My family is living in a “war zone,” but not in another country, right here in America — in Waukegan, Illinois! Waukegan, a northern suburb of Chicago, is a predominantly Latino community, full of hard-working, Christian families. It was a peaceful place to raise a family … until President Donald Trump deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to the Chicagoland area.

On Sept. 8, the Department of Homeland Security officially announced the start of Operation Midway Blitz, targeting “the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens in Chicago.” The federal campaign to ramp up immigration enforcement has created fear among immigrant communities and inflamed tensions throughout the city. Armed and masked ICE agents are patrolling the streets – including in Waukegan. Eyewitness videos show them grabbing peaceful Latinos from the streets, zip-tying their hands and whisking them off in black SUVs. ICE agents target immigrants on their way to work at Home Depot, gas stations and bakeries, and have even targeted immigrants at a community college. They spend the rest of the day roaming the streets hoping to randomly pick up undocumented immigrants. These people are not criminals or gang members, they are hardworking, caring members of the community. Friends and neighbors are now alerting the community to ICE presence using car horns and megaphones, but these people run the risk of being arrested by ICE agents for “impeding operations” even when their actions are legal.

These tactics are meant to inflict pain and fear. Terror and cruelty are the point, not protection or anyone’s safety. Many adults no longer feel safe leaving their homes. Even U.S. citizens, like my daughter, need to carry their passport with them in case they are stopped by ICE, else they will be taken into custody until they can prove their citizenship status. These activities inflict fear not only in adults, but in the innocent children of these neighborhoods. Schoolchildren hear these activities and see frightening strangers carrying guns and attacking peaceful citizens. Many of my granddaughter’s friends can no longer walk home from school because their parents are scared for them. The school district has provided leaflets to grade school children with their rights and what to say if they are stopped by ICE agents. They have also sent communications home to parents and have hosted webinars to teach parents their rights when confronted by ICE.

I believe that we all, Democrats and Republicans alike, agree that immigration policies should protect borders, deport criminals AND provide a legal pathway to citizenship for those immigrants who are and have been an essential part of our economy and communities. We should not be fighting a “war” against ourselves over immigration.