CHICAGO – Federal agents reportedly detained multiple people outside of a homeless shelter in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood on Wednesday morning.
It happened around 9 a.m. according to officials.
What we know:
They said five people were initially detained and one was later released.
Chris Harris Sr., senior pastor at Bright Star Church Chicago, posted a video on his Facebook page in which he claimed ICE showed up at a shelter in Bronzeville and detained four people.
“They showed up at our shelter here in Bronzeville,” Harris can be heard saying in the video.
The video is silent for about the first 1 minute and 48 seconds.
Those who run the shelter say they don’t know why ICE agents targeted the location, but are working to locate the individuals detained.
The Bronzeville shelter is at an undisclosed location for the safety of the 260 men and women who live there. It’s run by Bright Star Community Development Corporation.
Executive Director Caryl West said about seven unmarked SUVs with tinted windows pulled up to the shelter around 9 a.m. when a group of residents were outside. Those agents, West said, started chasing the residents before detaining a handful of people.
“[The agents] jumped out, exited and there were about 20 residents, maybe, outside here, and they immediately gave chase,” West said. “They did not present warrants or ask could they speak to any residents. They just showed up.”
“It’s very invasive, intrusive, all the things, anything that you think, it’s worse than that,” said Lakreshia Kindred, executive director of Bright Star Community Outreach. “We hear a lot about this, and we see it on the news, but when you actually see it in your backyard, and experience it, it’s a completely different impact.”
Fox 32 reached out to ICE for more information on the incident but have not yet heard back.