Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss shares concerns, advice as Charlotte faces similar ICE crackdowns

Local reaction to 'Operation Charlotte's Web'

A warning this weekend from the mayor of Evanston to the people of Charlotte.

EVANSTON, Ill. - Videos of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Charlotte, North Carolina, are bringing back memories of racial targeting and fear for Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, who wrote an op-ed in the Charlotte Observer urging communities to unite in protecting residents.

What we know:

At first glance, the cell phone video – taken in a residential neighborhood – appears as though it could have been recorded in just about any of Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods. 

The woman holding the phone can be heard telling her husband, "Randy, they’re in our yard!" The "they" she is referring to are ICE agents who appear out of nowhere in an unmarked vehicle and begin speaking to two men hanging holiday décor in the yard. She immediately steps outside and continues to record. 

An ICE agent can be heard saying, "Good Morning," before the agents leave the property and abruptly speed away. 

Operation "Charlotte’s Web" is the latest deployment in North Carolina and part of President Trump’s ongoing crackdown on illegal immigrants and, like in Chicago, federal agents are showing up unannounced in unmarked vehicles — a tactic that for Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss hits too close to home. 

"Look, we saw this across the Chicago area, you know, they tell the national press they’re going after the worst of the worst, but what they are really doing is just driving around and picking up people based on the color of their skin," Biss said. 

Over the weekend, Biss penned an op-ed in the Charlotte Observer sharing some of his personal successes, along with his concerns for the people living in Charlotte. 

Fox 32 asked the mayor about the messaging and intent of the op-ed.

"This is all about people coming together to keep each other safe, and what we learned here in the Chicago area, if there is too much attention, if there is too much commotion, if they are being watched too closely, if there is anything like that, they move elsewhere," Biss said. 

Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino reports there were nearly 100 arrests have been made in Charlotte on Saturday alone. 

DHS released a statement which reads in part, "We are surging DHS enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed." 

Meanwhile, Biss believes by switching off city data cameras that share data with federal agencies and creating "ICE-free zones", leaders in Charlotte can be effective in keeping their citizens safe – to some extent. 

"It’s all not enough, you add it all up, and people were still brutalized and attacked and kidnapped, but every little bit helps," Biss said.