Federal agents fired pepper balls after detaining two people in Albany Park Friday morning as the immigration blitz in Chicago continued through Halloween.
Three agents tackled a man to the pavement in the 3200 block of Lawrence Avenue shortly before 9:30 a.m. after they accused him of assaulting one of them.
A friend and neighbor of one of the men detained, who did not want to be identified, said they had just seen the man standing earlier as they had gone to get coffee. When they returned, they saw the man taken to the ground by the agents as a crowd began to amass at the scene.
“It’s actually horrifying,” they said. “It happens so fast. You prepare, but then you don’t know what to do.”
At least one agent didn’t have a body camera, while another used a GoPro camera in addition to a body camera.
Some agents had numbered identifiers on their uniforms in the form of patches, while others had numbers written on tape on them. At least one agent did not have a body camera.
The Department of Homeland Security and Border Patrol didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment or answers regarding the use of identifiers and body cameras. Immigration and Customs Enforcement acknowledged receipt of the request, but didn’t comment.
As people gathered to shout “let them go,” among other things, at the agents, a vehicle pulled out of a nearby alley. Agents ripped another man from his car and placed him under arrest after other community members tried to put themselves in front of him.
Agents issued one warning about tear gas, though they didn’t deploy it. Instead, they fired pepper balls at the ground near demonstrators before Chicago police arrived and cleared the roadway, allowing the vehicles with agents and detainees to leave.
In a statement, CPD said officers “worked to de-escalate and conduct crowd control to ensure all those who had gathered at the location remained safe” and didn’t make any arrests.
Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez (33rd) was holding a staff meeting in her ward office just around the corner when she heard whistles and ran out the door. She said she saw the man being detained, and anticipating the use of chemical agents, immediately ran to nearby Hibbard Elementary School to make sure children were inside.
She then came back to the scene, and at one point was shoved by federal agents as she tried to reach the man who had been pulled out of his vehicle.
“They showed up here to terrorize people, and they got a response from the community,” she said. “People did everything they could. … There were a lot of people just trying to put their bodies on the line without blocking them necessarily, which is a really hard balance. We’re seeing that people are getting indicted for supposedly blocking ICE, and the charge is conspiracy, and that’s very serious and dangerous. I think that what they’re trying to do with that is criminalize dissidents and resistance and get people to be more compliant and docile.
“I’m just so heartbroken,” she added through tears. “It’s just difficult to sit with.”
Rodriguez-Sanchez said Fridays have been heavy days in recent months as federal agents seem to ramp up enforcement, and it was no different for Halloween. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters at a media event Thursday that operations would continue, despite Gov. JB Pritzker asking that they pause for Halloween.
Rodriguez-Sanchez said the Chicago Police Department’s protocol of responding to calls from federal law enforcement effectively ends up in the city assisting feds — prompting conversations between Mayor Brandon Johnson and police department leadership in recent weeks, she said.
“Of course they called [CPD], and the police showed up and let them go,” she said. “It’s a problem, particularly in a welcoming city. … I think there are conversations that need to be had.”
Contributing: Lauren FitzPatrick