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  • Aurora, Lakeview students join Chicago-area school walkouts to protest immigration enforcement

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    AURORA, Ill. (WLS) — Chicago and suburban students joining others across the state and nationwide protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday morning.

    A walkout at Lake View High School got underway as students in Aurora also walked out of school on Friday.

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    The demonstrations come after more than 1,500 students participated in a walkout earlier this week in Aurora, where things got contentious between students and police.

    Officers arrested three East Aurora High School students, one of whom is also charged with aggravated battery to a police officer.

    SEE ALSO | Demonstrators gather at Aurora PD after video shows officers, students clashing at anti-ICE protest

    Protesters say officers used excessive force while police say the students did not follow commands, walked out into the street, and resisted. Multiple officers were injured in the protest.

    The Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office is now conducting an independent review of that situation.

    Because of this, Aurora school superintendents released a video, urging parents to encourage their kids to stay in the classroom on Friday for their safety.

    READ MORE | Hundreds of North Side high school students walk out of class, hold anti-ICE rally at River Park

    “When students leave campus, we cannot ensure their safety. Outside groups may join. Large gatherings can escalate. Law enforcement resources may be stretched if multiple schools are involved. These are real concerns,” the video says.

    Students on Chicago’s North Side marched to the North Center Town Square.

    Other student walkouts were also planned in Bolingbrook, Addison, and Elmhurst on Friday.

    Chicago Public Schools issued a statement, saying, “Chicago Public Schools (CPS) remains committed to fostering learning environments that allow students to respectfully deliberate issues with evidence and an open mind – and safely participate in civic action.

    It is appropriate in classes or special school events to create an environment where students of all viewpoints feel that they can express themselves in a safe and respectful environment.

    In the event that students want to participate in civic action, school administrators work with student organizers to designate an appropriate, safe space for students to convene for a group activity. CPS allows for students to participate in planned civic actions, including walkouts or protests, for a period of time during the school day, according to CPS guidance.”

    Copyright © 2026 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.

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    Stephanie Wade

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  • ICE claim that a man shattered his skull running into wall triggers tension at a Minnesota hospital

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    MINNEAPOLIS — Intensive care nurses immediately doubted the word of federal immigration officers when they arrived at a Minneapolis hospital with a Mexican immigrant who had broken bones in his face and skull.

    Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents initially claimed Alberto Castañeda Mondragón had tried to flee while handcuffed and “purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall,” according to court documents filed by a lawyer seeking his release.

    But staff members at Hennepin County Medical Center determined that could not possibly account for the fractures and bleeding throughout the 31-year-old’s brain, said three nurses familiar with the case.

    “It was laughable, if there was something to laugh about,” said one of the nurses, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss patient care. “There was no way this person ran headfirst into a wall.”

    The explanation from ICE is an example of recent run-ins between immigration officers and health care workers that have contributed to mounting friction at Minneapolis hospitals. Workers at the Hennepin County facility say ICE officers have restrained patients in defiance of hospital rules and stayed at their sides for days. The agents have also lingered around the campus and pressed people for proof of citizenship.

    Since the start of Operation Metro Surge, President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota, ICE officers have become such a fixture at the hospital that administrators issued new protocols for how employees should engage with them. Some employees complain that they have been intimidated to the point that they avoid crossing paths with agents while at work and use encrypted communications to guard against any electronic eavesdropping.

    Similar operations have been carried out by federal agents in Los Angeles, Chicago and other cities, where opponents have criticized what they say are overly aggressive tactics. It’s not clear how many people have required hospital care while in detention.

    Injuries appeared inconsistent with ICE account

    The AP interviewed a doctor and five nurses who work at HCMC, who spoke on condition of anonymity to talk about Castañeda Mondragón’s case. AP also consulted with an outside physician, and they all affirmed that his injuries were inconsistent with an accidental fall or running into a wall.

    ICE’s account of how he was hurt evolved during the time that federal officers were at his bedside. At least one ICE officer told caregivers that Castañeda Mondragón “got his (expletive) rocked” after his Jan. 8 arrest near a St. Paul shopping center, the court filings and a hospital staff member said. His arrest happened a day after the first of two fatal shootings in Minneapolis by immigration officers.

    The situation reached a head when ICE insisted on using handcuffs to shackle his ankles to the bed, prompting a heated encounter with hospital staff, according to the court records and the hospital employees familiar with the incident.

    At the time, Castañeda Mondragón was so disoriented he did not know what year it was and could not recall how he was injured, one of the nurses said. ICE officers believed he was attempting to escape after he got up and took a few steps.

    “We were basically trying to explain to ICE that this is how someone with a traumatic brain injury is – they’re impulsive,” the nurse said. “We didn’t think he was making a run for the door.”

    Security responded to the scene, followed by the hospital’s CEO and attorney, who huddled in a doctor’s office to discuss options for dealing with ICE, the nurse said.

    “We eventually agreed with ICE that we would have a nursing assistant sit with the patient to prevent him from leaving,” the nurse said. “They agreed a little while later to take the shackles off.”

    The Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, did not respond to repeated requests for comment on Castañeda Mondragón’s injuries. A deportation officer skirted the issue in the court documents, saying that during the intake process at an ICE detention center, it was determined he “had a head injury that required emergency medical treatment.”

    Gregorio Castañeda Mondragón said his older brother is from Veracruz, Mexico, and worked as a roofer. He has a 10-year-old daughter living in his hometown he helps support.

    According to his lawyers, Alberto Castañeda Mondragón entered the U.S. in 2022 with valid immigration documents. Minnesota incorporation filings show he founded a company called Castañeda Mondragón the following year with an address listed in St. Paul.

    He appears to have no criminal record. His lawyers told a court that Castañeda Mondragón was racially profiled during the crackdown, and that officers determined only after his arrest that he had overstayed his visa.

    “He was a brown-skinned, Latino Spanish speaker at a location immigration agents arbitrarily decided to target,” his lawyers wrote in a petition seeking his release from ICE custody.

    Hours after arrest, immigrant has eight skull fractures

    Castañeda Mondragón was initially taken to an ICE processing center at the edge of Minneapolis. Court records include an arrest warrant signed upon his arrival by an ICE officer, not an immigration judge.

    About four hours after his arrest, he was taken to a hospital emergency room in suburban Edina with swelling and bruising around his right eye and bleeding. A CT scan revealed at least eight skull fractures and life-threatening hemorrhages in at least five areas of his brain, according to court documents. He was then transferred to HCMC.

    Castañeda Mondragón was alert and speaking, telling staff he was “dragged and mistreated by federal agents,” though his condition quickly deteriorated, the documents show.

    The following week, a Jan. 16 court filing described his condition as minimally responsive and communicative, disoriented and heavily sedated.

    AP shared the details of Castañeda Mondragón’s injuries with Dr. Lindsey C. Thomas, a board-certified forensic pathologist who worked as a medical examiner in Minnesota for more than 30 years. She agreed with the assessment of hospital staff.

    “I am pretty sure a person could not get these kinds of extensive injuries from running into a wall,” Thomas said, adding that she would need to see the CT scans to make a more definitive finding.

    “I almost think one doesn’t have to be a physician to conclude that a person can’t get skull fractures on both the right and left sides of their head and from front to back by running themselves into a wall,” she said.

    ICE officers stay with hospitalized detainees for days

    ICE officers have entered the hospital with seriously injured detainees and stayed at their bedside day after day, staffers said. The crackdown has been unsettling to hospital employees, who said ICE agents have been seen loitering on hospital grounds and asking patients and employees for proof of citizenship.

