Officials Gather In Little Village For Show Of ‘Strength’ After Border Chief’s Threat To Return To Area

This is part of our series of daily recaps of ICE activity in the Chicago region. Have a tip we should check out? Email [email protected].

LITTLE VILLAGE — Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino, known to pick fights on social media, told Gov. JB Pritzker he should “feel free to join” Border Patrol agents in Little Village Tuesday.

Pritzker took him up on the offer, joining other officials, neighbors and clergy in a show of strength against the promised immigration enforcement activity. But Bovino and his agents never showed up amid reports that he and his command were imminently headed out of town.

“All I can say is, whether it was the loss in the elections a week ago that led to Donald Trump to pull [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] out, or the fact Greg Bovino is a snowflake, on a day you can see snowflakes, whatever it is, the people of Chicago have deserved better,” Pritzker said to press after speaking at a Veteran’s Day service Tuesday morning in Little Village’s Manuel Perez Jr. Plaza, 4347 W. 26th St.

The governor was joined by U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a war veteran. Earlier that morning, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle met with Little Village community groups, Ald. Mike Rodriguez (22nd) said.

There were displays of community solidarity Tuesday across the neighborhood, a Mexican-American enclave that has been hit hard by federal immigration enforcement.

Faith leaders blocked off 26th Street under the Little Village Arch to pray for immigrants. A small crowd of peaceful supporters blew whistles and waved Mexican and American flags. Baltazar Enriquez, president of the Little Village Community Council, said his organization bought out street vendors so they could stay home Tuesday amid Bovino’s threats.

Rodriguez called the day “a win” for Little Village, parts of which are in his ward.

“We demonstrated unity, the strength of our community,” Rodriguez said. “Our senator, our governor, our county board president, knew how important it was to stand with Little Village residents.”

Pastor Julie Contreras speaks as faithfuls hold a prayer vigil outside the Arch in Little Village on Nov. 11, 2025. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

Faithfuls hold a prayer vigil outside the Arch in Little Village on Nov. 11, 2025. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

Throughout their extended immigration enforcement campaign in Chicago, Bovino and federal officials have largely avoided broadcasting where they would be doing immigration enforcement ahead of time. But after Bovino posted he’d be in Little Village Tuesday, rapid response groups reported little agent activity in the area. Instead, groups said there were a few sightings of ICE agents in the suburbs.

Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin denied reports that Bovino and his Border Patrol command, who he has referred to as the “Green Machine,” were headed out of town. That’s despite the Sun-Times reporting Bovino could be leaving as soon as Tuesday, and CNN reporting his team could be reassigned to Charlotte, North Carolina and then New Orleans.

While Bovino was not in Little Village Tuesday, he was still on social media.

The Border Patrol chief mocked Pritzker for his speech in Little Village Tuesday being interrupted by two people protesting the presence of state police outside the ICE facility in Broadview. Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) also confronted Pritzker about the matter as the governor left the stage.

“While Pritzker couldn’t get through his short 3 minute speech IN LITTLE VILLAGE without being heckled in an American Legion Building, [Border Patrol] and allied law enforcement agencies will continue removing illegal aliens from the streets of Chicago,” Bovino said on social media.

The event was not held inside an American Legion Building.

Ald. Michael D. Rodriguez (22nd) intervenes as Ald. Byron Sigcho Lopez (25th) confronts Gov. JB Pritzker after officials, veterans and neighbors gather for American Legion Veterans Day ceremony at Manuel Perez, Jr. Memorial Plaza, 4347 W. 26th St., in Little Village on Nov. 11, 2025. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

In front of the crowd of veterans, some of them immigrants, Pritzker slammed Bovino for a photo-op Monday morning outside the Bean, where agents shouted “Little Village!” as the cameras flashed.

“While we are here standing in solidarity with one another and honoring our veterans, Gregory Bovino is out doing photo shoots making fun of Little Village and harassing our Chicago families,” Pritzker said as veterans boo’d Bovino.

Pastor Paco Amador, of New Life Community Church, led the crowd under the Little Village Arch earlier that morning in chants of “We Are Little Village!”

“I want to say together with all you, they [Border Patrol] know nothing about Little Village. We are Little Village,” Amador said. “We are praying for divine protection for every migrant, especially the most vulnerable among us, those forced to shelter in place due to fear.”

