CHICAGO – Federal agents carried out an immigration raid early Tuesday on Chicago’s South Side, while Illinois leaders pushed back against the federal government’s plan to send troops to the city.
What we know:
Video from overnight showed dozens of federal agents gathered outside an apartment building in the 7500 block of S. South Shore Drive, in the South Shore neighborhood.
Agents appeared to be from Border Patrol and the FBI. No Chicago police officers were seen at the scene.
A witness said people were removed from the building, although it’s unclear how many were detained.
“Honestly, I have a lot of mixed emotions about this. You know, I’ve just moved over here about a year ago, and just seeing it happen in person, it’s kind of sad. You hear people screaming, you hear loud bangs and pops,” he said.
The reports come a day after Gov. JB Pritzker announced that the Department of Homeland Security wants to deploy troops to protect immigration enforcement operations in Chicago. He said the Illinois National Guard had been alerted to the request.
What’s next:
Pritzker said if National Guard troops are added to the current number of federal agents already stationed in Illinois, the state will sue. He accused the Trump administration of bypassing local and state officials and warned against further militarization of the city.
According to the governor, ICE has detained about 1,500 people in recent weeks in the Chicago area, and 60% of them had no criminal record. He and Attorney General Kwame Raoul emphasized they support targeting violent criminals, but, they argued, the way in which the Trump administration is acting should not be allowed.
“I am outraged by what’s happening and we’re seeing that ICE just doesn’t give a damn,” Pritzker said.
Although President Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of sending troops to Chicago, he’s recently focused federal resources on other cities such as Memphis and, just announced over the weekend, Portland.
The Source: The information in this story came from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, video from the South Side raid, an eyewitness account, and previous FOX 32 reporting.