U.S. Department of Homeland Security

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the Belleville-based staffer falsely identified himself as a lawyer for a Staunton man Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained in October.

The detention of immigrants in Macoupin and Clinton counties is part of an increasing pattern of Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in central and southern Illinois, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski said.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons sent a letter to Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s office Wednesday, alleging that one of her staffers misrepresented himself as an attorney in an attempt to free Ismael Ayuzo Sandoval.

Community members gathered Monday at a town hall to learn ways to protect themselves against a potential influx of ICE agents and National Guard members in St. Louis.

The senator from Missouri said the large military installation with a long history of training soldiers and military law enforcement should be used to help ICE.

The request for help with federal immigration clerical, transportation and logistical tasks came from the Trump administration — notably the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense.

The city has asked FEMA to allow the Army Corps of Engineers to do private debris removal in the wake of the tornado.

The protest is one of more than 1,500 across the country, coinciding with President Donald Trump's military parade and 79th birthday and just after two state Democratic leaders were shot in Minnesota.

The protest joins the nationwide chorus of residents pushing back on the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts and the subsequent federalization of the National Guard in Los Angeles.

Varios negocios hispanos cerrarán temporalmente la próxima semana como parte de un esfuerzo coordinado para resaltar las contribuciones económicas y culturales de los inmigrantes en la región tras los planes de deportación de Trump.