    Hospital staff members said they were uncomfortable with the presence of armed agents they did not trust and who appeared to be untrained.

    The nurses interviewed by AP said they felt intimidated by ICE’s presence in the critical care unit and had even been told to avoid a certain bathroom to minimize encounters with officers. They said staff members are using an encrypted messaging app to compare notes and share information out of fear that the government might be monitoring their communications.

    The hospital reminded employees that ICE officers are not permitted to access patients or protected information without a warrant or court order.

    “Patients under federal custody are first and foremost patients,” hospital officials wrote in a bulletin outlining new protocols. The hospital’s written policy also states that no shackles or other restraints should be used unless medically necessary.

    “We have our policies, but ICE personnel as federal officers don’t necessarily comply with those, and that introduces tension,” said a doctor who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment for the hospital.

    Hospital spokeswoman Alisa Harris said ICE agents “have not entered our facilities looking for individuals.”

    On Saturday, more than two weeks after Castañeda Mondragón was arrested, a U.S. District Court judge ordered him released from ICE custody.

    “We are encouraged by the court’s order, which affirms that the rule of law applies to all people, in every corner of our country, including federal officers,” said Jeanette Boerner, director of Hennepin County Adult Representation Services, which filed the lawsuit on Castañeda Mondragón’s behalf.

    To the surprise of some who treated him, Castañeda Mondragón was discharged from the hospital Tuesday. A hospital spokeswoman said she had no information about him.

    The Justice Department filed court documents this week affirming Castañeda Mondragón is no longer in custody. Prosecutors did not respond to a request for comment on the man’s injuries.

    Castañeda Mondragón has no family in Minnesota and coworkers have taken him in, the man’s brother said. He has significant memory loss and a long recovery ahead. He won’t be able to work for the foreseeable future, and his friends and family worry about paying for his care.

    “He still doesn’t remember things that happened. I think (he remembers) 20% of the 100% he had,” said Gregorio Castañeda Mondragón, who lives in Mexico. “It’s sad that instead of having good memories of the United States, you’re left with a bad taste in your mouth about that country because they’re treating them like animals.”

    ___

    Mustian reported from New York, and Biesecker reported from Washington.

    ___

    Associated Press reporters Steve Karnowski and Sarah Raza in Minneapolis, Valerie Gonzalez in McAllen, Texas, and Joshua Goodman in Miami contributed.

    Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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    AP

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  • ICE agents’ killing of Minneapolis protester sparks emergency march in NYC demanding feds back off – amNewYork

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    Hours after ICE agents in Minneapolis shot and killed its second protester this month, hundreds of New Yorkers took to the streets of Lower Manhattan amid arctic temperatures on Saturday to demand an end to the federal agency’s escalating operations.

    Photo by Dean Moses

    Hours after ICE agents in Minneapolis shot and killed its second protester this month, hundreds of New Yorkers took to the streets of Lower Manhattan amid arctic temperatures on Saturday to demand an end to the federal agency’s escalating operations.

    The impromptu march that the organization Hands Off and the New York Immigration Coalition called on Jan. 24 was sparked by several gruesome viral videos that showed multiple masked federal agents in Minneapolis shooting protester Alex Pretti multiple times. Pretti, an ICU nurse, had come to the aid of a woman whom agents knocked down before ICE members turned their attention to him — wrestling him to the ground and pummeling him with their fists.

    One of the agents then grabbed what appeared to be a holster with a gun from Pretti’s waist; multiple reports indicated that he had a license to carry the weapon in Minnesota. After the gun was taken, multiple ICE agents fired shots at Pretti, killing him.

    The videos contradicted multiple narratives from the Department of Homeland Security, its secretary, Kristi Noem, and others who claimed that Pretti had confronted them first with a gun and threatened the agents’ lives.

     

    However, the released videos do not appear to show Pretti holding a firearm; instead, the weapon appears to be concealed in his waistband. Local police say Pretti has no criminal history aside from traffic violations and did have a permit for the weapon, as required by state law.

    Meanwhile, in the Big Apple, elected officials denounced the slaying. Mayor Zohran Mamdani wasted little time in again calling for the dismantling of the immigration enforcement agency.

    “As tens of thousands across America protest the violence that ICE sows with impunity, federal agents shot and killed another person in Minneapolis today. ICE terrorizes our cities. ICE puts us all in danger. Abolish ICE,” Mamdani wrote on X.

    In the hours following the second fatal shooting of a Minneapolis resident by ICE agents, hundreds of New Yorkers rallied in Lower Manhattan to call for an immediate end to federal occupation of American cities.Photo by Dean Moses
    Protesters, including priests, stood up against ICE.Photo by Dean Moses
    In the hours following the second fatal shooting of a Minneapolis resident by ICE agents, hundreds of New Yorkers rallied in Lower Manhattan to call for an immediate end to federal occupation of American cities.Photo by Dean Moses

    U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also took to social media to demand fellow elected officials vote to cut funding to ICE.

    “We have a responsibility to protect Americans from tyranny.DHS just shot a man in broad daylight two weeks after they shot a mother in the face without consequence. They need our votes to continue. We cannot give it to them. Every Senator should vote NO,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

    Immigration rights advocates, like the Immigration Coalition and Hands Off NYC, called an emergency protest in Union Square on Saturday to stand in solidarity with Minneapolis and to demand that ICE be withdrawn from the state and that operations in New York cease.

    “This is not normal — no one should be killed for protecting their neighbors. No one should be killed for standing up to masked agents who are abducting people off the streets. ICE’s killing of another Minneapolis observer makes it clear: when masked, armed agents are unleashed on communities with no accountability, people die,” a statement released by Hands Off NYC read.

    Protesters gathered in Union Square with signs and whistles, marched up 5th Avenue, and culminated the demonstration in Madison Square Park.

    Protesters wear face masks and googles like those in Minneapolis.Photo by Dean Moses
    In the hours following the second fatal shooting of a Minneapolis resident by ICE agents, hundreds of New Yorkers rallied in Lower Manhattan to call for an immediate end to federal occupation of American cities.Photo by Dean Moses
    New Yorkers raised their fists and chanted.Photo by Dean Moses
    Many yelled to abolish ICE.Photo by Dean Moses
    New Yorkers raised their fists and chanted.Photo by Dean Moses
    The march went along 5th Avenue.Photo by Dean Moses

     

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    Dean Moses

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  • Hundreds rally at Orlando City Hall to protest ICE killing Renee Good

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    Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Orlando City Hall on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, to protest ICE killing Minneapolis resident Renee Good. Credit: McKenna Schueler

    A group of about 300 or so people peacefully rallied at Orlando City Hall on Sunday (with at least a couple dozen cops on standby) to denounce the killing of Minneapolis resident Renee Good by a federal immigration enforcement agent last week, and to demand state and local governments end their collaboration with U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement. 

    The rally in Orlando, organized by anti-Trump group Orlando 50501, was part of a coordinated weekend of peaceful protest actions and vigils across the U.S. in protest of the Trump administration’s deadly mass deportation agenda. According to Time magazine, at least 1,000 anti-ICE demonstrations across the U.S. happened over the weekend, from Orlando to New York City, Chicago, Minneapolis, Tuscon and the not-exactly-bright-blue Treasure Coast city of Stuart, Florida.

    Protesters in Orlando held signs and banners that read “ICE agents are paid agitators,” “Fuck ICE,” “ICE Out 4 Good” and “Public safety doesn’t require body bags.”

