CHICAGO — Immigration agents arrested at least seven people Wednesday on the Southwest Side and five Tuesday on the Northwest Side, local organizers said.
Federal agents were spotted Wednesday afternoon along South Western Avenue, and several people were detained in the area, organizers said in a social media alert.
The arrests came as organizers have reported a surge of immigration agents on the Southwest Side and in the suburbs in recent days — seemingly part of the government’s newly launched Operation Midway Blitz, which is targeting immigrants in and around Chicago.
About 2 p.m. Wednesday, immigration agents detained at least five people at a Home Depot on West 47th Street and South Western Avenue, said Karina Martinez, communications coordinator for the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council. At least two agents wearing green and black vests were spotted, organizers said in a social media alert.
Several agents chased down people near Home Depot’s parking lot entrance on South Western Avenue, said Omar, a neighbor who asked to be identified by his first name.
He had stopped at the store to buy supplies and was loading his car in the parking lot when he heard people screaming, he said.
When Omar turned, he saw several masked agents chasing at least two men near the parking lot entrance on South Western Avenue, he said. One of the men ran and crossed the street, and the agent followed and grabbed him. The two men fell to the grass, and the man who was running away escaped, but the agent again followed him until he was able to grab the man, Omar said.
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Several masked agents were in the parking lot with at least five vehicles, Omar said. As he was leaving, he noticed immigration agents had detained several people, including at least one woman, he said.
One person who was detained left behind a car, which was towed, organizers said. The person has been identified and organizers were working to contact the family, organizers said.
“It’s sad because people are there searching for work, and now they’re not coming home,” Omar said.
While the identities of those detained has not been confirmed, day laborers frequently show up outside of Home Depot searching for work in construction.
Earlier in the week, immigration agents took a man into custody near the intersection of West 24th Street and South Albany Avenue, the Little Village Community Council and the man’s family told Block Club.
The man’s wife, who asked for her name to be withheld due to fear of reprisal by immigration officials, told Block Club agents removed her husband from their vehicle by force after pulling them over around 10:45 a.m. Monday.
Her husband is a Venezuelan asylum seeker and construction worker who has been in the country for two years; they have two young children, she said.
Other Sightings This Week
• Shortly after the raids at Home Depot Wednesday, federal agents detained at least one person at South Archer and South Western Avenue, Martinez said.
• Early Wednesday, immigration agents detained at least one person at 49th Street and South Western Avenue, Martinez said. At least two agents wore green and black vests that read police and ERO, short for Enforcement and Removal Operations, a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to a social media alert.
• Federal agents were also spotted Wednesday morning in Belmont Cragin and Logan Square, according to community group Palenque LSNA.
• Ald. Ruth Cruz (30th) said in a social media post there’s been an uptick of federal agent sightings reported this week in Belmont Cragin. Five people were detained Tuesday while on their way to work, Palenque LSNA said in a press release.
Officials’ Concerns
Cook County officials have denounced federal immigration agents’ tactics, saying masked agents have refused to identify themselves and, in some cases, refused to show a warrant, WTTW reported.
It appears most arrests have been targeted, but that does not mean people have not been randomly detained, Laura Mendoza, an organizer for The Resurrection Project, said during a Facebook Live press conference Wednesday.
Organizers have urged neighbors to know their rights when interacting with ICE and report ICE sightings and arrests. Families in need of legal assistance for a detained loved one can contact the Resurrection Project through the group’s online portal or call the ICIRR family support hotline at 1-855-435-7693.
A full resource guide for neighbors is here.
Growing Enforcement
Gregory Bovino, the border chief who recently led the government’s controversial immigration enforcement efforts in Los Angeles, arrived in Chicago on Tuesday to kick off Operation At Large, according to a social media post.
Bovino’s arrival — and the start of Operation At Large — comes just one week after the government announced the start of Operation Midway Blitz, an ICE-led effort to arrest undocumented immigrants in Chicago and throughout Illinois. Gov. JB Pritzker told reporters on Tuesday he does not know how long Bovino will be in the state, but he is concerned about Bovino’s “militarized” approach.
Block Club Chicago and other Chicago news outlets have confirmed sporadic arrests around the city, although ICE has refused to provide total numbers on how many people agents have detained and arrested.
Rep. Lauren Underwood said Tuesday the agency confirmed to her that 250 people have been taken into custody during the latest “surge,” according to CBS2.
ICE In The Suburbs
Sightings of immigration agents making arrests Wednesday were reported by residents in suburban Naperville, Wheaton and St. Charles, WGN reported.
A United States citizen was detained in Elgin Tuesday morning. Masked and armed agents forcibly entered Joe Botello’s home in the early morning after calling another man’s name in Spanish and breaking two doors, according to the Tribune.
Kristi Noem, Department of Homeland Security secretary, shared a social media video of the operation that showed four arrested men, including Botello. He was released after agents found his ID in his wallet, he told the Tribune.
In suburban West Chicago, federal agents made over a dozen arrests in raids, including raids near a police station and a county courthouse Monday, the Sun-Times reported. State Sen. Karina Villa confronted agents as she warned residents to stay in their houses Monday, as seen in a widely circulated social media video.
Immigration agents arrested a couple and their 22-year-old son during a traffic stop Sunday at Cicero Avenue and Pershing Road on the Chicago-Cicero border. A video of the incident was also widely shared on social media. The son was later released from custody, but his parents — who have three other children ages 19, 12 and 10 — have since been separated and transferred to different facilities in different states, their attorney Shelby Vcelka said.
Block Club’s Alex V. Hernandez and Melody Mercado contributed.
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