Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is asking the Trump administration for something that shouldn’t have to be asked: one weekend off from immigration raids so kids can celebrate Halloween in peace.
In a letter sent Wednesday to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and the heads of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, Pritzker “respectfully” requested that federal agents suspend operations from Friday, Oct. 31, through Sunday, Nov. 2, so children can trick-or-treat without fear.
Federal immigration enforcement agents detain a protester in Chicago on Oct. 3.
“No child should be forced to inhale tear gas or other chemical agents while trick-or-treating in their own neighborhood,” he wrote. “Please let children be children for one holiday, free from intimidation and fear.”
Pritzker accused the agencies of abandoning their duty to protect the public and uphold the Constitution, saying that their raids—part of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation push—have endangered innocent people and left children traumatized.
The plea came days after Border Patrol agents reportedly fired tear gas at families walking to a Halloween parade in Chicago. ABC News obtained video showing officers tackling several people—including U.S. citizens—outside of homes covered in Halloween decorations.
“Illinois families deserve to spend Halloween weekend without fear,” Pritzker wrote in his letter.
DHS officials defended the agents’ actions, claiming that they faced a “hostile crowd” and issued multiple warnings before deploying chemical agents. But witnesses told reporters that is not true.
In a statement to Daily Kos, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin dismissed Pritzker’s letter and accused him of “going out of his way to smear the law enforcement officers of DHS, who are attempting to clean up the rampant crime he facilitated.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents detain a protester in Chicago on Oct. 14.
“Our officers are facing mass assaults, vehicles used as weapons, violence, and only use crowd control methods as a last resort when repeated warnings have been given,” she said. “Those who are here legally and are not breaking other laws have nothing to fear.”
McLaughlin went on to claim that “fearmongering” by elected officials like Pritzker led to an “8,000% increase in violent threats against ICE officers.”
But the backlash has been swift. U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis ordered Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino to appear in court daily to account for the agency’s actions under “Operation Midway Blitz”—a Trump-era initiative aimed at ramping up mass deportations and ICE raids in Chicago.
She also required agents to wear body cameras and clear identification while operating in the city.
“Kids dressed in Halloween costumes walking to a parade do not pose an immediate threat to the safety of a law enforcement officer,” Ellis told Bovino in court. “They just don’t. And you can’t use riot control weapons against them.”
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Video evidence later showed agents dragging a 67-year-old U.S. citizen from his car near the parade route; members of his running club said that he suffered six broken ribs and internal bleeding.
A day later, an appeals court paused Bovino’s required daily check-in.
Chicago has become a flashpoint in Trump’s immigration crackdown, with Border Patrol increasingly taking the lead from ICE. Over the past two months, agents have carried out more arrests in the city than ICE itself.
Still, the administration struggles to meet its own enforcement goals. Earlier this year, senior adviser Stephen Miller set a daily target of 3,000 arrests. By late September, ICE was averaging just 1,178.
A cartoon by Pedro Molina.
Pritzker’s letter warned of “tear gas or other chemical agents” near schools, hospitals, and parks—once considered “sensitive locations” that were off limits. He also urged DHS to “stand down from any actions that could endanger or harm perfectly innocent children.”
“We have heard from teachers, parents, and other caregivers that children are anxious,” he wrote. “Even in these difficult times, they should be able to trust that they are safe—if only for one weekend.”
It’s not the first time that a Democrat has called for restraint on the immigration raids. Last week, several Democratic senators urged the Department of Education to intervene to stop raids near schools.
Pritzker’s request is simple: don’t terrorize families on Halloween. Whether Trump’s DHS can resist making an example out of it is another story.
