Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will remain “in full force” on Halloween in Chicago, despite calls from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to suspend enforcement operations for the holiday.
In an interview on Fox News’s America Reports, Noem said ICE agents will not stand down while federal officers face record threats and attacks nationwide.
“No, we’re going to be out on the streets in full force and increase our activities to make sure kids are safe,” Noem said. “Every day in Chicago, we’re arresting murderers, child pedophiles, those who have perpetuated assault and pornography against children.”
Her comments came as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned of what officials described as “unprecedented violence” toward federal immigration officers. According to DHS figures cited by Fox News, ICE agents have experienced an 8,000% increase in death threats this year.
Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said “sanctuary politicians” have fueled that hostility through “vilification and demonization tactics, including gross comparisons to the Nazi Gestapo.”
“From bounties placed on their heads, threats to their families, stalking, and doxxing online, our officers are experiencing an unprecedented level of violence,” McLaughlin said. “This violence against law enforcement must end.”
The warning follows multiple violent incidents involving ICE personnel — including one case in Dallas previously reported by The Dallas Express.
In that case, Eduardo Aguilar, a Mexican national living illegally in the U.S., was arrested for allegedly soliciting others on TikTok to murder ICE agents. Federal officials said the post offered “$10,000 for each ICE agent” and used skull emojis as code for the word “die.” Aguilar was arrested Oct. 14 and remains in federal custody on felony charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
Noem said ICE operations would continue regardless of threats or political opposition.
“ICE and our federal law enforcement partners will continue to enforce the law,” she said. “If you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Pritzker, a Democrat, has publicly opposed ICE’s presence in Chicago and asked federal officials to pause enforcement on Halloween. Noem dismissed the request, saying law enforcement exists to protect communities — not frighten them.
“We’re going to be out there to make sure families can be safe, enjoy the holiday, and not become victims of crime because of these illegal aliens that are in our country victimizing them,” Noem said.