Some members of Springfield’s Latino community say they are rattled after agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained several individuals earlier this week. Community members and immigrant rights advocates estimate four to six people were arrested by ICE agents in Springfield between Sunday, Oct. 25, and Monday, Oct. 26, as part of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, just days ahead of the midterm elections.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security arrested 21 immigrants “including those with final orders of removal and criminal histories” during its operations in Peoria and Springfield between Oct. 26-28, according to a written statement.
The Immigration Project, a nonprofit providing legal services, said in a Facebook post ICE agents also made arrests in Bloomington.
Illinois Times reached out to DHS to request the names of the individuals arrested to help verify its claims of detainees’ criminal history and the breakdown of arrests per city, but has not received a response.
In response to a question about whether agents presented individuals with warrants, the agency replied, “All of the illegal aliens arrested receive due process and will remain in ICE custody until they are removed.”
Critics have admonished the agency for functioning outside of the law and the sparse regulations and oversight measures in place to hold federal agents accountable.
ICE agents have frequently been accused of racial profiling, which has disproportionately impacted Latinos. Attempts by legal advocacy groups to find the practice unlawful have not been successful. This month a federal judge ruled ICE agents must end discriminatory stops but only within a limited jurisdiction of southern California.
A friend of the men arrested in Springfield, who is not being named by IT for security reasons, said three individuals were detained by ICE on Sunday morning as they were enroute to work at a nearby restaurant. Two Guatemalan nationals a Mexican national who were riding together in a car were stopped by unmarked vehicles.
In a video obtained by Illinois Times, one of the men in the car aims his phone at a parked black SUV with tinted windows as they turn away from the suspected ICE vehicle and head toward the main road.
The acquaintance said they were stopped by ICE agents, asked if they had identification and taken into custody when they said “no.”
On Monday, two other men were arrested when they were pulled over in their vehicle by ICE agents.
The detainee’s friend said many in the Guatemalan community are distraught by the whole ordeal, noting that some of the men are fathers and breadwinners for their families.
“These are sad situations when there are kids in the middle of this, because they miss their father and no one wants to be far away from their children,” he said.
The nonprofit Springfield Immigrant Advocacy Network (SIAN) is supporting families whose loved ones were detained by ICE.
Veronica Espina, founder and president of SIAN, said, “The aftermath of having families that have been separated is always very painful, and it’s very stressful for the family.”
She said volunteers with the organization are in contact with four families whose loved ones were detained. The organization doesn’t gather details about the circumstances around the arrests because rather than providing legal services, it focuses on connecting people with resources such as food, mental health and rental assistance.
“We don’t have to re-traumatize them and ask them questions that are of no use for us, because we’re not going to provide legal advice,” Espina said. They refer families to the Immigration Project, the only organization in central Illinois staffed to provide legal support, she said.
Espina said SIAN tries to help families figure out how to adapt.
“We want to know, ‘Are they afraid? Are they going to miss school?,” she said. “So, we can connect with the school district because they’re too afraid to take the bus now that someone was taken.”
Trump campaigned heavily for his second term around a massive deportation effort targeting millions of immigrants he labeled as criminals and rapists “poisoning the blood of our country.”
While the president claims immigration enforcement targets criminals, reports have found the majority of individuals being arrested have no criminal record. The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, an online database, found “many of those convicted committed only minor offenses, including traffic violations.”
ICE’s budget has ballooned rapidly under the Trump administration, becoming the largest federal law enforcement agency. Major legislation, such as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, has provided approximately $75 billion in additional funding through 2029, much of it intended to scale up immigration enforcement.
Researchers estimate about 600,000 individuals have been arrested this year. The Department of Homeland Security no longer publicizes the number of deportations or arrests executed since Trump took office.
ICE agents were rumored to still be operating in Springfield after Monday’s arrests. Reports that federal agents were targeting children at Ivy Rehab for Kids were inaccurate. ICE agents are often present near the clinic since the agency has an office in the same building complex, as well as offices for the Internal Revenue Service.
Espina said it’s been more difficult to track ICE’s whereabouts around town since the agency has changed its tactics from the public spectacles directed by then-Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino to “a quieter approach” following the aftermath of federal agents killing two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. During Trump’s second term, federal agents have shot at least 21 people and have killed six noncitizens.
The fear of being “collateral damage” is what moved Julio Barrenzuela, a U.S. Navy veteran, naturalized citizen and Springfield resident, to address the Springfield City Council at its Oct. 27 meeting.
“My question is, if I call 9-1-1 because I’m being hurt or believe I’m in immediate danger during one of these encounters with federal agents, what help can I expect?” Barrenzuela asked. “And, I want that answer before I ever need to make that call.”
Known as the city’s Salsa Ambassador, Barrenzuela has graduated from the FBI Citizens Academy.
During the City Council meeting, he said Latinos are making emergency plans in the event a federal agent detains a member of their family.
“Latino families here are sharing emergency contacts, lawyers’ numbers and plans for their children if a parent is detained the next few days,” he said.
He asked the city to reach out to the Department of Homeland Security and request: “If you’re going to come and do your operations, please come do your operations, but don’t kill anybody.”
“Springfield should not be making the news that way,” he added.
Barrenzuela took out his passport out of his coat pocket during his remarks. He said out of precaution, he and his mother carry their proof of citizenship with them at all times to show as proof of their status in the event they encounter an ICE agent. Even so, it doesn’t ease his concern.
“I carry fear, because I’m noticing that there’s no longer a distinction when they’re racially profiling as to who you are, or what your credentials are, your paperwork — they’re not asking,” he told Illinois Times.
“I’ve watched one too many times in the news (incidents) being reported of these gentlemen screaming out, ‘I’m a U.S. citizen,’ and that no longer seems to be relevant to their safety. The idea of being detained, taken to custody and then being apologized to later – it’s too late,” he said.
“I have to also acknowledge that the Latinos are not the only ones facing police brutality,” Barrenzuela said in reference to public comments made during the meeting concerning Springfield police’s interactions with Black residents.
“But this is a unique scenario, because this is the city of Springfield, acknowledging that another agency is going to come and that they can do whatever they want to do to our residents, but they don’t have to take any accountability for that,” he said.
Under the Illinois Trust Act, signed into law by then-Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, local and state law enforcement departments are prohibited from coordinating with federal agents involved in civil immigration enforcement activities. It does allow for participation when there is a federal criminal warrant.
Even with the law in place, cases where local law enforcement have collaborated with federal agents on civil immigration enforcement activities have popped up across the state.
