United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are once again active in the Chicagoland area after withdrawing their presence in mid-November. On Dec. 16, federal agents were reported in suburban Cicero and on the southwest side of Chicago, where they arrested at least 15 people.
That same day, Customs and Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino and immigration enforcement agents were seen at Thorntons gas station on Harlem Avenue in Forest Park.
As local judges question the legality of ICE’s arrest tactics, citizens continue to protest the agents’ presence in their communities.
The day after Bovino was spotted in Forest Park, residents gathered outside Thorntons to speak out against the gas station for selling snacks and gas to ICE agents. About a dozen people stood outside Thorntons from 4 to 5 p.m. after a post on the Activate Oak Park Facebook page shared the location and time of the event.
A protester stands outside Thorntons, which allowed ICE agents inside the store, on Dec. 17, 2025 | Todd Bannor 
A protester tapes up a flyer with a photo of Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino visiting Thorntons the previous day at a protest outside the store on Dec. 17, 2025 | Todd Bannor 
Anti-ICE protesters outside Thorntons on Dec. 17, 2025 | Todd Bannor 
A protester outside Thorntons on Dec. 17, 2025 | Todd Bannor 
Anti-ICE protesters outside Thorntons on Dec. 17, 2025 | Todd Bannor 
Anti-ICE protesters outside Thorntons on Dec. 17, 2025 | Todd Bannor 
A protester outside Thorntons on Dec. 17, 2025 | Todd Bannor
Many cars honked their horns in support of the protesters as they passed the corner of Harlem and Jackson. There were also Forest Park police officers present in a squad car in the gas station lot.
Forest Park Police Chief Ken Gross told the Review that his department was aware of the potential protest and had a security plan in place. He added that police were in contact with Thorntons and a protest organizer.
