Growing up in an immigrant household, you’d often hear whispers of “La Migra,” but never too loud for fear it would show up in your home.“La Migra” was a first-generation immigrant child’s version of the bogeyman. “La Migra” didn’t lurk in dark corners — it showed up at your hous e and took your parents away.And unlike the bogeyman, “La Migra” isn’t made up. It exists for thousands of families in the United States, only it doesn’t look like a monster. It looks like policies and laws and masked men armed with guns.In January, only hours after President Donald Trump began his second term, he signed a flurry of executive orders, many of which would change immigration policies. He talked about overturning birthright citizenship and granting ICE and Border Patrol agents the authority to deport immigrants.But that’s all it was at first — just talk. Until it wasn’t. Related After ICE arrests, worried families trek to Broadview facility seeking answers Después de arrestos de ICE, familias preocupadas acuden al centro de Broadview buscando respuestas On Sept. 8, the Trump administration launched "Operation Midway Blitz," bringing a flood of federal immigration officers to the Chicago area to conduct raids and arrests.Deportation was always a possibility for some, but seeing armed agents patrolling neighborhoods made the threat real.As a daughter of immigrants and as a journalist, I wondered what role I would play amid all of the chaos. How could I best serve my community?I thought back to my time in journalism school: The No. 1 rule as a journalist is to report the facts — to get to the truth. That would be my role.Like many journalists, I’ve learned to compartmentalize and set aside my own opinions in pursuit of the facts. My experiences have also helped me connect with sources. Being able to relate to them has built trust and led to stronger, more honest interviews. I would be able to convey the truth about communities affected by immigration enforcement.As we reported, we turned to government agencies to check information, but their accounts often contradicted what I was witnessing on the ground.A few weeks after the launch of "Operation Midway Blitz," I drove to the ICE facility in Broadview, a building I didn’t even know existed until talks of immigration enforcement began. Related Detained father calls daughters from Broadview ICE facility, says he’s held in room with 150 men Detenido llama a sus hijas desde instalación de ICE en Broadview; les dice está encerrado junto a 150 hombres At first glance, nothing about the building revealed what was happening inside. Tucked behind an industrial park, its windows and doors were boarded up, a precaution against possible protests.Outside the facility, several families waited in line to speak with an agent, hoping to learn more about their detained loved ones.Among them were two sisters who came looking for information on their dad, who had been detained days earlier.I learned they drove in from Elgin, the western suburb where I grew up, and the younger sister, Yessenia Garcia, was a student at the high school where I received my diploma.Immigration enforcement efforts weren’t only going to happen in Chicago. It was going to spread out across the entire area. It had hit close to home.The sisters told me they had been showing up at the facility for days, hoping to see their dad but without any luck.The next day, the sisters and I returned to the facility — but this time, dozens of protesters stood beside them. Sisters Yessenia Garcia, 16, and 22-year-old Milagros Pelayo look at the ICE agent suspected of arresting their father, Rosalio Pelayo-Salgado, last week from their Elgin home, shortly after they were told they couldn’t see their dad at the ICE facility in Broadview, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times While there, the sisters got a call from their dad inside who said he had seen them on TV.“He said he saw us on the news,” Milagros Pelayo, the older sister, told me. “He knows we’re out here. He said he feels proud of us.”I watched the joy and sadness on her face as she told me what they talked about. Though the call had only lasted a few minutes, she said she was glad to be able to hear his voice, but at the same time, she wondered if she’d ever see him again.I wondered how many more first-generation kids were next.For months, I listened to politicians and government officials explain their reasoning for the raids — why these enforcement efforts were good for the American people. I watched as they blamed each other. Related Readers asked us questions about immigration enforcement on Reddit — Here are some of our answers To some politicians, the enforcement campaign was about reducing crime and removing “the worst of the worst.” To others, it was a disruption that frayed community ties and carried serious economic consequences.But while politicians played the blame game, I was hearing from the children of immigrants whose lives had been torn apart.These families didn’t care about who was at fault. All they cared about was knowing their loved ones were safe.As the days grew colder, and many federal immigration agents headed for warmer places, I couldn't help but think about how these communities are left to clean up the wreckage left behind by the Blitz.And while I sometimes wonder if I played my role well, I also know the work isn’t over. There’s more to be done to get to the truth. ...read more read less