovino, I might have called him Dan, I’m sorry, let me correct that. Gregory Bovino agrees to meet with Judge every day until the next hearing, so something there is… is happening, or…
Jen Rubin
I’m being told to stay after school.
Lynn Sweet
No, I mean, I hope… I hope my whole exercise here just directs people over to suntimes.com to figure out… we’ll have the whole story, I’m just reading an update now, and again… Right.
Jen Rubin
Right.
Lynn Sweet
You know, I… it is Greg, Greg, Greg, but…
Jen Rubin
Gregory, yes, right, different guy is dead from you. You know, I think this is, a perfect example of where you see the courts, not only in Chicago, but other places. District courts are holding the line. They are enforcing the law. The Supreme Court sometimes swoops in to try to absolve Donald Trump of responsibility, but with Judge Ellis. Other judges we have seen, they are taking their charge seriously. And Bovino may be full of bravado, to use the alliteration, but he’s not going to defy a specific order from this judge, looking in his eye to come in every day and explain himself. And that’s some pretty tough supervision, that Judge Ellis is handing out.
So, this is fascinating, Lynn. We are going to come back to you every week as this, story unfolds, and I think, frankly, you contrarians and those of you in Chicago, please, get out there with your camera, take pictures, record, do not interfere, but record what’s going on. And I think this is the kind of citizen involvement we need.: To provide, a way of, stopping the slide into a police state.
Lynn Sweet
And again, we do have our neighborhood documentation project going. If you go on our website at suntimes.com and Google it, maybe we could put the link on. the show, and also to my TikTok on whistles, which, you know, you’ll find, whistles, literally whistleblowers and action here. But there is a sense of the need to collect documentation and…on the street doing it. We verify, we’re journalists, we verify and confirm everything we see, so we want to remain your trusted source of news.
Jen Rubin
Well, it is the perfect intersection of a free pass and a free people, and the courts. So let’s hope, that, triumvirate continues. Thank you again, Lynn. It’s always great seeing you, and we’ll talk to you next week.
Lynn Sweet
Thank you, Jen.
