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CHICAGO (WLS) — Questions remain after the announcement that the federal government plans to send military personnel to the Chicago area.
This news comes days after dozens of armed federal agents were seen patrolling streets in downtown Chicago and Tuesday morning, federal agents were seen in the South Shore neighborhood.
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Governor JB Pritzker and other elected leaders believe the ramped-up immigrant enforcement is meant to intimidate.
This comes as overnight dozens of federal agents could be seen surrounding an apartment building in the city’s South Shore neighborhood.
READ MORE | Legal experts weigh in on federal agents making random stops, what to do if it happens to you
Neighbors said they are still trying to make sense of what unfolded Monday night.
Many described being woken up by federal agents and neighbors said it’s unclear who agents were looking for.
“They were throwing flash bombs to the front of the windows, if they couldn’t get into units or apartments that how they got the attention to open the door,” resident Alicia Brooks said. “They came with these things to break down the doors.”
Residents at the apartment building on 75th Street and South Shore Drive said they are trying to understand what unfolded after dozens of federal agents arrived overnight.
Video shows armed Border Patrol and FBI agents dressed in military gear in the South Shore neighborhood. Citizen app video showed trucks with federal agents down the street.
They were snatching people, no answers to any questions people asked,..at all,” Brooks said.
Video shows some of the windows of the building left shattered.
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The FBI confirmed they were helping U.S. Border Patrol carry out a targeted immigration enforcement operation in the area.
The FBI said they have supporting these efforts at the direction of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
RELATED: DHS requests military deployment to Illinois to protect ICE agents, Pritzker says
One man said he saw two people detained.
“I saw two people come out in like not necessarily in handcuffs, but what do you call them, in zip ties,” he said.
Felipe Dominguez came to the apartment building early Tuesday morning to help a Venezuelan woman run errands.
SEE ALSO | Chicago federal intervention: Tracking surge in immigration enforcement operations | Live updates
He’s worried that she was might have been swept up during the operation after he says he attempted calling her multiple times, but hasn’t been able to reach her.
“I tried to call her 5/6 o’clock because I’m supposed to take her to the bank today,” Dominguez said.
Governor Pritzker denounced the intensified federal law enforcement presence, in a press conference Monday.
The governor said the Department of Homeland Security is requesting 100 military personnel be sent to Illinois.
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Cate Cauguiran
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