With United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) becoming more prominent throughout Illinois, the DuPage County community is at risk of encountering ICE officers.

The rise of ICE officers is becoming more prominent, not only in bigger cities like Chicago but local communities. Reports and warnings have been issued to inform people about ICE’s presence throughout local communities. Officials have been sending out informative sheets on what to do when encountering ICE; local communities additionally have been attempting to mitigate the impact of ICE by participating, volunteering and informing others.

With this in mind, the DuPage county community is vulnerable to these ICE raids. There have been neighborhood reports of neighbors warning other neighbors when they see ICE officers near. According to NPR Illinois, arrests have been made in Wheaton, Elgin, Glen Ellyn and West Chicago suburbs.

With an increase in ICE raids, Illinois government officials and role models feel the responsibility to spread awareness. The idea is that the more people learn about their rights, the fewer arrests and people being sent to detention centers occur.

According to Census Dots, a website dedicated to presenting a map of the U.S. Census data, Chicago’s population is 30% Hispanic. In DuPage County, around 15% of people, roughly 146,000 people, are Hispanic. 

Here at College of DuPage , we have the Latino Student Initiatives (LSI), which is a cultural group to enrich the academic experience, promote identity awareness and enhance the leadership opportunities for Latino students on campus. COD also provides resources for undocumented students to address their needs and education for students and their families in student life. They provide information to undocumented students on how to get enrolled in the College of DuPage.

College of DuPage bilingual admission representative, Edward Ortega, helps undocumented students at student life. He is determined to provide equal opportunity to all students.

“I believe that everybody should have a fair chance in education,” Ortega said. “No matter the background and the circumstances in which they may or may not have entered this country.”

The student life resources for undocumented students also provide support to help students get their legal status.

“ome of them may include legal services, because a lot of our students may want to start a petition for themselves to obtain a legal status. So those are the types of resources that we give to students in the area.”

But though the COD community is providing support to students and the local community, there are still ICE arrests happening throughout the country. There has been an increase in the number of immigrants being put into ICE detention right after Trump’s administration in January 2025. According to The Guardian, after the second Trump Administration, there are now more people with no criminal record in ICE detention centers than people with a criminal record. At the beginning of the year there were 40,000 people in detention centers. But after Trump’s admin, in Sept of 2025, there are now nearly 60,000 people in detention centers.

A key fact about ICE officers is that they do not have the same power as police officers. According to Homeland Security, ICE policies make it clear that they are not seeking to detain American citizens. They are allowed to enter areas open to the general public, but they are not allowed to detain, question or arrest anyone. When encountered by ICE, it’s important to understand your rights to remain silent and ask rather if you are arrested or not. Government officials are required to identify themselves and supply a badge number if asked for it. If the officers decide to arrest you by force, that is eligible for a lawsuit. 

College of DuPage political science Professor David Goldberg, is part of the college’s rapid response team. Rapid response teams provide voluntary work during emergencies, help residents and assist professional responders in their community. Goldberg said ICE raids and arrests have been increasingly prominent in recent years.  

“Arrests were very high during (former President Barack) Obama and then the first (President Donald) Trump Administration, and (Former President Joe) Biden. So this was not entirely Trump-related,” Goldberg said. “The number, I think, has now exceeded Obama under Trump. But I think there have been arrests during the last several presidents. The step up since last January, since Trump was inaugurated, is pretty sizable.”

ICE agents have been locating themselves in public places. This is so they can enforce the law and detain undocumented immigrants more efficiently. This tactic has the chance to detain legal American citizens.

Goldberg debated whether ICE’s hiding their identities in public is constitutional or not. He explained the U.S. Supreme Court said law enforcement has the right to be dishonest in investigations. Goldberg thinks law enforcement hiding their identity is constitutional, but it undermines people’s faith in the government. 

“The Supreme Court said that law enforcement has the right to be dishonest in the investigation. So I think there’s a difference between whether it’s constitutional and whether it’s a norm,” Goldberg said. “Usually, police have to identify themselves, and if you ask for a badge number, they provide it. More areas have body cams. Everything I’ve seen, they drive their personal vehicles often. 

“But the core answer is, I don’t think on its face that part of it is unconstitutional,” he said. “The larger issue is it undermines people’s confidence in the state, in law enforcement.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has been against the ICE raids and decided to speak up against them after the most recent raids in Chicago. Pritzker said witnesses who see ICE arresting people should record it and post it on social media. This is to shed light on the issue and bring awareness to it. Recent protests in Chicago that Pritzker described as peaceful have motivated him to send out papers to different types of communities in Illinois, instructing people on what to do if they encounter ICE. The papers say to remember your rights to stay silent, stay indoors and do not discuss your citizen status.

Throughout Trump’s presidency, Trump has made it clear the reasons why he wants to deport illegal immigrants. In 2025, he claimed that many undocumented immigrants “present significant threats to national security and public safety.” The White House, he also believes it is unfair to the citizens living in the United States legally, and immigrants are an economic burden to American taxpayers. 

According to ABC7 Chicago, Trump has recently authorized 300 ICE agents to go to Chicago. But Pritzker believes these immigrants should have the chance to prove themselves to become American citizens, and local communities should support them. 

According to Fox32 Chicago, in response to Trump sending ICE officers to Illinois, Pritzker said, “State, county, and local law enforcement have been working together and coordinating to ensure public safety around the Broadview ICE facility, and to protect people’s ability to peacefully exercise their constitutional rights. I will not call up our National Guard to further Trump’s acts of aggression against our people,” 

Pritzker emphasizes the impact of other citizens helping by protesting peacefully and helping undocumented immigrants gain citizenship. He says Illinois should celebrate its Hispanic community and treat them as any other citizens. He acknowledges the fear the Hispanic community has been experiencing since ICE came to Illinois. In an interview on Fox 32 Chicago on Sept. 9, Pritzker said, “These are people not running from authority. These are people seeking authority to stay in this country.

But Trump sees Pritzker’s actions of protecting undocumented immigrants as unjust. He also sees Pritzker’s support for peaceful protests to be a threat to ICE officers. On Oct 7, NBC News reported Trump saying that Pritzker “should be in jail.” Trump blames Pritzker and the Chicago mayor, Brandon Johnson, for failing to protect and for creating an unsafe environment for ICE officers.

Pritzker encourages the public to empathize more with undocumented immigrants. He strives for immigrants to be given a chance in the United States. He also claims our society can provide the support and protection they need. Pritzker says the immigrants’ ambition, commitment, and hard work to obtain citizenship warrant society’s support to do so.

Goldberg said Pritzker’s attempt to help the community with ICE and the upside of spreading awareness about ICE is an example of the power of documenting what ICE encounters really look like. 

Goldberg added, “I think spreading information is very important and can be useful to hold ICE accountable and/or force them away. I think the problem is that communities that live in fear are bad for everybody and set an undemocratic precedent.”

He is suggesting that if society does not provide support to protect undocumented immigrants, it would result in a suppressive society. Goldberg implores individuals not to back down from fear to set a bad precedent, but instead unite. 

The Illinois Coalition for Immigration and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) is an organization that provides resources and information on how to prepare for potential ICE encounters. For more information about your rights, go to the ICIRR website.