Ben Bergquam, reporting from Chicago for Real America’s Voice, stood outside the Metropolitan Correction Center on Monday’s WarRoom, shedding light on a developing crisis. After spending the weekend working with ICE Director Tom Homan, Bergquam told host Steve Bannon that he witnessed the first mass deportations in Chicago.
“I waited four years for this moment,” Bergquam told Steve Bannon during the WarRoom broadcast, emphasizing the significance of the operation. He highlighted Real America’s Voice’s access, calling it “an honor to expose what the mainstream media refuses to show.”
The operation, focused on deporting dangerous illegals, underscores the challenges posed by sanctuary cities. Bergquam explained that state prisons and local jails in Illinois, including Chicago, refuse to comply with ICE detainers. “Every person we picked up yesterday had an ICE hold at one point, but state prisons and local jails released them into the public,” he said. This refusal has forced ICE agents to enter communities to locate and arrest these individuals, putting officers and residents at risk.
Bannon pressed Bergquam on whether city and state officials are deliberately blocking ICE. Bergquam confirmed: “That’s correct. They’re not letting ICE into the jails. They’re releasing these criminals back into the streets, creating chaos and endangering lives.” This situation has sparked outrage among federal officials and law enforcement.
Bannon criticized the lack of cooperation from Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago’s mayor. “Pritzker thinks this is a win, but it’s a disaster,” Bannon said. He noted that sanctuary policies have emboldened officials to defy federal immigration enforcement, even as the public faces the consequences.
Bergquam added shocking details about the operation’s inefficiency. ICE agents, burdened by legal restrictions, are unable to enter homes to detain individuals forcibly. “These are bad guys. But ICE agents can only act on administrative warrants, meaning they have to knock and wait for them to come out voluntarily. One guy even refused to open the door, and we had to leave,” he explained.
Bergquam revealed that as of yesterday, 300 individuals with ICE detainers remain unaccounted for in Chicago alone. “These are dangerous individuals who should already be deported. Instead, we’re spending millions to pick them up piecemeal,” he said. Bannon echoed the urgency, calling for immediate federal action: “This is a national security issue. Sanctuary cities are playing with fire.”
Bergquam also shared insights from riding alongside Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove. According to Bergquam, Bove was “shocked and outraged” by what he witnessed during the operation. “The federal government is going to take unprecedented action against these cities and states,” Bergquam predicted, suggesting defunding sanctuary policies as a likely next step.
The conversation also touched on the hypocrisy of sanctuary city leaders. “These officials complained about deportation flights while welcoming flights bringing in illegal immigrants,” Bergquam said. He called out the mainstream media for downplaying the issue, accusing them of protecting the very policies that created the crisis.
Bannon and Bergquam hinted at an impending showdown between federal authorities and sanctuary cities like Chicago. Bannon summed up the stakes: “This isn’t just about politics. This is about protecting American citizens and restoring law and order.” With the federal government fully engaged, Bergquam’s on-the-ground reporting has become a rallying cry for those demanding accountability and action.
Real America’s Voice and the WarRoom continue to lead coverage of this issue, granting viewers unprecedented access to unfolding events. As Bergquam said, “The American people deserve to see the truth.”
For more context, watch this two-part WarRoom from Monday:
