Fears over possible ICE raids have heightened across the U.S., causing Chicago’s Mexican-American community Little Village to become deserted

Immigration czar Tom Homan said Monday that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement had “pulled back” a reported Chicago operation, after news of the potential plan leaked over the weekend, but that Americans will see the agency in action “real soon.

President Donald Trump's promise of mass deportation is stoking fear across Chicago. From Chinatown to Little Village, individuals and many families are fearing the prospect of separation as numerous published reports said federal agents may be planning an immigration raid in the near future.

A bustling shopping district in Chicago known as the “Mexico of the Midwest” has seen foot traffic plummet by 50% — as residents say they fear the immigration raids promised by President Trump. The sidewalks were empty and some businesses were closed along a two-mile stretch of shops and restaurants on 26th Street in Chicago’s Little Village — the Windy City’s second busiest retail corridor — as Trump was sworn into office Monday.

The nation’s eyes are turning to Chicago this week as President Donald Trump, newly inaugurated for a second non-consecutive term, is expected to begin implementing plans for deportations with about 150 Immigration and Customs Enforcement supposedly deployed in Chicago.