CHICAGO (WLS) — Federal immigration agents swarmed downtown Chicago on Sunday afternoon, detaining multiple people.
One of those incidents was caught on camera near Millennium Park, where Border Patrol agents appeared to detain a family, including a woman and multiple children.
Agents appeared to detain another man in River North outside of Catholic Charities, near LaSalle and Clark.
These were part of Sunday’s many sightings of Border Patrol agents, who were seen patrolling on foot and by boat along the Chicago River.
“It’s a lot of places that can use some armor and some help, and I’m pretty sure walking down the street of Michigan Avenue is not the place for that type of armor,” said Robina Muhammed.
Lawmakers and community leaders held a press conference on Sunday afternoon to speak out about the federal escalation.
SEE ALSO | Chicago federal intervention: Tracking surge in immigration enforcement operations | Live updates
“They showed up downtown to indiscriminately continue to profile against people just because of what they look like,” said Democratic Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia.
“How dare you. This is our city. This is our state. This is our country. This is our home,” said Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights Deputy Director Veronica Castro.
The group vowed to mobilize and protect against what they call fear and intimidation tactics.
“We don’t have any other choice but to continue to organize, to continue to stand together and continue to fight to protect our communities,” said Resurrection Project Director of Organizing Tovia Siegel.
But the Trump administration is making its own vow. The Department of Homeland Security posted to social media, saying, in part, “DHS under @Sec_Noem, will NOT back down. We will not rest until every violent terrorist, thug is arrested… @POTUS Trump and @Sec_Noem will return LAW AND ORDER to our streets.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson posted on X, saying, “This is another brazen provocation from the Trump administration that does nothing to make our city safer.”
Johnson also issued a statement, saying, “There are reports of federal agents in downtown Chicago carrying weapons and wearing masks. On a Sunday afternoon, when people are out enjoying the weather and shopping, the Department of Homeland Security is militarizing our city. This is not about safety. It’s meant to intimidate and stoke fear. This also coincides with ICE agents sparking panic and creating chaos while continuing to tear gas and pepper spray people who are exercising their First Amendment rights at the Broadview facility. Stay alert, and stay safe, Cook County. Remember to Know Your Rights.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker issued a statement on the enforcement, saying, “The Trump Administration’s DHS officers appear to be carrying large weapons around downtown Chicago in camouflage and masks. This is not making anybody safer – it’s a show of intimidation, instilling fear in our communities and hurting our businesses. We cannot normalize militarizing American cities and suburbs. Make sure you know your rights and stay alert.”
Broadview police investigating alleged attack on reporter near ICE facility
Broadview police say they have launched a criminal investigation into what they describe as “an allegedly unprovoked attack” on a journalist near an ICE facility.
Meanwhile, Broadview police say they have launched a criminal investigation into what they describe as “an allegedly unprovoked attack” on a journalist near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility there.
They say a chemical munition was fired from the direction of the facility on a CBS TV news reporter’s vehicle. The reporter declined medical attention.
Broadview police say they expect full cooperation from DHS.
“The Village of Broadview Police Department has launched a criminal investigation into an allegedly unprovoked attack on a CBS Chicago TV news reporter’s vehicle by a chemical munition fired from the direction of U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement detention facility. The victim declined medical attention. The Broadview Police Department expects the full cooperation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security into our criminal investigation,” Broadview Police Chief Thomas Mills said in a statement.
Demonstrators return to Broadview ICE facility after Saturday night’s escalation
At one point on Sunday night, protesters tried to put up flags, and agents fired mace and pepper bullets in response.
Protests outside the Broadview ICE facility have been happening for several days, and demonstrators continued to make their voices heard on Sunday night.
At one point on Sunday night, protesters tried to put up flags, and agents fired mace and pepper bullets in response. However, everyone appeared to be OK, and no one was detained.
Still, was a much calmer atmosphere outside of the facility throughout Sunday after the escalation ABC7 crews witnessed there on Saturday night.
Beach Street has been reopened, allowing protesters to be right up against the facility’s fence again, and there were much fewer federal agents present outside compared to Saturday.
Protest organizers rebuilt a tent and moved it further away from the facility after federal agents tore down their belongings on Saturday night while deploying tear gas to disperse the crowd.
They had been taking in donations to help families impacted by ICE operations, but much of that was ruined during the escalation.
“To see everything go to waste, this is people’s hard-earned money that are willing to help us out in any way, and it just went to waste,” said a protester named Maria.
The presence of Border Patrol and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents has dwindled compared to what was seen in Broadview on Saturday.
Protesters say they will continue to show up as the Trump administration targets the Chicagoland area in federal operations.
“I don’t think it’s gonna stop. The more they push, we’re gonna push, and you know, we want to make this as peaceful as possible, but they’re not making it peaceful,” Maria said.
As protesters try to get their message across, loved ones of people who have been detained by ICE are also showing up to the facility in Broadview.
Natalie Mirenda stood with the crowd on Sunday night after watching her father get detained in Downers Grove earlier in the day.
“I saw a bunch of people and guns, and I ran out and realized it was ICE, and they already had him going in the car,” Mirenda said. “He’s a really hard worker. He’s never had a single ticket. He’s never been pulled over. He’s not a criminal. He has no criminal record at all.”
Mirenda says it is a feeling of helplessness for her family with little information coming in from ICE officials.
“We’re devastated. My sister is out here protesting with me, and we can’t do anything but just stand here and hope everything turns out good. It’s crazy,” Mirenda said. “You never know what happens until it literally happens to you. It’s crazy.”
This comes as the Trump administration is committing more federal resources to Chicago and officials say they will have zero tolerance for any interference of ICE operations.
President Donald Trump posted on social media earlier Sunday, referencing Chicago with a video of the escalations between protesters and federal agents in Broadview.
Protests against immigration enforcement held in Chicago
Dozens of people came out across the city’s North and Northwest sides for what is being called a day of action.
Meanwhile, the Indivisible Chicago Alliance, a grassroots organization dedicated to fighting the Trump administration’s policies and actions in Chicago and beyond, organized events in the city on Sunday.
Even before Sunday’s show of force downtown, dozens of people came out across the city’s North and Northwest sides for what is being called a day of action.
“We think it’s important that we show the majority of us are opposed to what Trump is doing. We’re opposed to ICE. We’re opposed to the militarization of our cities,” said protester Geri Kahn.
Protesters, many of them members of Indivisible Chicago, fanned out from Irving Park and Lake Shore Drive in Buena Park to Welles Park in North Center, taking heart from the support of passing motorists.
“We want to make a big statement that the American people, the majority of the American people, are not with the Trump administration,” said protester John Bachtell.
In Humboldt Park, people also came out, but there, their purpose was different. Their eyes were firmly focused on getting people to the ballot box.
“Our actions for today are writing postcards to voters in Virginia to remind them to get out and vote because they have a really important Supreme Court election coming up,” said Kristen Vandawalker with Indivisible Chicago Northwest.
It is an effort to encourage political action from those who might feel their impact, in what is already a blue state, is limited.
“Sometimes people feel like they can only take so much action or have so much impact within the state so it’s good to have, hey there is something really important happening in Pennsylvania we can help with or Virginia or whatever,” said Jessica Jorsch with Indivisible Chicago Northwest.
Sunday’s actions are all a prelude to what is expected to be a large-scale No Kings protest coming up three weeks from now on Saturday, Oct. 18 in Grant Park.
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