The Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, is responsible for enforcing immigration laws in the United States. It was created in 2003 by President George W. Bush, as a part of the Department of Homeland Security.
ICE plays a role in public safety, criminal investigations and illegal immigration enforcement.
Over the past few months, areas all over the U.S. have been widely criticizing ICE and their recent actions in their process of enforcing immigration laws.
So far in 2026 there have been over 2000 protests regarding ICE with over 1000 taking place over one weekend.
North Central has contributed to the number of protests in U.S., with a walkout taking place on February 2.
Over 800 students joined the protests taking place at 86th and Washington, spilling onto the streets and surrounding businesses.
The increase in protests has mostly been due to disagreements between federal and state leaders. Many Governors argue that ICE is going too far and is ruining the trust in local police.
Another reason was the death of Renée Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, who were both citizens, shot and killed by ICE agents while exercising their first amendment rights.
The debate between the federal and state governments have made some state leaders resort to the legal system to try and stop ICE making arrests in places like schools, hospitals and courthouses.
They believe states should have the right to protect their communities from federal actions that they feel are harmful towards their state and community.
Because of this, some people are afraid to leave their homes to go to public places in fear that ICE may be nearby.
This is also affecting jobs where workers are not showing up because they, too, fear that ICE will arrest them.
This has affected major workforces like agriculture and construction where 31% of agriculture workers are undocumented.
This is leading to a 10% decrease in the workforce that could cause a significant drop in food production that may lead to grocery prices rising in the near future.
On the other hand, the federal government argues that ICE is necessary for national security and preventing them from doing their job will make the U.S. less safe.
The tension surrounding these debates has led to a further divide within the U.S. as more and more people begin to express their opinions.
Some people feel safer with more immigration enforcement while others worry about the long term effects of ICE.
These next coming months will be a huge factor of how the U.S. will live and operate day to day.
