As Trump promises ‘softer touch’ on immigration, Chicago residents stay wary

President Donald Trump and “Border Czar” Tom Homan are promising to de-escalate immigration actions in Minnesota, but Chicago residents remain skeptical.

Homan announced Wednesday that the Department of Homeland Security would pull more than 700 officers from Minneapolis, part of what Trump has referred to as a “softer touch” in immigration enforcement.

“I learned that maybe we could use a little bit of a softer touch. But you still have to be tough,” Trump said in an Oval Office interview with “NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Llamas on Wednesday.

Those actions were listened to with keen attention in Chicago, but residents aren’t letting their guard down.

“We don’t trust what this administration says. We don’t believe what this president says,” Baltazar Enriquez, president of the Little Village Community Council, said.

Enriquez and other volunteers were out in Little Village on Wednesday, demonstrating against the administration’s immigration policies and handing out whistles and information to residents.

The group behind “Blow the Whistle on ICE” is continuing to step up its efforts and resources, concerned that perhaps the 700 agents leading Minneapolis could be deployed to cities like Chicago.

“We need to fight back nonviolent in a way that is peaceful, but also making sure that they’re doing it lawfully,” Enriquez said.

During his interview with NBC Nightly News, Trump claimed that federal intervention in Chicago had lowered crime in the city by 25%. According to Chicago police data evaluated by NBC 5 Investigates, murders were actually down by 29% in 2025, and shootings and robberies were down 35%.

Mayor Brandon Johnson has repeatedly said that Trump’s administration deserves no credit for the reductions.

“Trump has shifted from fear-mongering about Chicago to attempting to take credit for our work driving down crime and violence,” he told the media. “He cannot have it both ways.”