Federal immigration agents crashed into a truck on I-55 before chasing and detaining a man in McKinley Park Monday, drawing a crowd of protesters who remained on scene for hours after, according to Ald. Julia Ramirez (12th).
Ramirez said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents pinned a pickup truck on the highway before chasing a man and detaining him. Her office was asking anyone who may have knew him to reach out.
About a dozen federal vehicles arrived on scene in the 3300 block of South Wolcott Avenue with agents, as some taunted residents, who shouted back “get out of our city” and blew whistles.
A Chicago police commander could be seen speaking on the phone, off to the side, after officers arrived around 2 p.m. as several residents stood within feet of the agents. Others stood behind the fence of the Target parking lot where the truck had been moved.
Ramirez said the situation brought to mind the lead up and aftermath of when Border Patrol agent Charles Exum shot Marimar Martinez two miles southwest of Monday’s scene in Brighton Park on Oct. 4, 2025.
“This reminds me of the scene when Marimar was shot,” Ramirez said. “ICE agents escalated the situation, they came to safeguard the vehicle. I worry about a lot of people coming to the scene and them wanting to hurt people with pepper balls and tear gas.”
Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Nor did Illinois State Police, which handles highway crashes. Chicago police confirmed officers were responding to a scene at the intersection near 33rd and Wolcott Avenue.
Enrique Espinoza, immigration attorney, was part of the rapid response network who showed up in response to the agent’s presence. He also was unsure of who was detained.
He said one agent had almost immediately raised a baton at residents who showed up to protest, and he questioned why it had taken so long to get a tow truck to the scene.
“They’re not carrying out an action or looking for anyone in the area, but it could be interpreted that they’re instigating the community,” Espinoza said. “With all the millions assigned to their agency they can get a tow truck here, for their safety and the safety of the community. They’re looking for an excuse to detain people, and we cannot allow that to happen…Hopefully [chemical weapons] are not coming back.”
Andres Ramirez, a 25-year-old teacher from Little Village, said he was frustrated this was happening on the first day of school.
“Our schools are empty and underfunded, and to see them here with all this expensive equipment is frustrating. … Day by day they keep terrorizing our most marginalized people. We shouldn’t lose our frustration and forget about it.”
It was part of wider activity across the city Monday as agents were reported in multiple neighborhoods. Espinoza said while the immigration campaign from last year had become quieter, moving on from some of the more confrontational encounters with residents as they detained people across the city, it had continued in a “different manner.”
Ramirez agreed and said multiple people had been detained on the Southwest Side Monday.
“Every other day we see one or two individuals detained, we do know they’re present,” Ramirez said. “It makes me emotional.”