ICE Raids Spark Protests in Democratic Cities

U.S. Deploys ICE Special Response Teams to Democratic Strongholds, Prompting International Concern

By WPS.News Staff

On June 10, 2025, the United States federal government deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Response Teams (SRTs) to five Democratic-run regions: Chicago, New York City, Seattle, Northern Virginia, and Philadelphia. This unprecedented mobilization—executed without any major public safety crisis—has been widely interpreted as a political move targeting cities known for their opposition to the Trump administration.

In Chicago, federal agents raided a restaurant in the historically immigrant-rich neighborhood of Pilsen and a warehouse in the South Loop, sparking immediate protests (Smith, 2025). Demonstrators gathered at Daley Plaza and outside the Chicago Immigration Court, demanding an end to what they called “militarized deportation operations.”

Civil rights groups across the U.S. have condemned the raids as a chilling escalation. “This isn’t just about immigration enforcement anymore. This is about targeting political opposition,” said Maria Hernandez, director of the Liberty Coalition (Hernandez, 2025).

ICE Special Response Teams are typically reserved for high-risk operations. Their deployment in civilian neighborhoods without any extraordinary threat has raised alarm among legal scholars, who argue that it represents a misuse of federal power for political intimidation (Johnson, 2025).

International observers are taking notice. The European Council on Civil Liberties issued a travel advisory urging EU citizens to reconsider plans to visit the U.S. this summer, citing “instability in legal protections for foreign nationals in high-risk zones” (ECCL, 2025).

Meanwhile, social media is flooded with calls to boycott U.S. tourism. One viral post summed up the sentiment: “Don’t visit a dystopia for vacation photos. Stay away from the U.S. this summer.”

The Biden administration, previously a target of far-right accusations of leniency, has not issued any formal response. Critics argue that silence enables normalization of these tactics.

References

European Council on Civil Liberties. (2025). EU travel advisory: U.S. summer travel alert. Brussels: ECCL Press.

Hernandez, M. (2025). Personal interview with WPS.News. Liberty Coalition, June 10, 2025.

Johnson, L. (2025). Federal enforcement and political targeting: A legal perspective. American Law Review, 37(2), 117-123.

Smith, J. (2025, June 10). ICE raids spark protests in Pilsen, South Loop. Chicago Tribune.

Department of Homeland Security, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons