As federal immigration enforcement increases across Chicago, some Latino residents, including U.S. citizens, say they fear being detained. One Pilsen resident has largely stayed home, worried he will be targeted simply because he is Latino.
Fernando has rarely left his home in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood since immigration enforcement intensified in the city this fall.
A U.S. citizen, he spends his days working on cars and household projects, avoiding even routine trips for groceries out of fear that he could be detained by federal agents.
The Chronicle is withholding his last name at his request because he fears being targeted.
Fernando crossed the border from Mexico with his brother in 1982. After a brief detention, he was released and later granted asylum in 1986. In the early 1980s, asylum procedures were far less formalized than today.
He became a U.S. citizen in 2008, more than two decades after first arriving.
He has since built a life in Chicago, he said, but now fears it could be taken away.
