Today, ICE came for my hometown.
Evanston, Illinois — a diverse, university city bordering Chicago — has seen federal agents before. Ever since Trump decided to “make an example” of Chicago, ICE has had a presence here.
But today felt different. It was Halloween, but instead of preparing for trick-or-treating, my community was facing an onslaught of escalated ICE activity.
Evanston isn’t unique. It’s just the latest chapter in a national story. Masked agents, unchecked power, and a wave of fear rolling through America under the banner of “law and order.”
What happened here today isn’t exceptional. It’s the new normal.
This is what it looks like when ICE comes to your town.
10:18 AM
The first text came through our family group chat from my father: A sighting of ICE across town. Reports that someone had been taken.
Then word of Border Patrol vehicles in both Evanston and neighboring Skokie, with helicopters circling overhead. This time, just a few blocks from my home.
The fear sets in fast. Preschool pickup is happening soon.
Texts start flying:
“Make sure our friends’ nannies know — we can pick the kids up from preschool.”
“Call the elementary school principal. Let them know what’s happening.”
11:45 AM
Evanston Police confirm that two people have been taken into custody by federal agents.
Video surfaces of residents shouting at ICE officers outside the elementary school near my house.
11:55 AM
Reports of ICE vehicles parked outside the high school. Are they targeting the schools today?
Evanston Township High School announces a closed campus:
“Due to federal activity reported in the area, ETHS is implementing a closed campus protocol for today, Friday, October 31, 2025. All students must remain on campus during lunch and free blocks.”
Minutes later, the superintendent sends a similar notice for the elementary and middle schools:
“All students will have indoor recess today to ensure the safety of all students and staff.”
My wife texts from preschool pickup. None of the nannies are there. The fear is palpable.
12:43 PM: I’ll Shoot You
A violent confrontation unfolds after ICE agents cause a car accident at a busy intersection. Agents abduct a woman, point guns at bystanders, and assault a man already in cuffs.
From the Evanston Roundtable:
Resident David Brooks said he biked over to the intersection of Oakton and Asbury after seeing a report that agents were in the area, arriving after the crash but before EPD arrived. He said he witnessed a federal officer “forcibly putting a female into the backseat” on the passenger side, and he began filming with his phone.
“He [the agent] was being very violent with her, I said ‘You got to stop that,’ and he said, ‘Step back or I’ll (expletive) shoot you,‘” Brooks said. “I step back, and then I continue to record, at which point he turned around and pointed a gun at me.”
3:05 PM
The city of Evanston issued a Trick-or-Treating advisory.
3:30 PM
My wife texts, “Is it still safe to go trick or treating today?”
I pause. Then respond, “Yes, fuck them, they're not taking this away from us.”
Final Thoughts
ICE did not come to Evanston looking for criminals. They came looking for landscapers, nannies, Amazon delivery drivers, and anyone who appears to be of Latino descent. They came for our friends and our neighbors.
Kristi Noem claims these raids protect Americans from criminals. I want to be crystal clear.
The people ICE abducted and assaulted today did not bring fear, violence, or criminality to Evanston. ICE did.
They did not bring assault rifles, military fatigues, and helicopters to our skies. ICE did.
They did not force children inside their schools, terrified of being separated from their families. ICE did.
We don’t need protection from our neighbors. We need protection from ICE.
This isn’t about safety or “law and order.” It’s about fear and the deliberate targeting of nonwhite people and political retribution against a city that Trump wants to punish.
Nothing that happened today made my city safer. And nothing ICE does anywhere in this country makes us safer.
Today I saw a community scared. A community terrorized by a military force operating inside a US city. But I also saw a resilient community. A community that came together and protected each other. A community that made it clear, Immigrants belong here, ICE doesn’t.
Or as our mayor said, “Ice, get the fuck out of our city.”
Thank you for sharing this overview of today in Evanston - and as you say, everywhere. Horrifying.
I struggle to find any words here. ICE are inhuman monsters. My sister and her family lived in Evanston for decades. It is familiar to me just as my own town here is. I dread the day they infiltrate us.