    “When Renee Good was murdered, this was far from the only killing that ICE has done,” said Corey Hill of Orlando 50501, speaking to a crowd gathered outside of Orlando City Hall early Sunday afternoon. “Thirty-two people were killed in ICE custody last year,” he pointed out. According to The Guardian, 2025 was the deadliest year on record for ICE in decades. At least six of the deaths in ICE custody last year occurred in Florida.

    “They are engaging in kidnapping and violence from coast to coast, using our money to brutalize our people,” said Hill, who encouraged attendees to get plugged into local organizing work in solidarity with immigrant communities. “This is not a moment, this is a movement … Say it loud, say it clear: Immigrants are welcome here.”

    The protest Sunday was spurred by the death of Good, a 37-year-old mother of three who was fatally shot by an ICE officer last Wednesday in Minneapolis, just about a mile from where George Floyd was murdered by police in 2020. Good was a U.S. citizen born in Colorado and an award-winning poet. Minneapolis leaders say she was serving as a legal observer of ICE activities when she encountered the agent who killed her, identified by media as Jonathan Ross. 

    Good had just dropped off her kid at school shortly before she was shot at multiple times by an ICE officer as she was fleeing the scene in her Honda Pilot, her dog in the backseat. The Trump administration has described her as a “domestic terrorist,” claiming she was trying to ram into agents with her car. 

    “We are here because our state keeps asking us to accept the unacceptable, because our leaders keep calling violence policy, because they keep saying, ‘We’re just complying,’” said Fi Gomez Jr., a LGBTQ+ immigrant justice organizer with the Apopka-based Hope CommUnity Center. “But let’s be clear: Compliance with violence is still fucking violence,” they said, earning roars of agreement from the crowd.

    “Compliance with violence is still fucking violence”

    “When the state cooperates with systems that cage, disappear and brutalize our people, it’s not neutrality, it’s not just the law. It’s complacency. And we are here to say no more.”

    Florida reportedly leads the nation in the number of agreements that the state and local governments have signed with ICE, including Orange County and Orlando. Orange County has a controversial agreement with ICE that county leaders say is mandated under state law that allows federal immigration enforcement to detain people in the Orange County Jail temporarily before sending them to a long-term detention facility. 

    It’s cost the county more than $300,000 since Trump took office, so far, since the federal government has failed to fully reimburse the county for the cost of jailing people accused of being in the country illegally. The Orlando Police Department also has an agreement with ICE, allowing local police officers “limited immigration authority” alongside their normal duties.

    Credit: McKenna Schueler

    Organizers of the rally in Orlando on Sunday are calling on state and local elected officials to end their collaboration with ICE. With the 60-day state legislative session beginning Tuesday, advocates are also calling on state lawmakers to pass legislation (SB 316) that would prohibit ICE agents and other members of law enforcement from wearing masks during public immigration enforcement activities. It would also require them to wear visible identification. 

    The proposal, dubbed the “VISIBLE Act,” is sponsored by Democratic state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith of Orlando and Jacksonville Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon.

    The Immigrants Are Welcome Here coalition, made up of more than 60 Central Florida legal aid and advocacy groups, put together a petition through ActionNetwork with their call to action for elected officials to end agreements with ICE, distributed through the crowd on Sunday via a QR code.

    “To the officials that can hear us today, history is watching you,” said Gomez. “Your silence is a decision, and ‘I was just following orders’ has never been an excuse that history forgives.”

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    The 34-page bill would presume certain non-citizens are at fault in car accidents, severely restrict their employment, and prevent Florida banks from loaning them money

    The tribe is part of a lawsuit against Florida which claims “Alligator Alcatraz” planners failed to follow federal environmental regulations

    Trump claimed the tribe worked against his immigration efforts, the basis he used to veto a flood protection project in the Florida Everglades



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    McKenna Schueler
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  • Anti-ICE protests erupt across Colorado after fatal Minnesota shooting

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    Protests over immigration enforcement broke out across Colorado on Saturday after fatal and nonfatal officer-involved shootings in Minneapolis and Portland.

    The demonstrations come as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security continues its Twin Cities operation, which it calls its biggest-ever immigration enforcement effort. President Donald Trump’s administration has said both shootings were acts of self-defense against drivers who “weaponized” their vehicles to attack officers.

    Demonstrations occurred at multiple Colorado locations, including the State Capitol, the Aurora ICE facility, and Boulder. So far, protests have been peaceful.

    In downtown Boulder, demonstrators lined Broadway and Canyon Boulevard, waving signs and chanting.

    “We had originally planned this to be a totally silent vigil, but people are riled up,” said Christine Cowles, an organizer with Forever Indivisible Boulder.

    One of the protesters, Bill Lindberg, just flew in from Minnesota to visit family in Colorado.

    “We were looking for a way to express our opinion in Boulder,” he said.

    Lindberg told Denver7 he was in Minneapolis on Wednesday when Good, a Colorado native, was shot and killed.

    “We saw the events out at the ICE detention center and on Portland Avenue in South Minneapolis. So we’re here to stand up for good and not for injustice,” he said.

    Meanwhile, down the road in Superior, more protests were taking place.

    “We’re the people. We don’t need to sit back and be silent,” said Ann Suthard, an organizer with SoBoCo Indivisible.

    The group has been leading protests at the intersection of Marshall Rd. and McCaslin Blvd. every Saturday for almost a year now, but Suthard said today felt different.

    “We are sick and appalled and angry at the murder of someone in Minneapolis, not just Renee Good, but others. So, we’re out here protesting,” she said.

    Elsewhere in Denver, demonstrations occurred as protesters took over the Highland Bridge, waving signs above drivers on I-25.

    “We have to show solidarity in our country right now and fight for those voices that are already able to speak,” one protester said.

    Although Saturday’s demonstrations have ended, some protesters told Denver7 they’re not done yet, with even more events planned across the metro on Sunday.

    Denver7 reached out to the Denver ICE Field Office for comment and is still waiting to hear back.

    Anti-ICE protests erupt across Colorado after fatal Minnesota shooting

    Denver7

    Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Adria Iraheta

    Denver7’s Adria Iraheta shares stories that have an impact in all of Colorado’s communities, but specializes in reporting on education and stories in Arapahoe County. If you’d like to get in touch with Adria, fill out the form below to send her an email.

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  • Hundreds protest in Dallas on Thursday after ICE shooting death in Minneapolis

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    Protestors march in downtown Dallas on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, over the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis, who was shot by an immigration agent the day before.

    Protestors march in downtown Dallas on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, over the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis, who was shot by an immigration agent the day before.


    Emily Holshouser

    eholshouser@star-telegram.com

    Several hundred people gathered in downtown Dallas on Thursday evening to protest the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis by an ICE agent the day before.

    After several speeches that started around 7 p.m. in front of City Hall, the demonstrators began marching down Ervay Street and circled near a federal immigration courthouse. Dallas police officers escorted the crowd.

    Among the speakers was Noemi Rios, co-founder of the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the organization Vecinos Unidos.

    “They are cowards,” Rios told the crowd, referring to immigration agents. “They are aggressive, violent cowards.”

    As protester Lowry Manders marched with the crowd, she said that she often monitors ICE activity in her neighborhood.

    “When I saw what happened, I just knew it could have been me,” Manders said. “I’ve got neighbors in the community that I check on, and it’s just heartbreaking. My family says not to do anything that will get me shot, but [Good] didn’t do anything wrong.”

    As of 9 p.m., the protest had remained peaceful with no confrontations reported as the group arrived back at Dallas City Hall.

    The rally was one of several around the country after the death of Good in her car on Wednesday morning. In Portland on Thursday, two people were shot by a U.S. Border Patrol agent during a “targeted vehicle stop” when a driver purportedly tried to run over agents, a Homeland Security spokeswoman told the New York Times.

