Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested nearly a dozen illegal alien Uber and Lyft drivers and cabbies on Saturday in the rideshare staging lot at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.
ICE rolled in on Saturday morning and began asking certain drivers for their documentation, resulting in far fewer Uber and Lyft drivers in the lot on Sunday after Saturday’s raid, according to Chicago’s WFLD-TV.
Many legal rideshare drivers told the media that illegal aliens have flooded their market and some feel that illegals make the roads unsafe for everyone.
Mohammad Rashid, who has been working legally as an Uber driver for six years in Chicago, told WFLD said that many illegal aliens are using other people’s names and personal information to get the rideshare companies to allow them to work in the field.
“O’Hare is a very sensitive spot as passenger, to pick up a passenger. There is million passengers coming every day. So, we need to protect those people as a driver,” Rashid added.
He also urged Uber users to make sure the information they are provided by Uber matches up to the driver they get. “If you don’t feel comfortable don’t start the trip,” Rashid advised.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Sec. Tricia McLaughlin reported that those arrested on Saturday come from Colombia, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Mongolia, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, and Venezuela.
McLaughlin also noted that some of those arrested have criminal histories, including domestic battery, DUI, and violating final orders of removal.
The legal immigrant driver added that illegals can take advantage of a federal program to self-deport.
“The fact of the matter is those who are in this country illegally have a choice. They can use the CBP Home app and receive a free flight and a $1,000 check or they can be arrested, detained, and deported,” McLaughlin said.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that some illegals living in the Windy City are beginning to seriously consider self-deportation to avoid being grabbed up by ICE and other federal law enforcement agents.
Last week, the paper noted that Mexicans are already sending property back home and preparing to leave the U.S. and go back to their hometowns and one local activist said he has spoken to about 50 Mexican nationals living in Chicago who are already in the process of going back to their country.
DHS is putting a big emphasis on the idea of self-deporting. One report claims that the department is spending $100,000 on Instagram and Facebook ads to convince illegals to go back home before they are arrested by federal law enforcement.
“If you’re an illegal alien, this runway is your future because you’re headed home,” Secretary Kristi Noem says in one such ad. “If you don’t, you will be caught, fined, detained and forcefully removed. Under President Trump’s strong leadership, we follow the law, and our border is secure.”
The ads are promoting the CBP Home app, which can give self-deporting illegals the resources to plan their exit.
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