ICE Raids Have Chicago’s Immigrant Tenants On ‘Brink Of Eviction,’ Report Finds
Families are thousands of dollars behind on rent due to lost wages, the report from Rent Brigade found. Advocates are calling for City Council to enact a blanket eviction moratorium as ICE continues to target immigrants.
by Ariel Parrella-AureliMay 4, 2026
U.S. Border Patrol agents frisk a person as they detain him at Huron and Throop streets as they conduct immigration stops in West Town on October. 24, 2025. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
LOGAN SQUARE — A Northwest Side family estimates they’ve lost out on $10,000 worth of income because of the federal government’s immigration operations in Chicago.
A Humboldt Park mother, who didn’t want her name published because of immigration fears, said life has been difficult since September. Her husband, a construction worker, has lost out on work out of fear federal agents will target him, and his coworkers and friends have been detained and deported, she said.
He chose to stay home for a few weeks and had to find shelter during a job when agents detained other day laborers on the North Side last year, she said.
“It’s been a struggle [and] really hard to pay rent. And I am diabetic, so I have higher medical bills to pay since I lost health insurance,” said the woman, who has lived in Chicago for decades and is from Mexico.
Her family worries they could be evicted because they are behind on rent. They are looking for cheaper apartments in the area, but they are hard to come by, she said.
Her story is familiar to many working-class immigrant families grappling with debt. Some families have had to double up with friends and relatives as they face housing insecurity and possible eviction as a result of ICE raids and operations that have devastated Chicago’s immigrant community in the past year, according to a new report.
The report — released last week by Los Angeles-based tenant and research group Rent Brigade, in partnership with the Logan Square collectives Belden Sawyer Tenant Association and Palenque LSNA — highlights the financial toll of ICE and Border Patrol raids on immigrant families during Operation Midway Blitz.
The report found immigrant renters are thousands of dollars behind on rent due to lost wages from when they were detained and missed work or because they stayed home over fears of going to work during Midway Blitz.
Even before the ICE raids, 78 percent of respondents reported being rent-burdened, meaning they spent more than 30 percent of their income on rent and utilities, per the report. That number has now jumped to 86 percent, with 62 percent of respondents saying they are behind on rent, which could create an impending surge in evictions and homelessness, per the report.
A caravan of Border Patrol agents conduct immigration raids in at the Home Depot Evanston, 2201 Oakton St., on Dec. 17, 2025. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Renters surveyed now have an average of $1,700 in rental debt, and about a fifth of
respondents owe their landlords over one month’s rent, like the Humboldt Park family.
Respondents work in a variety of fields — from childcare to hospitality and education — and said, on average, they made about $700 per week before the raids, compared to $509 after the raids. These losses come to about $800 per month in lost wages, per the data compiled in the report.
The report gathered responses from 100 immigrant workers, all renters, including the Humboldt Park woman, from the Logan Square and Avondale communities through surveys administered in six area schools by Palenque LSNA parent mentor coordinators.
Protestors gather outside the FBI Chicago field office on Feb. 13, 2026. Credit: Molly DeVore/ Block Club Chicago
Families whose breadwinners were detained for months have faced added financial burdens and debt as they try to recover, with some moving in temporarily with friends or family after having to let go of their apartments, Block Club previously reported.
Housing and immigrant advocacy groups who were part of the report are using the data to reignite a plea for the City Council to enact an eviction moratorium as ICE agents are still targeting families.
“This type of quantitative data is, unfortunately, oftentimes prioritized by policymakers over tenants’ lived experience,” Emily Phillips, Rent Brigade member and report author, said in a press release. “We hope this report will make it undeniably clear that Chicago needs expansive eviction protections as federal forces continue to occupy the city.”
The Rent Brigade started during the Los Angeles wildfire crisis of 2025, when the group’s research uncovered more than 10,000 cases of rent gouging, per its January report on the issue, which helped inform public policy changes. The organization has expanded its work to document the impact of federal law enforcement operations on immigrant communities.
Tory deMartelly, a founding member of the Belden Sawyer Tenant Association, said the Logan Square group was inspired by Rent Brigade’s rent gouging report — saying it “moved the needle” — and reached out to see if the group could partner on a Chicago-specific assessment.
Supporters, including Ald. Anthony Quezada (35th) and members of the Belden Sawyer Tenant Association, hold a press conference before the reintroduction of the just cause eviction ordinance before a City Council meeting on May 21, 2025. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Belden Sawyer Tenant Association members did some of the writing, while Palenque LSNA members conducted interviews and Rent Brigade members analyzed data and compiled the report.
“The alderpeople across the city of Chicago, it’s in their hands to pass an ordinance that would put a temporary hold-off on evictions,” deMartelly said. “Now we have a physical product to sway the rest of the alderpeople that we haven’t had a chance to convince that this is needed.”
The group also hopes the report can push other Chicagoans to better grasp the realities their vulnerable neighbors are facing and reach out to their respective alderpeople, she said.
“The after-effects don’t go away right away,” she said. “We heard stories of teens that were getting jobs for the first time in their lives because a parent was abducted. That’s not going to change as soon as, or if, Midway Blitz is wrapped.”
The Humboldt Park woman said her husband is back to working more consistently daily, though there are less jobs and he is making less money. She hopes an eviction moratorium would help her family’s situation and is grateful for the Palenque and Northwest Side school communities that have offered support and friendship.
“We have received support for food, medical assistance, so we are sharing resources with the community,” the mother said.
Block Club’s Francia Garcia Hernandez contributed to this report.