The Cook County Public Defender’s office is calling on Chief Judge Timothy Evans to put a stop to warrantless immigration arrests in and around courthouses.

Since the launch of “ Operation Midway Blitz ,” U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement officers have significantly increased their presence at Cook County courthouses.

The ramped up enforcement has had a chilling effect on courthouse operations, with people forced to weigh the risk of skipping court over potential deportation, according to the public defender’s office.

“I have had numerous conversations with clients who are presented with a difficult decision of either missing court and receiving an arrest warrant or coming to court and risk being arrested by ICE, transported to a detention center outside of the state of Illinois

See Full Page