    Videos of the shooting in Minnesota showed federal agents approaching Good’s SUV stopped in the middle of a neighborhood street. They ordered her to get out and grabbed the door handle. The SUV began to pull forward before one ICE agent fired at least two shots into the vehicle. Federal and state officials have offered contradicting accounts of those videos.

    By Wednesday evening, hundreds of protesters had gathered at the snow-covered intersection in the Minneapolis suburb where Good was shot, roughly a mile from where George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in 2020.

    Good was the mother of three children and had recently moved to Minnesota. She was a U.S. citizen who seemingly had no criminal record beyond a traffic ticket, according to the Associated Press.

    Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that Good tried to run over immigration officers with her vehicle before one of them opened fire, describing her actions as “domestic terrorism.”

    Protesters clash with federal agents outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on January 8, 2026. A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed an American woman on the streets of Minneapolis January 7, leading to huge protests and outrage from local leaders who rejected White House claims she was a domestic terrorist. The woman, identified in local media as 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, was hit at point-blank range as she apparently tried to drive away from agents who were crowding around her car, which they said was blocking their way. (Photo by Octavio JONES / AFP via Getty Images)
    Protesters clash with federal agents outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on Jan. 8, 2026. A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed an American woman on the streets of Minneapolis Jan. 7, leading to huge protests and outrage from local leaders who rejected White House claims she was a domestic terrorist. The woman, identified as 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, was shot at point-blank range as she apparently tried to drive away from agents who were crowding around her car, which they said was blocking their way. OCTAVIO JONES AFP via Getty Images

    Thursday’s protest in Dallas was organized by the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression with other advocacy groups, including the Palestinian Youth Movement, Vecinos Unidos, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and Indivisible Dallas.

    A protest in downtown Dallas on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, over the shooting death of Renee Good by an immigration agent in Minneapolis the day before.
    A protest in downtown Dallas on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, over the shooting death of Renee Good by an immigration agent in Minneapolis the day before. Emily Holshouser eholshouser@star-telegram.com

    “NAARPR Dallas is hosting a protest at City Hall to demand justice for Renee Good and all victims of ICE and police violence,” a representative for the group told the Star-Telegram.

    The Dallas Police Department was prepared for the rally.

    “We cannot disclose specific operational details, but participants may see officers patrolling in the area, as they would with any large event,” police said earlier in the day. “The Department is committed to protecting and maintaining a safe environment for all who visit, live, and work in the City of Dallas.”

    One person was arrested in Dallas in June during a wave of nationwide protests of the Trump administration’s immigration agenda.

    On Sept. 24, a sniper opened fire on ICE agents and detainees outside a facility near downtown Dallas. Two people were killed before the shooter turned his gun on himself.

    Last year, Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux announced that the department was turning down a $25 million partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

    This story was originally published January 8, 2026 at 9:06 PM.

    Emily Holshouser

    Fort Worth Star-Telegram

    Emily Holshouser is a local news reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

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    Emily Holshouser

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  • Immigration enforcement on North Side leads to tense confrontations, soft lockdowns at schools

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    CHICAGO (WLS) — Videos showed federal agents detaining people as immigration enforcement activity was reported across Chicago on Friday.

    At several North Side locations, federal agents making arrests were met by community members, and at least one encounter ended in a cloud of tear gas.

    ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

    Footage from West Town Friday morning showed a federal agent breaking the driver’s side window of a car and detaining a man inside near West Superior Street and North Paulina Street.

    ABC7 blurred his face because we do not know if he has been charged with any crimes.

    Neighborhood residents confronted agents, shouting at them and blowing their whistles to alert the community as they detained the man, who was waiting for his pregnant wife outside of a community health center. Local elected officials and the community center say the man is in the country legally on a work permit and had a court date with immigration.

    SEE ALSO | Chicago federal intervention: Tracking surge in immigration enforcement operations | Live updates

    Later, a mid-day confrontation pitted Lakeview neighbors and protesters against masked federal agents. The face-to-face encounter ended with volleys of tear gas sending the residential block spiraling into chaos.

    Courtney Conway was among dozens of residents who confronted agents near Lakewood and Henderson after a construction worker at a home was arrested.

    “My eyes were burning. It did not feel great. They still burn a bit today,” Conway said. “There were some neighbors bringing out water for us to flush out our eyes.”

    Doorbell camera video showed agents rolling up and workers, who’d been having lunch, running for cover. One closed and braced against a gate as agents tried to push through. Another was helped through a window to elude agents.

    The stepped up ICE activity on the North Side disrupting the school day at Burr Elementary and other schools as multiple arrests played out on nearby streets.

    CPS parents and 32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack confirmed a handful of schools in the Bucktown-Wicker Park area were placed on soft lockdown. That meant no outdoor recess, in response to ICE arrests in the neighborhood.

    “The kids aren’t playing outside because there’s been a huge amount of ICE presence in the neighborhood, just driving up and down the streets, just kind of terrorizing the neighborhood,” CPS parent Nicole Van Haperbeke said. “Why? It’s a peaceful, beautiful Friday.”

    SEE ALSO | US House subcommittee hosts ‘shadow hearing’ in Chicago on immigration enforcement tactics

    ABC7 obtained multiple videos from Bucktown-Wicker Park residents showing arrests in and around the neighborhood. At least one showed a gardener who a resident says was hired to plant a tree in her backyard.

    “I just asked them not to arrest him,” Bucktown resident Donna Kirchman said. “I said, ‘Please leave him alone.’ And they didn’t. I believe they took his phone, and then they took him.”

    Heavily armed agents also arrested a man sitting in a vehicle, who witnesses said works at a nearby car dealership.

    “It’s terrifying, and we knew that they were going to come to Bucktown,” resident Laura Dufour said. “They’ve been all over the city.”

    Those agents were later seen driving around vehicles that had stopped and clipping a woman. Alderman Waguespack says he’s been inundated with messages and witnessed first-hand what he claimed were ICE agents driving dangerously in the neighborhood.

    “We saw them backing up into intersections where we’ve got daycare children walking across the street,” Waguespack said. “You’ve got mothers with strollers. You’ve got a fun run right up here at St. Mary’s, and they’re driving without stopping at stop signs, blowing through alleys.”

    In light of the school lockdowns Mayor Brandon Johnson is urging Governor JB Pritzker to allow for a remote option for CPS students. That’s something the state has to sign off on, but the governor says he’s opposed to that idea because of the impact it could have on the students’ education.

    SEE ALSO | Some Chicago Board of Education members call for CPS remote learning amid immigration operations

    Also, Laugh Factory posted on social media on Friday, saying the Lakeview comedy club’s night manager was detained by “masked federal agents outside of the club.” The business posted footage of the incident to its Facebook account.

    Chicago police said officers responded to a report of a battery in the area of Belmont Avenue and Broadway just before 9:20 a.m.

    Responding officers saw federal agents and two other individuals in a physical altercation, and a crowd had gathered in the area, police said.

    Police said officers worked to deescalate and conduct crowd control. CPD did not make any arrests and left the scene once the area was cleared.

    No further information about the incident from federal authorities was available.

    Multiple alderpersons on the North Side issued alerts about more reported ICE activity on Friday.

    Ald. Daniel La Spata, who represents the 1st Ward, said on Friday morning, there have been “numerous confirmed sightings of ICE” throughout the West Town community area, including neighborhoods surrounding Ukrainian Village, Wicker Park, and the Humboldt Park border.

