Violence from ICE raids near schools in Chicago causes fear and protests
Chicago experienced a day of violence, with ICE agents using tear gas and breaking car windows to arrest someone and schools on lockdown.
Protesters again clashed with ICE agents and other law enforcement in front of an immigration processing center in a Chicago suburb on Friday.
Videos showed federal agents detaining people while immigration enforcement activities were reported on the city's north side on Friday.
Meanwhile, masked officers fired tear gas into the street while detaining at least one construction worker in Henderson and Lakewood, a community that had so far avoided contact with ICE agents.
“ICE fired tear gas without warning, and without my neighbors knowing anything was being done to provoke that reaction, no one was interfering with them; they were simply exercising their First Amendment rights,” said Alderman Bennett Lawson of the 44th Ward. “This is very disturbing.”
Other ICE operations have also been reported on Chicago’s southwest side, which has a sizable Latino immigrant population, according to ABC 7 Chicago, which published video showing agents breaking a car window to detain a man.
About 12 miles from the ICE processing center in Broadview, an elementary school was placed on lockdown due to reports of immigration agents in the area.
Illinois Democratic Governor JB Pritzker told X: “The Trump administration is treating the people of this country like an adversary. They are stretching their authority, terrorizing our communities, and shirking all accountability. We will not respond to intimidation with fear; we will respond with truth.”
On Thursday, about 10 miles from Broadview, two Chicago Public Schools students were allegedly assaulted by federal agents as they walked to school in Little Village, near the Discount Mall. The area is part of Chicago’s Mexican community, according to the Chicago Sun Times.
President Donald Trump ordered National Guard personnel into the Chicagoland area, but a federal judge barred them from entering before a full trial or a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court.
FBI agents were also deployed to the area, along with local law enforcement and Illinois State Police.
The agents were led by U.S. Border Patrol Commander General Gregory Bovino.
On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Sara Ellis ordered Bovino to attend a hearing Tuesday after he was accused of violating a temporary restraining order limiting federal agents from using certain tactics to suppress protests or impede media coverage of immigration enforcement in Illinois.
Ellis, an appointee of President Barack Obama, previously ordered Bovino to appear before attorneys in the case.