Share and Follow
CHICAGO (WLS) — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is set to visit northwest Indiana this Thursday. This visit coincides with a request from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker urging the Department of Homeland Security to suspend immigration arrests during the Halloween weekend.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
Noem is expected to provide an update on “Operation Midway Blitz,” a recent immigration enforcement initiative. This operation was recently described as “wildly successful” by Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino in an interview with ABC News.
Accompanying Noem will be Indiana Governor Mike Braun, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons, among others. They are scheduled to gather in Gary, Indiana.
SEE ALSO: Court pauses order requiring CBP Chief Bovino to meet with judge daily on immigration operations
However, not everyone is on board with Noem’s visit. Several local leaders in northwest Indiana have voiced their disapproval.
Gary’s Mayor Eddie Melton, for instance, stated that his office was not involved in the planning of the event and will not be participating.
Hammond’s Mayor Thomas McDermott also posted on Facebook, criticizing how the press conference was announced.
Counter-protests are expected later Thursday morning.
On Wednesday night, Pritzker sent a letter to Noem, requesting a pause in ICE enforcement this weekend in and around homes, schools, hospitals, parks and places of worship, so children can safely celebrate Halloween.
The governor referenced an incident in his letter this past weekend in Old Irving Park – in which he says, federal agents reportedly interrupted a children’s Halloween parade and deployed tear gas without warning on residents peacefully celebrating the holiday.
Bovino says nearly 3,000 people have been arrested in the Chicago area, as part of “Midway Blitz.”
The expanded immigration enforcement started in September.