Federal agents conducted a raid in the early morning hours of Tuesday on the South Side of Chicago, while Illinois leaders resisted the federal government’s plan to send troops to the city.
The FBI confirmed to FOX 32 Chicago that it assisted the U.S. Border Patrol in conducting a “targeted immigration control operation.” The operation, which involved nearly 300 agents, targeted six individuals connected to the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua, officials said. More than ten people were arrested and then transferred to the ICE center in Broadview for processing.
Overnight video footage showed dozens of agents surrounding an apartment building in the 7500 block of S. South Shore Drive, in the South Shore neighborhood. At one point, a helicopter dropped snipers onto the roof of the building. The Chicago Police Department, however, did not participate in the operation.
Neighbors said they were woken up by loud noises and that federal agents in military-like uniforms completely blocked the entrance.
“Honestly, I have mixed feelings. I just moved here a year ago, and watching all of that live is sad. You can hear screaming, loud banging, and gunshots,” said one resident.
A Border Patrol official stated that they were targeting “six high-priority targets,” including suspected members of Tren de Aragua, and added that the undocumented criminals had “occupied the entire building.”
This raid came just a day after Governor J.B. Pritzker announced that the Department of Homeland Security wants to deploy 100 soldiers to protect immigration operations in Illinois. He stated that the National Guard had already been informed of the request, but that the state would file a lawsuit if the military appeared in Chicago.
Pritzker accused the Trump administration of bypassing local and state authorities and warned of the “further militarization of the city.” According to him, ICE has arrested about 1,500 people in Chicago in recent weeks, 60% of whom had no criminal record.
“I am horrified by what is happening, and it is clear that ICE simply does not care,” Pritzker said, noting that he supports the arrest of violent criminals but not mass detentions without basis.
Although President Donald Trump had previously announced the possibility of sending troops to Chicago several times, federal resources have recently been mostly directed to other cities, such as Memphis and Portland.
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Source: Fox 32 Chicago, Photo: Printscreen Youtube