Alderman Michael Rodriguez represents Chicago's 22nd Ward, including the "Little Village" neighborhood on the west side of the city.
Outside his office windows, he has an up-close view of 26th Street, an important thoroughfare with stores and merchants attracting immigrants from across the region.
"26th Street is known as the capital of the Mexican Midwest," Rodriguez told VOA. "Our local economy here is thriving and is a generous tax base for the whole region."
A 2020 study by the Delta Institute says the Little Village provides about $900 million in annual tax revenue for Chicago, the second-highest amount for the city.
But as federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and other agents fan out across the area amid the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigrants, the usually bustling 26th Street is noticeably quieter.
"My community members are in absolute fear," Rodriguez said.
One way his office prepared for the crackdown was sharing information with the community about their rights.
"We've held workshops for our businesses knowing their rights. We've passed out 'Know your Rights' cards outside of grocery stores. There are other organizations and entities going door to door talking to neighbors and letting them know what their rights are," he said.
White House "Border Czar" Tom Homan was in Chicago observing federal law enforcement efforts. In an interview at the White House on Wednesday, he explained to VOA that law-abiding immigrants in the country legally are not the focus of the crackdown.
"Right now, we are concentrating on public safety threats and national security threats. That's our number one goal," Homan said. "So, we've got all of our government operations. It's not just ICE looking for these criminal aliens — it's DEA, and FBI, and ATF and U.S. Marshals Services. … It's an all-government approach to look for criminal aliens throughout the United States. We're going to hit every city in this country and arrest those that are in the country illegally that have a criminal conviction."
A new executive order signed by President Donald Trump enables ICE officers to enter sensitive locations such as schools and churches to apprehend suspects, Homan said in an interview Sunday on ABC's "This Week."
"ICE officers should have discretion to decide if a national security threat or a public safety threat is in one of these facilities. Then it should be an option for them to make the arrest," Homan told ABC.
"We're really concerned for the safety of our families," said Cristina De La Rosa, executive director of Erie House, a nonprofit organization that assists immigrants in the Little Village neighborhood. "We've already experienced some participants that are not coming to our sites or keeping their kids at home, so we want them to know that we are prepared, as well."
De La Rosa said her organization has moved some services online for those reluctant to visit offices.
"We've definitely experienced less people on the streets, for sure," she told VOA. "I think that unfortunately, there's been a lot of chaos, as well, because of the fear."
De La Rosa said concerns among community members she talks to extend beyond fear of deportation.
"A lot of the organizations in the community, we rely on government dollars to do a lot of the work that we do in our communities. And so, I think this is just one of the many ways our work is going to be impacted," she said.
At a city press conference on Wednesday, Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling told reporters that federal law enforcement agencies were providing updates to his department on their enforcement actions.
"What I can tell you right now is that we don't have an exact number of Chicago people who have been detained," Snelling said. "But what I can tell you is that the number in the Chicagoland area exceeds 100."
Mayor Brandon Johnson tried to reassure the public that Chicago was still a city that welcomed immigrants.
"Chicago is a city that opens its arms to people from around the globe," he said. "We will continue to protect civil and human rights, and we welcome all individuals and families who want to work, live and thrive here in our beloved city."
Celia Mendoza contributed to this article.
