In another sign of the sudden ramp-down of federal immigration enforcement in Chicago, a Justice Department lawyer told a judge Tuesday the population of a controversial holding facility in the western suburbs had recently dwindled to only four people.
It’s a snapshot of the situation inside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, which continues to attract demonstrators. But the report raised eyebrows Tuesday, given that U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman recently heard testimony about people being held there 100-150 to a cell.
Gettleman presides over a lawsuit challenging conditions inside the building, which drew near daily protests during the feds’ “Operation Midway Blitz.” He met with lawyers in the case Tuesday to discuss logistics ahead of a preliminary injunction hearing Dec. 17.
It also happened to be the first hearing since attorneys with the MacArthur Justice Center and Roger Baldwin Foundation of ACLU toured the facility Thursday with U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura McNally.
Few details of the visit were shared during Tuesday’s hearing, but attorney Jonathan Manes said “maybe 20” detainees were present at the time.
“Everybody who had been there overnight was no longer there,” Manes said.
More details could be revealed in the coming days, as the lawyers are due to file a status report Wednesday and meet with McNally Thursday.
Gettleman heard testimony earlier this month about people being crammed into holding cells with nowhere to sleep but a dirty floor near an open toilet. The judge wound up entering a temporary restraining order aimed at improving conditions inside the facility.
He required a clean mat and bedding for everyone held overnight and that cells be cleaned twice daily.
Gettleman noted during Tuesday’s hearing that he’d heard no claim so far that his temporary restraining order had been violated. Manes said there seem to be ongoing issues with attorneys trying to contact detainees, though.
There was also discussion about detainees receiving three meals a day. That’s when Justice Department lawyer Patrick Johnson said the facility’s population had dropped to four people.
News broke last week that U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino and many of his agents would be leaving Chicago after eight weeks of aggressive immigration enforcement. They’ve since begun making arrests in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Department of Homeland Security officials insisted last week that “Operation Midway Blitz” would continue in Chicago, and a DHS source said about 100 agents would remain behind.
The source also said 1,000 agents could return and hit the streets in March. That’s four times the roughly 250 agents who were in town the last few months.
Gettleman made note of the report during Tuesday’s hearing.
“They just can’t take our winters,” Gettleman quipped. “In a way, I don’t blame them.”