Dozens of Little Village residents marched through the streets Saturday afternoon, days after federal immigration officers swept through the neighborhood and made several arrests.
On Wednesday, agents accompanied by U.S. Border Patrol Commander-At-Large Gregory Bovino conducted a series of raids across Little Village and Cicero, arresting at least seven people. The following day, agents returned to the neighborhood, where they were met by angry residents. The clash resulted in multiple arrests — including two high school students — and the use of chemical munitions by Bovino and other federal officers.
U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis this month forbade agents from using gas and other “riot control” weapons without two warnings or against people who pose no immediate threat.
On Saturday morning, agents reportedly used tear gas in Irving Park, according to Northwest Side Rapid Response. Federal agents were also seen in multiple locations in Avondale and Logan Square on Saturday.
Residents gathered beneath the Little Village Arch on Saturday afternoon before marching down 26th Street, chanting for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to leave their community.
High school senior Elyani Martinez joined protesters holding a sign that said “Nobody is illegal on stolen land.”
Elyani, a U.S. citizen who lives in Little Village, said she joined the protest to show support for her neighbors and her family.
Protesters rally in Little Village on Saturday. Earlier in the week, agents accompanied by U.S. Border Patrol Commander-At-Large Gregory Bovino conducted a series of raids across Little Village and Cicero. The following day, agents returned to the neighborhood, where they clashed with residents and released tear gas into the crowd.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
“Everywhere I look around my neighborhood, it’s like a ghost town,” the 17-year-old student at Lincoln Park High School said. “Nobody is here, and our businesses are failing. Our people are being kidnapped.”
Elyani said ICE’s actions have followed her from home to school. The high school was placed on a soft lockdown Friday — preventing students from leaving campus during the day — after federal agents were seen in the area.
“I don’t feel safe anymore,” Elyani said. “I don’t even know how I’m gonna get to school nowadays, because I’m terrified of taking the CTA because I’m scared they’re going to be waiting there.”
But despite the fear, Elyani said she wanted to use her voice to speak out for her community.
“Being here means supporting my people, my culture, and also myself, because I’m brown,” she said.
Ceci de Leon of Little Village said she was subjected to the effects of tear gas Thursday when residents confronted federal officers behind a nearby discount mall.
De Leon, 27, said federal officers “instigated” the confrontation. “They’re being more aggressive on their end to get a reaction out of us,” she said.
“It’s been really disheartening just to see how their actions affect everyone,” she said. “I think that community is deeply interconnected and when something affects one of us, it affects all of us.”
Following Thursday’s confrontation, De Leon said she attended the protest in solidarity with those who couldn’t leave their homes.
“I’m privileged to be a U.S. citizen and so I feel like I should be here for people who are unable to be here,” she said.
Andres Villatoro, a U.S. citizen who also lives in the neighborhood, joined in the peaceful march as a form of standing up to the Trump administration’s campaign against immigration.
“ICE is terrorizing our communities,” said Villatoro, 36. “The administration wants us to be afraid and they want to divide us.”