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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has rejected Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s request to pause federal immigration enforcement operations around Halloween, after tear gas disrupted a children’s parade.
“No, we’re absolutely not willing to put on pause any work that we will do to keep communities safe,” Noem said in a news conference Thursday, calling Pritzker’s request "shameful."
“We know Kristi Noem must love Halloween because she always dresses in law enforcement costumes, but what is truly shameful is that she refuses to agree that we shouldn’t tear gas children trick or treating,” Pritzker wrote on X in response to Noem's decision.
Pritzker made the request in a letter Wednesday to Noem, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons and Border Patrol Commissioner Matthew Scott. In the letter, he referenced the operation earlier this week on the northwest side of Chicago in which agents deployed tear gas as children were gathering for a costume parade.
“Illinois children should not be robbed of their innocence. Let them enjoy a time-honored American tradition safely and peacefully,” Pritzker wrote. “Please let children be children for one holiday, free from intimidation and fear.”