The ICE operations in Chicago, which have instilled fear in immigrant communities such as Ava and Sam’s, have been both overtly theatrical and entirely unpredictable. Six weeks prior, on September 9, Greg Bovino—a G.I. Joe doppelgänger who previously held the position of ICE’s “commander-at-large”—arrived in the city with a convoy of unmarked, dark-tinted vans to survey Chicago’s neighborhoods heavily populated by immigrants. Three days subsequent, ICE agents fatally shot Silverio Villegas González, an unauthorized father of two from Mexico, employed as a line cook, and possessing an unblemished record, after he attempted to flee from them. ICE officers commenced prowling sidewalks, downtown districts, grocery establishments, Cook County courthouses, parking areas, intersections, back alleys, and locales akin to Ava and Sam’s.
By the conclusion of September, reportedly acting on an informant’s lead about purported gang activity—which was later found to be a grievance concerning unauthorized occupants—ICE agents descended upon a South Side apartment complex in the dead of night, abseiling from a Black Hawk helicopter and monitoring the exterior sidewalk with masks and rifles, apprehending 37 individuals. They forcibly opened doors, scanned bookshelves, and overturned mattresses. In November, they forcibly removed a Colombian educator from the childcare facility where she was employed, during operational hours. A growing sentiment emerged that anyone could be apprehended at any moment. Sam began to learn snippets about the arrests and deportations from his colleagues and Facebook groups. Information filtered through Ava’s phone, where she consumed numerous clips on TikTok. The more she clicked, the more videos emerged.
Ava, whose name I’ve altered to safeguard her privacy, traversed the frontier prior to Donald Trump’s second inauguration. Her spouse, whom I’ll refer to as Sam, had reached America in 2022; he secured a loan of $12,000 from family members to compensate smugglers for his seven-day trek. “It’s a profoundly difficult choice to make the decision to leave behind your children and your family,” Sam conveyed to me. “You don’t know if you’ll ever reunite with your family.” Having completed the perilous journey, he established himself in Chicago, securing employment in construction. He endured arduous nine-hour shifts, six days weekly, yielding earnings of approximately $600 each week. He remitted the maximum possible funds to Ava back home. During his non-working hours, feeling fatigued and solitary, he would initiate video calls with his wife and children. Their infant daughter, at that juncture, would invariably experience a meltdown. He had always tucked her in; however, now when her mother did so, she reflexively sought her father’s beard. Upon perceiving its absence, she would weep. A month passed before she could re-learn to slumber. Their elder son experienced greater difficulty. One afternoon, he returned from school weeping inconsolably. Ava inquired about his distress. He recounted seeing his friend’s father collect him from school on a motorcycle, precisely as his own father once did. “When will we see him again?” He repeatedly questioned.
The family considered their alternatives: Ava traversing the frontier alone with young children presented too great a hazard, and they lacked the financial means to compensate another smuggler. However, remaining in Mexico felt just as perilous. Their town was monitored by drug cartels who enlisted children as young as 13, while law enforcement provided scant safeguard. One afternoon, Ava received a distraught phone call from her brother. His two children had been victims of *secuestro exprés*, or “express-kidnapping”—a frequent happening in their Mexican region where gang members entice young children with sweets or threats, subsequently detaining them as captives until parents remit payment for their freedom. To secure his children’s return, Ava’s brother amassed $3,000, selling all his possessions, even his modest dwelling.
A more promising prospect for their children was desired by Ava and Sam. They learned from acquaintances that they might seek Temporary Protected Status, a Department of Homeland Security initiative providing provisional refuge to individuals from nations experiencing persistent hostilities, ecological catastrophes, or exceptional circumstances. For numerous individuals, this frequently represents the initial stage toward a permanent asylum designation. (The Trump administration had sought to rescind this status for 11 nations and did not deem Mexico an eligible nation.) During the Biden presidency, Ava submitted an application and, approximately a year later, was informed she’d been accorded a meeting in the United States, set to lapse within 15 days. Hurriedly, she stuffed her belongings into a large suitcase, assembled the children for their inaugural flight, and then took a taxi to El Paso, where, quite abruptly, she found herself facing a dense formation of US Border Patrol officers.
Ava’s DNA and biometrics were collected by Border Patrol agents, who also seized her passport. A physical inspection was conducted, requiring the family to disrobe to their innermost layers. Nevertheless, Ava perceived the Border Patrol agents as having shown them kindness. She recollected, “I did not find them impolite, unfeeling, or severe.” Although she had anticipated the interview could be protracted, by noon she was permitted to exit the building into Texas. Contacting Sam, he reserved plane tickets for the family to Chicago. He provided guidance for navigating the airport, where all signage was in English—a language she had not yet comprehended. She made her way through a bewildering labyrinth of confusion, periodically producing her boarding pass so that someone might guide her appropriately. Once the aircraft descended onto the fog-shrouded tarmac at Chicago’s Midway Airport, they completed customs procedures and discovered Sam awaiting their arrival.
Ava conveyed her joy to me, stating, “I was overjoyed. Not having seen your family for two years, it was truly exhilarating.” Sam further noted, “We embraced each other with great fervor.”
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