Chicago Immigration Raid Shocks

According to the Department of Homeland Security, 37 persons were taken into custody during the operation by federal officers from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Border Patrol. Overnight, residents and witnesses reported that armed federal officers wearing military fatigues broke down the doors and dragged men, women, and children—some of them nude—out of their apartments. Nearly every unit in the five-story building was approached or entered by agents, and those held for hours included U.S. citizens. According to the Department of Homeland Security, 37 persons were taken into custody during the operation by federal officers from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Border Patrol. DHS stated that some of the people detained “are thought to be involved in weapons crimes, immigration violations, and drug trafficking and distribution.”

Additionally, DHS provided no proof to back up the feds’ allegation that the South Shore area was “a location known to be frequented by Tren de Aragua members and their associates,” and officials did not corroborate that any of the individuals arrested were part of the Venezuelan gang.