CHICAGO — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday flatly rejected a request by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to suspend immigration enforcements in the Chicago area until after Halloween.

Pritzker cited children’s safety and an incident from Saturday in which Customs and Border Protection agents deployed tear gas in a neighborhood where kids were preparing for a Halloween parade.

In turning down the request, Noem also cited children’s safety.

“We’re absolutely not willing to put on pause any work that we will do to keep communities safe,” Noem said at a news conference in Gary, Indiana, on Thursday. “The fact that Gov. Pritzker is asking for that is shameful and, I think, unfortunate that he doesn’t recognize how important the work is that we do to make sure we’re bringing

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