Immigration enforcement has led to $1.26 billion going unspent in Cook County, report says

A new report from the University of Illinois Chicago said federal immigration enforcement led to $1.26 billion in unspent money at retail establishments and restaurants in Cook County. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and former U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, now of Chicago CRED, or Create Real Economic Destiny, discussed the report on Tuesday. "Federal immigration enforcement did more than inflict fear and trauma on our immigrant neighbors; it created significant disruption to our local economy and hurt businesses and workers across Cook County," Preckwinkle said in a news release. "This report puts a dollar figure to a cost on the real consequences of policies that drive families into their homes and away from their communities. Cook County will continue to stand with our immigrant neighbors, protect their rights and work to build a county where every resident can live, work and participate in our economy without fear. "examined how patterns of in-person commercial activity were affected by federal law enforcement after intensified federal immigration enforcement began in January 2025. Researchers from UIC's Great Cities Institute focused on people in Cook County neighborhoods with high percentages of residents born in Latin America. The study found that the residents hunkered down and didn't travel far from their homes. Residents of neighborhoods with large Latin American-born populations left their communities to shop or dine elsewhere far less often after enforcement heightened, while the rate of visits to businesses within their communities remained unchanged. The consequence was that Cook County missed out on $107 million in sales tax revenue, the report said. The effect was especially pronounced in suburban Cook County, with cross-community retail trips down 12.8% compared with 6.2% in Chicago, according to the report. A year after Operation Midway Blitz, Little Village is still reelingCook County to hold Second Chance Summit for expungement, sealing of criminal records