    Ald. Timmy Knusden, who represents the 43rd Ward, said community members on Friday have “reported ICE sightings and suspected enforcement activity at the following locations:

    • Cleveland/Belden


    • 2600 N Racine


    • 440 W Belden


    • Reports of 2 unmarked SUVs driving north on Halsted with masked drivers


    • Lincoln/Racine/Diversey


    • Racine/Drummond


    • Lill/Seminary


    • Wrightwood/Racine”

    Wicker Park’s A.N. Pritzker School also said it was on soft lockdown Friday, and all after-school programs, with the exception of Wicker Park Kids and Apollo, were canceled.

    Tear gas was thrown at Henderson and Lakewood, in a community that had so far has avoided contact with ICE agents.

    “The tear gas was deployed by ice without warning and without my neighbors hear from doing anything to provoke that reaction no one was interfering with them they were just exercising the first amendment rights,” 44th Ward Ald. Bennett Lawson said. “This is very disturbing.”

    Roaming bands of agents appeared to be targeting communities Friday where immigrants might be working.

    “No one gains, people already hurt and you kinda get to see that in real time,” neighborhood resident Donny Donoghue said.

    Earlier, protesters gathered outside the ICE processing facility in Broadview once again, as they have done every Friday now for several weeks.

    Friday’s demonstration has remained fairly contained to one corner as protesters keep within the safety zone, speaking out against the Trump’s administration’s operation “Midway Blitz” and the recent immigration crackdown in the Chicagoland area.

    “I believe that we are creating huge wounds, not only for the people who are being detained, but for the ICE officers who are doing these horrible things. I feel terrible for everybody,” said Mary Kelly, who lives in Oak Park.

    Messages left by ABC7 Chicago for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security regarding the North Side operations were not returned.

    Immigration operations are also having an impact on the Asian community.

    The Chinese American Service League shared a video of federal agents detaining a man outside his home in Bridgeport on Thursday.

    CASL claims the father of two was not doing anything illegal. Witnesses say the agents did not present a warrant.

    DHS says gang member tried to ram agents with car, defends apparent tear gas use on protesters

    DHS said a Latin Kings gang member tried to ram agents with a car in Cicero, IL and defended the apparent use of tear gas during a Chicago protest.

    Meanwhile, ABC7 is getting more information from the DHS about recent violent run-ins with federal agents over the past few days.

    DHS says Wednesday was one of their most violent days on the job. At 26th and Ogden in Cicero, DHS claims a Latin Kings gang member tried to ram agents with his vehicle.

    Six people were arrested that day for impeding operations, and three undocumented immigrants were placed into custody.

    And there were more tense moments Thursday at the Little Village Discount Mall during an anti-ICE rally.

    Attorneys accused federal agents of violating a court order, which does not allow them to use riot control weapons unless facing an imminent threat and requires them to issue warnings first before deploying tear gas.

    A federal complaint is now taking aim at the man who led the charge. An image of Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino appears to show him throw tear gas “without justification,” according to the complaint.

    “Federal agents started acting aggressive, pushing protesters away… Again, it was all peaceful protesters,” said protester Kristian Armendariz.

    However, DHS says the group of about 75-100 people began firing commercial artillery shell fireworks at agents and throwing rocks, adding that Bovino was hit in the head.

    According to DHS, agents repeated multiple warnings to the crowd to back up, informing them that chemical agents would be deployed. The department stood by their agents’ actions, saying, “Agents properly used their training. The use of chemical munitions was conducted in full accordance with CBP policy and was necessary to ensure the safety of both law enforcement and the public.”

    Bovino was set to appear in court on Nov. 5 to give a two-hour testimony, but now a federal judge has ordered more than double the time, five hours, to question Bovino after the incidents.

    Later Friday, Judge Sara Ellis also ordered Bovino to testify in-person on Tuesday during a status hearing.

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  • Fencing around Broadview ICE facility set to be removed

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    BROADVIEW, Ill. (WLS) — Fencing around the ICE facility in Broadview is set to be removed soon.

    A judge ruled last week, that the fencing must come down by Tuesday. Monday morning, bulldozers were in position to potentially begin taking the fencing down.

    ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

    The village sued to have the 8-foot fence removed, saying it posed a public safety hazard because it blocks emergency responders.

    SEE ALSO | Chicago federal intervention: Tracking surge in immigration enforcement operations | Live updates

    RELATED | Appeals court upholds ruling blocking Trump admin. from deploying National Guard in Illinois

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  • Appeals court upholds ruling blocking Trump admin. from deploying National Guard in Illinois

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    BROADVIEW, Ill. (WLS) — As demonstrators kept their fight going outside the Broadview U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Saturday, at the same time, a court battle seemed to put an end to federal plans to have the National Guard on Chicago area streets, at least for now.

    The Trump administration on Friday asked an appeals court for an immediate stay of a Chicago federal judge’s ruling this week that blocked the National Guard from deploying in Illinois.

    The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Saturday upheld the judge’s ruling, but did partially grant the Trump administration’s request for stay by allowing troops to remain federalized pending their appeal of the judge’s ruling.

    ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

    Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued a statement later Saturday, saying, “The court’s order today keeps the troops off the streets of Chicago, Broadview or any other community in Illinois. This is a victory for our state. This is a victory for state and local law enforcement – who know their communities and who protect the right of their communities to speak truth to power.”

    The Department of Justice says the National Guard is needed to protect federal officers from violent attacks and called Judge April Perry’s move to grant the temporary restraining order “extraordinary.”

    Perry wrote in her opinion, after granting the state’s request for that temporary restraining order, that the deployment of the National Guard “is likely to lead to civil unrest.”

    Even as temperatures dropped, protesters’ voices still rang high outside the Broadview ICE detention center.

    Protests continued after local faith leaders held a prayer march to the facility Saturday morning. Their goal was to bring holy communion to detainees. Illinois State Police stationed outside the detention center said they called ICE with the request, which was denied.

    Before heading to the facility, the priests, nuns and community members gathered at a Maywood church for a prayer service.

    Bill Delong, a retired Army veteran visiting from Kentucky, was among the anti-ICE demonstrators in Broadview.

    “We all are Americans until due process,” Delong said. “I love my country, and I don’t know what happened, you know? When you start to see people get rolled up off the streets, hooded up, and thrown in vans; that’s something that we fought against.”

    SEE ALSO | Chicago federal intervention: Tracking surge in immigration enforcement operations | Live updates

    The latest in the legal battle over National Guard deployments comes as protesters and agents have clashed multiple times in the past, ending with arrests.

    Officials said Saturday night that 15 people were arrested by Illinois State Police in connection to protests near the Broadview facility throughout the day. Most charges were resisting, obstruction and disobeying a police officer.

    Illinois Democrats and Republicans remain divided of the deployment of the National Guard to assist federal agents in their ongoing immigration enforcement operation across the Chicago area.

    “This is an intentional attack by this president to divide and separate our communities, but he has finally met his match in the greatest city in the world, in Chicago,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

    “I’m in disappointed in general,” Cook County Republican Party Chairman Aaron Del Mar said. “What we’re really trying to do is just implement the immigration laws that currently stands. And unfortunately, the protesters that are out there are disrupting the area to the point where it’s become unsafe for federal officers.”

    Meanwhile, another federal judge ruled the metal fence that was erected outside the Broadview ICE facility must come down by early next week. This comes after the Village of Broadview sued, saying it blocked this public road and could impact first responders getting to a scene.

    READ MORE | Broadview protest arrests, dropped charges influenced ruling to bar National Guard deployments

    Friday marked another day of anti-ICE demonstrations near the Broadview facility.

    Hundreds of people throughout the day could be seen rallying together, but authorities say at least four people were arrested for resisting and obstructing law enforcement.

    Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth were turned away from trying to visit the Broadview facility on Friday.

    And in a separate decision, a judge granted the village of Broadview’s temporary restraining order, calling for a fence, which was put up by federal agents and blocks a street near the facility, to come down. The government has until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday to take that fence down.

    The faith community stepped off from St. Eulalia Catholic Church before heading to the Broadview facility. The goal is to attempt to deliver communion people who may be being held at the facility. Broadview’s mayor was also expected to walk.

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  • Broadview protest arrests, dropped charges influenced ruling to bar National Guard deployments

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    BROADVIEW, Ill. (WLS) — A grand jury refusing to indict protesters arrested at the Broadview ICE facility played a role in an emergency ruling that now bars National Guard deployments in Illinois, the ABC7 I-Team has learned.

    U.S. District Judge April Perry cited the rejection of some criminal charges by grand jurors as one of the factors casting, “…significant doubt on DHS’ credibility and assessment of what is happening on the streets of Chicago.”

    ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

    When grand juries meet, what happens behind closed doors is secret. They are convened without defense counsel present and have a low bar for probable cause –leading to the old adage that prosecutors could get a grand jury to” indict a ham sandwich.”

    But for one couple arrested for allegedly assaulting ICE agents during protests in Broadview, even the grand jury told prosecutors there wasn’t enough meat in the evidence to indict.

    In a post by Immigration and Customs enforcement to their more than one-million followers on X, Jocelyne Robledo and Ray Collins Called where called “armed rioters.” They were arrested by federal agents who said they were found with guns for alleged assault at the Broadview ice facility.

    But when prosecutors presented their case to a grand jury for official charges, which would have been serious, jurors issued a no-bill which is a formal response refusing to indict.

    It’s something ABC7 Chief Legal Analyst Gil Soffer told the I-Team is beyond rare.

    “It is extremely unusual that a grand jury returns a no bill or refuses to approve an indictment. It happens literally in handfuls of cases, out of tens of thousands of cases that are brought before a grand jury,” Soffer said.

    That’s because Soffer said Grand Juries are entirely one-sided.

    “The power of the prosecution is immense in a grand jury. There’s no defense lawyer present. There’s no judge present. And the prosecutor decides which evidence to present, what charges to present, how to frame them for the grand jurors,” he said.

    SEE ALSO | Chicago federal intervention: Tracking surge in immigration enforcement operations | Live updates

    That no-bill and several other instances of charges against protesters being dropped over the past 72 hours like that of Luci Mazur who was arrested while protesting at the Broadview ICE facility.

    “Very scary, but I’m just glad it’s all over with,” she said.

    That directly contributed to the emergency ruling forbidding National Guard troops from being deployed by President Trump in Illinois. Judge April Perry calling government accounts uncredible.

    “She flatly said she did not find the evidence presented to her by the government credible. You don’t see that every day. You don’t hear that every day from a federal judge,” said Soffer.

    Chicago Kent College of Law Professor Richard Kling, who represented Collins reacted to the refusal of grand jury members to indict.

    “Prosecutors could have the grand jury return an indictment against a ham sandwich. Apparently, they had less evidence than a ham sandwich,” he quipped.

    Robledo and Collins are not out of the woods yet. The charges against them were dismissed without prejudice meaning they could be brought again at a later date, but the assertions relied on in court by DHS lawyers are now being called into question by both jurors and federal judges.

    Judge grants request to drop charges against neurodivergent man arrested during Broadview protest

    On Friday, a judge granted a request from federal prosecutors to drop charges against a man arrested during protests outside the Broadview Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.

    A judge granted a request from federal prosecutors drop charges against Paul Ivery. He was arrested during a Broadview ICE facility protest.

    Paul Ivery was charged with assaulting a Border Patrol officer last month.

    ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

    Relatives say Ivery has intellectual disabilities. And a judge later released Ivery from jail, saying he does not pose a threat to the community.

    He is the fourth person arrested during protests at the suburban facility to have their charges dropped this week.

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  • Broadview ICE facility protest expected Friday; DOJ files notice of appeal to National Guard ruling

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    BROADVIEW, Ill. (WLS) — ABC7 is watching to see what happens next with National Guard troops in the Chicago area.

    A federal judge temporarily blocked the deployment to our area, but the Trump administration has already filed a notice of appeal.

    ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

    The first large-scale weekly demonstration outside the Broadview Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility since that ruling is expected to get underway on Friday morning.

    Based on the judge’s order, for a two-week period, the National Guard is barred from being used in operations, but we will see if they still have a physical presence in Broadview.

    SEE ALSO | Chicago federal intervention: Tracking surge in immigration enforcement operations | Live updates

    Judge April Perry’s decision came hours after the Guard arrived at the Broadview immigration facility on Thursday. Troops could be seen walking around and lingering near the facility.

    The Trump administration has argued that the bolstered military presence is needed to protect federal property and employees. But the judge said the government’s claims about an out-of-control public on the brink of rebellion were not credible.

    The White House responded to the judge’s move to grant a temporary restraining order, writing, in part, “President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities and we expect to be vindicated by a higher court.”

    Protest hours in Broadview are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, but it is not clear if demonstrators plan to adhere to the guidance.

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  • Trump administration federalizing 300 National Guard members in Illinois, White House confirms

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    CHICAGO (WLS) — The Trump administration federalizing 300 members of the Illinois National Guard, Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement on Saturday.

    The White House later confirmed that President Donald Trump has “authorized 300 national guardsmen to protect federal officers and assets” amid ongoing ICE raids in the Chicago area.

    ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

    Pritzker said the Department of War gave him an ultimatum, telling him to call up the troops himself.

    “This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Pritzker said, in part. He said the administration intends to federalize hundreds of National Guard troops “in the coming hours.”

    A White House spokesperson shared a statement with ABC7 Chicago Saturday night, saying, “Amidst ongoing violent riots and lawlessness, that local leaders like Pritzker have refused to step in to quell, President Trump has authorized 300 national guardsmen to protect federal officers and assets. President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities.”

    The announcement came after a federal judge in Oregon temporarily blocked Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Portland for at least 14 days. Oregon’s governor, said in a statement, “justice has been served, and the truth has prevailed.”

    The concern over a deployment of Illinois National Guard members prompted an emergency motion filed by Broadview leaders Saturday. The village is seeking the removal of the fence erected by federal authorities around the ICE facility amid ongoing demonstrations.

    The village has called the fence illegal and a safety hazard, asking for a judge to grant the motion pending a Tuesday hearing on the village’s lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security.

    DHS responded to that motion in its own court filing, saying there’s no need for a hearing before Tuesday, bringing up the possibility of a settlement on Monday.

    RELATED | Chicago federal intervention: Tracking surge in immigration enforcement operations | Live updates

    Amid the announcement of the federalization of the National Guard in Illinois, confrontations seemed to arise again Saturday in Broadview between demonstrators and Illinois State Police throughout the day.

    “It’s a continuing overreach by the president because the governor is responsible for calling up the troops when they think it’s necessary,” demonstrator Tony DiBenedetto said.

    A crowd of anti-ICE demonstrators cheered on at least four people ABC7 saw detained by Illinois State Police as they were walked into a Cook County Sheriff’s Office van in handcuffs. They were taken down as troopers were clearing the street outside the ICE detention center in Broadview, backing protesters into designated zones, feet from the immigration building and surrounded by concrete barriers. Federal agents were on the other side of the fence with their flying drone above it all.

    “I’m not here to deal with the State Police. I’m here to deal with the kidnapping that ICE is doing, and it’s immensely disappointing that State Police are putting themselves between us and ICE,” demonstrator Will Creutz said.