Enriquez told Block Club his organization had people stationed around the neighborhood to record and blow whistles if federal agents showed up Tuesday. He said he recently sent a letter to the United Nations Human Rights Council about federal agents’ activity in the neighborhood.

Membership of his organization has more than doubled since Trump’s immigration operation ramped up two months ago, Enriquez said.

“A lot of love has come out. A lot of people have woken up,” Enriquez said. “These are our streets, this is our neighborhood and this is our city.”

But Pritzker warned that Bovino’s potential exit wouldn’t be the end of the fight.

“I would not say we’re now going to be free of these terrorized neighborhoods, because ICE and CBP will probably still be here,” Pritzker said. “Though they’ll have fewer people. We’ll have to continue to protect our neighbors and our friends and our families.”

Baltazar Enriquez, Little Village Community Council president, stands outside the Arch in Little Village on Nov. 11, 2025. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

Happening In The Suburbs

• Agents were seen near 31st Street and Cicero Avenue in Cicero around 10:40 a.m. Thursday, according to Berwyn Cicero Rapid Response. 

In The News

Veterans Rally Downtown Against ICE ‘Occupation’ And ‘Life-Threatening’ Federal Budget Cuts: Hundreds of people crowded the steps of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Tuesday morning where Illinois National Guard members, military veterans, union members, immigrant rights activists and elected officials condemned the federal government’s “life-threatening” budget cuts and its ongoing immigration enforcement in Chicago.

Feds Ask Appeals Court To Halt ‘Unworkable’ Restrictions On Force During Chicago Crackdown: Government attorneys said the order last week from U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis interferes with immigration enforcement and undermines executive power.

Border Patrol Boss And Agents Could Be Leaving Chicago This Week, Reports Say: Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino and federal immigration agents are expected to leave the city within days for another assignment, the Tribune and CBS News reported.

FROM SUN-TIMES: Chicago Police Withhold Border Patrol Shooting Videos, Citing Probe Of Chief Accused Of Calling Off Cops: Patrol Chief Jon Hein faced a flood of criticism — from ex-cops, internet trolls and members of his own department — after his officers were ordered not to respond to the Oct. 4 shooting in Brighton Park.

FROM SUN-TIMES: After ICE Detained Her Husband, Albany Park Mom Juggles Care For 3 Kids, Including Son With Autism, Newborn: Ingrid Guanume tells her children their dad will be home soon. But with her husband in federal immigration custody awaiting a court hearing later this month, she doesn’t know if she believes what she’s telling them.

FROM SUN-TIMES: Indian IDOT Employee Questioned About Immigration Status, If He Was ‘Aware’ Of NYC Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani: Gov. JB Pritzker is speaking out about the incident, which happened Friday morning, calling it another example of President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem “continuing to question U.S. citizens apparently based on the color of their skin.”

FROM SUN-TIMES: Carl Sandburg’s ‘Chicago’ Poem Finds Fresh Relevance In A City Occupied By ICE: Known for praising the city with “big shoulders,” the beloved 1914 composition recently was recited in a ruling addressing federal immigration agents’ use of force. Literary scholars say they were “astounded” and “amazed.”

FROM TRIBUNE: Inside Chicago’s Growing Resistance Movement Against Operation Midway Blitz: In Chicago, the resistance to President Donald Trump’s mass deportation mission has taken many forms. A movement has grown through acts large and small.

FROM TRIBUNE: Illinois And Trump Brief US Supreme Court Over Administration’s National Guard Deployment Powers: Dueling legal interpretations of what constitutes “regular forces” are at the heart of briefings now positioned before the U.S. Supreme Court as the high court prepares to rule on President Donald Trump’s authority to deploy National Guard troops to Illinois.

FROM ABC7: Judge Considers Releasing Hundreds Arrested In Chicago-Area Immigration Enforcement ‘Blitz:’ A federal judge is weighing whether to release hundreds of people arrested by federal agents as part of an immigration “blitz” that has shaken the Chicago area.

FROM WBEZ: Veterans Day Feels ‘Emptier’ This Year, Says Vet Who Is Protesting ICE And Border Patrol: “In the Loop” hears from veterans about why they decided to protest and how what one veteran saw outside of the Broadview ICE facility changed his perception of the government’s immigration enforcement actions.

FROM WBEZ: How To Talk To Kids About ICE And Border Patrol: “Say More” checks in with an expert about best practices for having discussions with kids of all ages so they can feel safe and secure at home and at school.

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