After being sworn into office, President Trump signed a whole host of executive actions and orders that affirm his campaign promise to crack down on immigration.Trump's border czar has said Chicago is at the top of the list of places to be targeted. The city is expecting immigration raids, detentions and deportations. In the Little Village neighborhood, where the majority of residents are Mexican or of Mexican descent, people are on edge as they await what's next.Beyond the many people personally affected, past research suggests everyone could feel the impacts of mass deportation.On this episode of Planet Money we visit Little Village to see how the new administration is already having an impact. And then, we hear from an economist who looks to a recent chapter in mass deportation for insight into what the future could hold.Today's episode was hosted by Erika Beras and Amanda Aronczyk. It was produced by Willa Rubin with an assist from Emma Peaslee. It was edited by Kenny Malone, engineered by Cena Loffredo and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer.Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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This is Planet Money from NPR.
I wanted to stop here because I just wanted to stand in front of these beautiful dresses.
Yes, they're gorgeous. Back when I was 15, the dresses were not as pretty as they are now.
Jennifer Aguilar and I are standing in front of a shop that sells quinceañera dresses. Those sparkly ornate gowns girls wear for their coming-of-age parties. We're in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago.
More than 75% of people here are Mexican or Mexican-American, including Jennifer. She was born here, raised here, got her quinceañera dress here. What did your dress look like?
I was very emo. So it was black and white. And pink chucks. Oh, that is cool. Yes.
Okay. Yes. You were styling. Jennifer is now executive director of Little Village's Chamber of Commerce. And to be clear, Little Village is not little. The neighborhood's main corridor is about two miles with more than a thousand shops and businesses. After the magnificent mile in downtown Chicago, Little Village generates the most money in the city.
And it is a significant tourist destination. People from all over the country come to eat and shop and, yes, buy a dress at one of the dozens of quinceañera shops. But today, it is very, very quiet. Yes, it is. And that is because about a month before President Trump was sworn into office,
His incoming border czar announced that Chicago would be one of the first targets for raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, sometimes called ICE. People assumed Little Village would be particularly high on the target list.
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