    Tensions continued throughout the night Saturday between Illinois State Police and demonstrators.

    Federal agents and protesters also clashed at the west suburban Broadview Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Friday morning.

    The Cook County Sheriff’s Office said at least five people were arrested during those clashes. They are facing charges such as resisting, obstruction and aggravated battery to a police officer.

    That clash came after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino were seen on the ICE facility’s roof just before 8 a.m. They were accompanied by several armed agents, cameras and a production crew.

    SEE ALSO | Federal agents shoot, injure armed woman in Brighton Park during alleged vehicle ramming, DHS says

    President Donald Trump has previously threatened to send the National Guard to Chicago to combat crime, and even said earlier this week that the city could become a training ground for the military.

    On Monday, Pritzker said he learned that DHS is requesting that 100 military personnel be sent to Illinois to protect ICE agents.

    Full Saturday statement from Pritzker:
    “This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will. It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.

    In the coming hours, the Trump Administration intends to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard. They will pull hardworking Americans out of their regular jobs and away from their families all to participate in a manufactured performance — not a serious effort the protect public safety. For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control.

    This demand follows unprecedented escalations of aggression against Illinois citizens and residents. Yesterday, Kristi Noem’s and Greg Bovino’s masked agents threw chemical agents near an elementary school, arrested elected officials exercising their First Amendment rights, and raided a Wal-Mart. None of it was in pursuit of justice, but all of it was in pursuit of social media videos.

    I want to be clear: there is no need for military troops on the ground in the State of Illinois. State, county, and local law enforcement have been working together and coordinating to ensure public safety around the Broadview ICE facility, and to protect people’s ability to peacefully exercise their connotational rights. I will not call up our National Guard to further Trump’s acts of aggression against our people.

    In Illinois, we will do everything within our power to look out for our neighbors, uphold the Constitution, and defend the rule of law.”

    Statement from Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton:
    “Donald Trump intends to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard and deploy them to Chicago without the consent of Governor Pritzker or our administration. These are Illinoisans who will be ripped away from their families to serve in Trump’s political stunt. We have warned that this has been their plan all along, and now it’s here.

    Our city is not a sandbox for Donald Trump to play dictator. It’s intentional cruelty that will devastate families and scar our communities.

    Let me be clear: the only emergency in Chicago is the chaos that Donald Trump and his administration are deliberately fueling in our streets. Journalists targeted and shot at, peaceful residents dragged from their homes, women and children zip-tied in the streets, families torn apart and stuffed into U-Hauls. This is unacceptable, reprehensible, and not what we stand for in Illinois.

    “I have spent my career working to make communities safer and lead on public safety for our administration. Not a single violence-prevention expert I have worked with has ever said the answer is to flood our neighborhoods with federal troops. This move will only serve to spread fear, escalate conflict, and undermine the trust that keeps communities safe.

    To the people of Illinois: know that Governor Pritzker and I will use every tool at our disposal to defend our city, protect our residents, and resist this reckless, authoritarian power grab.”

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  • Trump administration seeking to federalize 300 Illinois National Guard members, Governor says

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    CHICAGO, Illinois — The Trump administration is looking to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard, Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement on Saturday.

    Pritzker said the Department of War gave him an ultimatum, telling him to call up the troops himself.

    “This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Pritzker said, in part. He said the administration intends to federalize hundreds of National Guard troops “in the coming hours.”

    This comes after federal agents and protesters clashed at the west suburban Broadview Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Friday morning.

    The Cook County Sheriff’s Office said at least five people were arrested during those clashes. They are facing charges such as resisting, obstruction and aggravated battery to a police officer.

    That clash came after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino were seen on the ICE facility’s roof just before 8 a.m. They were accompanied by several armed agents, cameras and a production crew.

    And Friday night, with helmets and batons, a phalanx of Cook County sheriff’s officers kept demonstrators from blocking the street in a tense standoff, capping a day of protest.

    President Donald Trump has previously threatened to send the National Guard to Chicago to combat crime, and even said earlier this week that the city could become a training ground for the military.

    On Monday, Pritzker said he learned that DHS is requesting that 100 military personnel be sent to Illinois to protect ICE agents.

    ABC7 has reached out to the Trump administration for comment but did not immediately hear back.

    Full statement from Pritzker:
    “This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will. It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.

    In the coming hours, the Trump Administration intends to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard. They will pull hardworking Americans out of their regular jobs and away from their families all to participate in a manufactured performance — not a serious effort the protect public safety. For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control.

    This demand follows unprecedented escalations of aggression against Illinois citizens and residents. Yesterday, Kristi Noem’s and Greg Bovino’s masked agents threw chemical agents near an elementary school, arrested elected officials exercising their First Amendment rights, and raided a Wal-Mart. None of it was in pursuit of justice, but all of it was in pursuit of social media videos.

    I want to be clear: there is no need for military troops on the ground in the State of Illinois. State, county, and local law enforcement have been working together and coordinating to ensure public safety around the Broadview ICE facility, and to protect people’s ability to peacefully exercise their connotational rights. I will not call up our National Guard to further Trump’s acts of aggression against our people.

    In Illinois, we will do everything within our power to look out for our neighbors, uphold the Constitution, and defend the rule of law.”

    Statement from Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton:
    “Donald Trump intends to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard and deploy them to Chicago without the consent of Governor Pritzker or our administration. These are Illinoisans who will be ripped away from their families to serve in Trump’s political stunt. We have warned that this has been their plan all along, and now it’s here.

    Our city is not a sandbox for Donald Trump to play dictator. It’s intentional cruelty that will devastate families and scar our communities.

    Let me be clear: the only emergency in Chicago is the chaos that Donald Trump and his administration are deliberately fueling in our streets. Journalists targeted and shot at, peaceful residents dragged from their homes, women and children zip-tied in the streets, families torn apart and stuffed into U-Hauls. This is unacceptable, reprehensible, and not what we stand for in Illinois.

    “I have spent my career working to make communities safer and lead on public safety for our administration. Not a single violence-prevention expert I have worked with has ever said the answer is to flood our neighborhoods with federal troops. This move will only serve to spread fear, escalate conflict, and undermine the trust that keeps communities safe.

    To the people of Illinois: know that Governor Pritzker and I will use every tool at our disposal to defend our city, protect our residents, and resist this reckless, authoritarian power grab.”

    Copyright © 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.

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  • ICE confirms 4 Chicago-area arrests as Trump administration’s ‘Midway Blitz’ operation gets underway

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    CHICAGO (WLS) — Immigrant advocates say they have already received a large volume of calls to their hotline about Immigration and Customs Enforcement encounters in the Chicago area in recent days.

    Some elected leaders worry that this just the start of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the area.

    ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

    “It’s obvious that operations have begun in Chicago, and it’s even more obvious they’re going to be targeting our communities here in the Southwest Side again. We’re afraid. Our neighbors are afraid,” said Any Huamani, who is on the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council and is a Southwest Side Rapid Response team member.

    The Department of Homeland Security says their operation “Midway Blitz” in the Chicago area is underway. They say they are targeting violent offenders who are here illegally.

    On social media, ICE posted a picture of one of their SUVs with the Chicago skyline behind it, saying they are here to remove the dangerous public safety threats.

    Late Monday, ICE said agents arrested at least four men from Mexico in the Chicago area on Sunday. They are accused of crimes like DUI, vehicular burglary, armed robbery, domestic battery, assault and sexual assault of a child, ICE said.

