A West Side alderperson was briefly detained Friday by federal immigration authorities at a Humboldt Park hospital after she questioned if the officers had a judicial warrant for arresting a man they were holding at the facility.
Video shows Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th) asking two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers if they have a signed judicial warrant for a 37-year-old man they detained earlier and was holding at Humboldt Park Health because the man broke his leg while being chased by ICE officers.
One officer is seen forcefully grabbing Fuentes’ arms and placing them behind her back before handcuffing her.
“We do not need a warrant,” both officers say in the video as they hold Fuentes, who repeatedly asks them if they have a signed warrant.
The officers escorted Fuentes out of the hospital and were ready to place her into a U.S. Customs and Border Protection vehicle, she said.
She then asked the officers, “What did I do wrong? Outside of asking you if you have a signed judicial warrant, I want you to articulate to me what law did I break?” at which point they removed the handcuffs from Fuentes and let her go, she said later Friday during a news conference outside Humboldt Park Health.
Video shared w/ @Suntimes shows ICE agents handcuff Ald. Jessie Fuentes at a Humboldt Park hospital Friday. She asked if they had a warrant for a man detained who was inured during a chase. She was released after asking, “What law did I break?” she said. (Video by Fuentes’ staff) pic.twitter.com/YoDJk8reSq
— Kade Heather (@KadeHeather) October 3, 2025
ICE officials did not respond to requests for comment.
The incident unfolded late morning when Fuentes received a call from Humboldt Park Health saying ICE officers were in the emergency room, prompting Fuentes, her staff and other rapid responders to go to the hospital.
ICE officers had chased the man at an unknown location late morning, during which the man broke his leg and was detained. The officers then took him to the hospital, where he was expected to undergo surgery, Fuentes said.
The man who was detained has obtained legal representation, but ICE agents who remained inside the hospital Friday afternoon were “aggressive” with the lawyers who arrived at the hospital and were “not letting the lawyers speak” to the man, Fuentes said.
Humboldt Park Health CEO Jose Sanchez said during the news conference that the hospital doesn’t support law enforcement arresting people “regardless of what status they have in this country” on the hospital’s premises.
“We are a healthcare organization that provides care to people who need medical care,” Sanchez said. “…We need to continue to provide the care that they need.”