Attendees at AmericaFest voiced strong support for the DHS “mass deportation” push and said they welcome aggressive ICE operations in cities from Milwaukee to Maui. Voices at the event named local leaders they blame for soft policies and praised tougher enforcement tied to recent federal actions. Their comments painted a picture of voters who want federal immigration enforcement back in charge and local cooperation to follow.
At a Milwaukee meetup, Karen and her daughter Christina spoke without hesitation in favor of ICE activity in nearby urban areas. Karen insisted, “We need to get the illegals out because they are taking all our services that should be for the people who really need it,” and said audits should check benefit rolls. Christina added bluntly, “We need to clean up the city, it’s such a dump over there,” underscoring a frustration with perceived lawlessness and neglect.
The pair pointed fingers at officials in Illinois and Wisconsin for standing in the way of federal help and said recent moves by state leaders amount to obstruction. Karen accused her governor of “gross negligence” over refusal to let federal audits proceed and suggested many voters would back scrutiny of public benefits. She even drew a parallel to national leadership, wrapping her criticism in a zinger about President Biden being “sleeping” through his term and adding, “When he comes out after playing pickleball, he usually says a word or two, and that’s about it.”
Other festival goers echoed that same blend of anger and relief at renewed federal enforcement. Debbie from Mesa praised changes at the border, saying, “I feel much safer. I feel that they’re trying to get a handle on control of the situation that was totally out of hand and unsustainable,” crediting a tougher approach for bringing order. People talked about the contrast between the chaos they remember and a sense of control returning under enforcement-focused policies.
In Tennessee, Nick from Nashville called for ICE presence and was blunt about city leadership, saying, “The mayor in Nashville is not really cooperating and is really trying to not really follow what ICE and President Trump has wanted to do.” He argued the lack of local cooperation has led to growth in undocumented population and pressed the case: “And so, with that happening, there’s a lot more illegal immigrants. And so I think ICE definitely needs to come to Nashville because the mayor is not trying to support what so many people around Nashville and Davidson County want.”
Travelers to AmericaFest also included mainlanders who want enforcement extended to far-off places. Chloe, visiting Phoenix from Hawaii, made clear she would welcome ICE activity back home, stating, “We don’t need to have any illegal immigrants in here taking our jobs and making our country unsafe. We need [immigration] done legally and make sure that we’re protecting our own country and our own people,” a comment that reflects both economic and safety concerns among attendees.
Other Midwestern voices lined up behind the same message and added practical caveats about proper procedure. Amy from Michigan said she supports raids so long as they follow the rules, saying, “As long as they’re doing their job correctly, I’m 100% supportive,” pushing for enforcement that respects due process. Elizabeth from San Diego offered a short, emphatic endorsement, answering “One hundred percent,” when asked whether she backed operations in her state.
Critics at the event named specific governors and local officials as barriers to progress, pointing to policy decisions they say shelter dangerous actors and strain services. They warned that cities refusing to cooperate with federal authorities create havens that encourage more illegal entry and drain local resources. Those concerns were repeated across state lines, from Wisconsin to Arizona, as part of a common refrain for tougher, coordinated action.
Local officials pushed back with the usual federal-versus-local framing, emphasizing that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility. A Metro Nashville spokeswoman stressed that the city “upholds the law – and as we have always done, works with state and federal law enforcement to detain dangerous criminals and keep our community safe.” She added that “Our work, under the leadership of Mayor O’Connell, has led to reductions in violent crime in our city not seen in decades, with crime down in every major category and in every police precinct in Nashville,” as the city defended its approach.
Several attendees named policy makers they hold responsible for what they see as soft borders and weak enforcement, and said they expect voters to remember those decisions. One warning voiced at the festival echoed a Republican lawmaker’s note that refusing audits and federal help can expose states to scandals and failures others have endured. Organizers and participants left no doubt they favor tougher federal action paired with local cooperation to restore order and protect services for citizens.
Pritzker’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment about state cooperation, leaving questions about how Illinois will navigate the dispute between local leaders and federal priorities. The debate reported at AmericaFest makes clear this will remain a political flashpoint as enforcement actions expand and communities weigh the trade-offs between local control and federal intervention.