    “So far, it’s been successful. We have successfully arrested some criminal aliens over the last few days. We just began our surge. We’re going to be bringing in our our partners, our other DHS partners, DOJ partners, CBP partners coming in. So, they’ll be coming in and participating in this ICE-led operation,” said ICE official Marcos Charles.

    SEE ALSO | Katie Abraham’s father speaks out on DHS’ operation ‘Midway Blitz’ in Chicago area

    ICE said one arrest was made at 47th and Archer and another was made at 49th and Archer. ICE did not provide locations for the other two arrests.

    Video provided to ABC7 shows federal agents wearing badges that say “ICE” handcuffing a man near Archer and Pulaski. Neighbors say that man is a flower vendor.

    “We have confirmed in my ward… detained in my ward… there have been three people. One in 50th and Pulaski; he a was a street vendor selling flowers. The other, a couple of blocks down in Archer, was just standing on the sidewalk. The third one was waiting on the bus on 47th and Archer,” said Ald. Jeylu Gutierrez, who represents the 14th Ward. “This was never about arresting the worst of the worst. It’s been about terrorizing our community.”

    Gutierrez says the wife of the flower vendor has been notified, and the family is figuring out their next steps.

    On Monday morning, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights says their teams were deployed to 61st and Kildare on Chicago’s Southwest Side after reports of immigration agents in the area.

    LIVE UPDATES | Chicago federal intervention: Tracking surge in immigration enforcement operations

    “What we do know is they attempted arrests, and there has been at least one arrest for today,” said ICIRR Senior Director of Deportation Defense Rey Wences.

    While announcing the immigration blitz on Monday, DHS also listed 11 specific people agents are looking for in Chicago.

    Many of those people were detained in the Cook County Jail for criminal cases, but later released.

    DHS accuses the jail of not cooperating. But in a statement on Monday night, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office says state law prohibits them from releasing any detainees into the custody of federal immigration authorities without a signed arrest warrant from a judge.

    Meanwhile, Evanston is also preparing for possible ICE raids in the coming days. The mayor there was tipped off by the governor’s office and sent out an email blast, letting residents know.

    “We’re also working with community partners. So for example, this morning, the high school sent an email blast as well to all of their families, knowing that some people might get ours and not theirs, some people might get theirs and not ours,” said Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss.

    The Evanston City Council will vote on a resolution calling for the state to address ICE agents wearing masks on Monday night.

    “We believe that it is just fundamentally wrong in a democracy for an agent of the state to use the power of the state without identifying themselves clearly with transparency and accountability,” Biss said.

    Many people in the Chicago area are wondering if this past weekend was the calm before the ICE storm.

    “Operation ‘Midway Blitz’ is not public safety. It’s a declaration of war on Mexicans and Latinos in Chicago,” said state Rep. Aaron Ortiz, who represents the 1st District.

    Immigrant advocates reminded the public to not provoke federal agents and to take video of any encounters from a safe distance.

    Religious leaders rally against immigration crackdown in Chicago: ‘Faith over fear’

    Religious leaders from a diverse group of faith backgrounds stood with one voice on Daley Plaza to decry the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

    Meanwhile, more than one dozen faith leaders came together on Monday, taking a stand against ICE raids and rallying in support of immigrants in a campaign they are calling Faith Over Fear.

    “ICE cannot survive the fire of a forge,” said Reverend David Black with the First Presbyterian Church of Chicago.

    “But what he’s done is rallying us together. I’ve not seen this in a long time. He’s fighting with all his weapons of his mouth and weapons of the army. We’re fighting for something. It’s our DNA, our faith, our faith is essential of who we are. He’s not ready for this and he’s not more powerful,” said Fr. Michael Pfleger with St. Sabina Church.

    Religious leaders from a diverse group of faith backgrounds stood with one voice on Daley Plaza to decry the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and the possibility of a National Guard deployment in Chicago, as the White House border czar says the use of National Guard troops to protect and support immigration enforcement operations is “on the table.”

    “This morning, as I dropped my kids off at school. Like so many of us in Chicago did this morning, we took our kids to school, but today felt different,” said Rev Sandra Van-Opstal with Lawndale Christian Community Church.

    “I’ve got to tell you, there’s a lot of fear. I live in the Pilsen/Little Village area, and it’s been quieter these past few days, and so, we suspect that people will be navigating the conditions in our city cautiously,” said Ray Wences with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

    Little Village is all decked out in Mexican colors in advance of this weekend’s Independence Day celebration. Many street vendors are selling flags and other items for those gearing up for the festivities.

    “God stood on the side of the vulnerable and the oppressed,” said Mishkan Chicago founder Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann. “God split the sea for them and said to the world, the way that you treat the least among you, the strangers, the slaves, the servants, the way that you treat them is a test of your society.”

    The faith leaders are preparing to support those families who may be impacted by ICE detentions.

    “As a way to be able to walk with the families after something has happened, we’re going to reactivate a lot of the resource network that we had during the new arrivals mission and be able to partner with churches and other groups to be able to get emergency items out to all of them,” said New Life Centers CEO Matt DeMateo.

    SEE ALSO | ‘We’re not going to war’ with Chicago, Trump says, after sharing ominous meme

    A protest and a march against the operation are set to get underway in the Loop late Tuesday afternoon.

    Trump, meanwhile, continues to focus on Chicago crime as operation “Midway Blitz” ramps up.

    “And I don’t know why Chicago isn’t calling us saying, ‘Please give us help,’ when you have, over just a short period of time, 50 murders and hundreds of people shot, and then, you have a governor that stands up and says how crime is just fine. It’s really crazy,” Trump said.

    In an op-ed piece in the New York Times, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson addressed a possible National Guard deployment to address crime, saying in part, “lowering crime rates here does not require an occupation of our city by armed members of the National Guard, as the White House continues to threaten us with…. Sending in the National Guard is the wrong solution to a real problem.”

    Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker responded to the ICE post about coming after dangerous criminals, saying it is not about fighting crime, and that if it were, his administration would have heard from the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate efforts. The governor says this is about scaring Illinoisans.

    The ICIRR Family Support Network was founded to connect immigrant communities with support. They can be reached at 855-435-7693.

    A spokesperson for Pritzker, issued a statement, saying, “The Governor’s Office has received no formal communication or information from the Trump Administration. Like the public and press, we are learning of their operations through their social media as they attempt to produce a reality television show. As Trump has said himself, this is not about seriously fighting crime or reforming immigration – it’s about Trump’s plan to go to war with America’s third-largest city. If he cared about delivering real solutions for Illinois, then we would have heard from him. Unlike Trump’s reality show, we don’t like keeping people in the dark. Since we have learned of the Trump Administration’s plans to deploy federal agents and active-duty military to Illinois, Gov. Pritzker has shared information with the public and the Governor’s Office has remained in regular contact with leaders and partners at the City of Chicago, Cook County, the Illinois congressional delegation, state legislature, and mayors and representatives from the collar counties.”

    Johnson also issued a statement, saying, “We have received no notice of any enhanced immigration action by the Trump administration. We are concerned about potential militarized immigration enforcement without due process because of ICE’s track record of detaining and deporting American citizens and violating the human rights of hundreds of detainees. ICE sent a 4-year-old boy with stage 4 kidney cancer to Honduras, even though the child was an American citizen. There are more than 500 documented incidents of human rights abuses at detention facilities since Trump took office, including deaths of detainees and alleged cases of sexual abuse of minors by federal immigration agents. Because of these incidents and more, we remain opposed to militarized immigration enforcement that runs afoul of the Constitution in our city. We encourage residents to visit www.Chicago.gov/KYR to stay informed on their rights.”

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    Jasmine Minor

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