Noem Rejects Request to Pause ICE Raids for Halloween

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has firmly rejected Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's request to temporarily halt immigration enforcement in the Chicago area during Halloween festivities.

• Pritzker's request came after a highly publicized incident in which federal agents deployed tear gas in Chicago's Old Irving Park neighborhood while children and families were gathering for a Halloween parade, NBC News reports. In his letter to Noem, Pritzker asked to suspend operations from Friday to Sunday around homes, schools, parks, and other places where people will be celebrating Halloween. "Illinois families deserve to spend Halloween weekend without fear," he wrote. "No child should be forced to inhale tear gas or other chemical agents while trick or treating in their own neighborhood."

• Noem, speaking at a news conference in Gary, Indiana, on Thursday, dismissed the request as "shameful." She said it was "unfortunate" that Pritzker doesn't "recognize how important the work is that we do to make sure we're bringing criminals to justice and getting them off our streets, especially when we're going to send all of our kiddos out on the streets and going to events and enjoying the holiday season."
• The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Democratic governor fired back with a post on X, writing: "We know Kristi Noem must love Halloween because she always dresses in law enforcement costumes, but what is truly shameful is that she refuses to agree that we shouldn't tear gas children trick or treating."

The controversy has prompted judicial scrutiny, with US District Judge Sara Ellis warning federal officials not to use chemical agents in public settings—especially on Halloween—unless officers face an imminent threat. Residents of Old Irving Park described the incident last weekend as unprovoked, with one resident recalling agents deploying a chemical agent without warning while neighbors were upset but not threatening.

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One longtime Old Irving Park resident tells NBC that she has been handing out candy on Halloween for decades but she is "too shaken" this year. Instead, she and other residents have volunteered to stand on corners with whistles to warn of ICE activity. "We're not going to let this ruin a traditional Chicago Halloween, where children and their families can feel safe and have fun," she says.