Mayor joins demonstration against recent ICE raids in Chicago

CHICAGO - The new Field Office Director of Chicago's U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement office is speaking out against "Sanctuary Cities" -- like Chicago.

This comes after federal agents detained at least seven people this week in the city.

While the new director spoke to media inside the Chicago ICE headquarters, protesters gathered outside the South Loop building to show their support for immigrants.

On Monday, agents arrested five people at Route 66 Pizza located on the city’s Far Southeast Side and a day later, two more people were arrested in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot -- joining the protesters -- told them that Chicago police will continue to be banned from helping ICE detain immigrants.

“We stand united with our immigrant and refugee neighbors, brothers and sisters because it’s the only moral choice,” Mayor Lightfoot said.

Robert Guadian -- the new ICE Chicago Field Office Director -- said Thursday that regardless of sanctuary city status, federal agents will continue to identify, arrest and remove aliens who are a public safety risk.

“It makes our job a little more difficult, it makes the community a little more at risk to be part of an enforcement action, but I think that it will not deter the mission of ICE to protect the community from criminal aliens that are released from Cook County Jail,” said Director Guadian.

He said in recent days that agents have arrested 28 people statewide. Guadian referred to Illinois as a “non-cooperative” state.