While many in Lake County are fearful about the impact of raids rounding up undocumented residents, one Waukegan alderman has praised newly inaugurated President Donald Trump.
During aldermen’s time at the end of the Jan. 21 City Council session, 2nd Ward Ald. Jose Guzman congratulated Trump on his return to the White House for another four-year term. “Hopefully, we can come together and move this great country forward,” he said.
It was an optimistic statement considering the alderman is an elected Democrat and represents a ward where many residents are worried about the surge in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the Chicago region, including Lake County.
With his shout-out, maybe Guzman wants to be Waukegan’s version of U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who shocked his fellow Dems by journeying to Trump’s lair in South Florida and has pledged to work with the new administration.
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ICE began a long-expected migrant crackdown in the Windy City area over the weekend. Ironically, Guzman could be one of those state and local officials the Trump administration wants to investigate if local government and police officials “threaten to impede” the immigration roundups which began in earnest last week with the deportation of nearly 600 undocumented immigrants.
Administration officials say initially they are targeting “criminal elements” who do not have legal authority to be in the U.S.
Lake County officials and law enforcement agencies say they will follow the 2017 state law which bans Illinois police and sheriffs from aiding in the enforcement of federal immigration laws. Waukegan lawmen have reiterated that numerous times, as have officials with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
As the Trump administration seeks to ramp up deportations of illegal immigrants — red meat for the president’s core supporters — several “know your rights” seminars for migrants have been held across the region or have been being scheduled. One is set from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Feb. 3, at the Avon Township office, 433 E. Washington St., Round Lake Park.
The township is home to the communities of Grayslake, Hainesville, Round Lake, Round Lake Beach, Round Lake Heights, Round Lake Park and Third Lake.
With the administration increasing the number of deportations, many asylum-seekers allowed in the nation over the past four years are expected to lose their immigration status and be at risk of removal. This is an added wrinkle in the saga for immigrants.
Yet, those who follow migrant issues have noted that deportations on Trump’s watch so far have been modest compared to other administrations. When Trump first took office in 2017, he threatened to deport “millions” of people. That number never materialized.
During his first term, Trump’s rhetoric was greater than the number of immigrants deported. His administration then removed an annual average of 80,000 people from the country.
The administration of President Joe Biden had even fewer migrant deportations. During his four years in office, his administration had a rule not to make immigrant arrests in what were considered “sensitive areas.”
That included businesses, churches, health-care facilities and schools. Trump has reversed that edict and seemingly through executive orders given ICE agents and other government law enforcement agencies sweeping arrest powers.
In truth, Democrat President Barack Obama was the deporter-in-chief, when in his first term deportations averaged more than 200,000 a year. At their high point, Obama’s immigrant deportations during his eight years in office averaged 400,000 annually. Many like to overlook Obama’s immigrant actions because they don’t fit the current narrative of those opposed to Trump’s re-election.
Last year, there were an estimated 12 million undocumented residents living in the U.S. That figure may have increased with higher numbers of non-citizens crossing the southern border during the Biden administration and others overstaying work, vacation or student visas.
Increasing numbers of the undocumented, though, have caused spending on tracking them and attempting to stop them from entering the country being tripled in two decades, according to one account. The current ICE budget is estimated at about $10 billion, a figure which may rise exponentially with Trump’s hyperbole of mass deportations of migrants.
Think what that money could do for other programs. That amount doesn’t include the immigration court system, which has a backlog of an estimated 3 million cases and those waiting could remain in limbo.
In the meantime, folks like Waukegan Ald. Guzman may want to take a tempered response toward President Trump. The overall fallout of what may happen to immigrants not only in Lake County, but across the country, is yet to determined.
So far, the prospect doesn’t look promising for those who came illegally into the U.S. for a brighter future.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor.
X: @sellenews