Crackdown on Immigration Hits Chicago-Area Businesses, Study Finds

A Great Cities Institute report estimates Cook County retail and restaurant losses of about $1.26 billion in sales and $107 million in tax revenue since ICE’s Operation Midway Blitz began last year, driven by a sharp decline in foot traffic as residents from Latin America–born neighborhoods stay closer to home; local business owners report fewer customers and fear, with street vendors also affected and some relief funds raised to assist them.