I have been increasingly concerned with the ICE operations around the country — and in my neighborhood. On December 9, 2025, I offered comments on this subject which were published in the Chicago Tribune (see below).

I grew up in a small family business located at 137 South Albany Ave. – a few blocks from Marshall High School on Chicago’s West Side. The company made paper tubes – for mailing and packaging. We had a dozen employees – many from Mexico. I remember them well — Candalario, Esther, Jose, Gilibaldo. Good people. Salt of the earth. These folks worked with my family for years.

Once – one of our employees – Jose M – was picked up by immigration agents and taken to a downtown detention center. I was in college at the time and I went downtown to see what I could do. I showed agents Jose’s work records and W-2’s. A few weeks later, he was released and back at work.

Fast forward to today: I’m on record favoring a controlled border though I believe America should have a compassionate immigration system. President Donald Trump announced that he would control the border and zero in on arresting, detaining and deporting the criminals, drug mules and bad people. However – Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol seem to concentrate on day care teachers, landscape workers, students, nannies, restaurant employees and children. Agents even lie in wait for those applying for green cards. Instead of focusing on bad actors and evildoers, they target folks with jobs, spouses of citizens and those who have lived here awhile. And this is happening in my neighborhood!

I agree wholeheartedly with collaring the bad guys. But most immigrants who have lived and worked for years in America – have families and pay taxes – are not “bad.” Targeting them is not only counterproductive but also contradicts the declared primary objective.

What do you think?