Immigration and Customs Enforcement – known as ICE – began attaining people at many locations in McHenry and the surrounding area last week.
ICE moved its way to the Chicagoland area on Oct. 15, 2025. Beginning with, “suspicious,” activity in the Dundee-Crown area, along with the Algonquin community, then moved on to McHenry. Their activity began on Oct. 17, surrounding IL Route 120.
Chicago is not the only city the Trump administration has sent ICE to. They also have sent the Oregon National Guard into Portland after their first request was denied.
“The Trump administration has been given the green light to send the Oregon National Guard into Portland after a federal appeals court on Monday overturned a lower court’s order to bar the deployment – but there’s at least one more legal hurdle to clear before there will be boots on the ground,” said CNN.
A US District Court judge extended the order blocking National Guard troops from deploying to Chicago through final judgement after it was temporarily blocked in the state earlier this month.
Residents of Carpentersville reported that ICE agents were in the vicinity of Dundee-Crown High School. This resulted in an email to parents from District 300 about how the agents weren’t on the school’s property.
Facebook posts on the group, “Everything McHenry,” have been surfacing and the ‘blacked out’ vehicles have sparked more speculation in the area.
Around 12:08 p.m. on Oct. 17, ICE was spotted with an unmarked vehicle, with officers walking around backyards on John St. in the downtown area.
The local Dunkin on Route 120 was also raided, along with two people detained on sight.
Reports were harder to confirm because of the local police department not getting involved with the activity.
“They are the Federal Government and do not check in with us when they are conducting operations,” said SRO Rick Rewiako. “If they are in need of local or state law enforcement assistance they would contact us, which has not happened.”
The Department of Homeland Security can’t provide any information on this subject.
Chicago communities have been protesting ICE’s presence in Illinois for weeks, including in Broadview where images of protesters being pepper sprayed have gone viral. ICE has been observed detaining immigrants as well as citizens, including journalists.
Following ICE’s activity throughout McHenry County, community members have participated in the, “No Kings Protest,” going against President Trump’s order using federal authority over communities across the nation.