2 apparent US citizens swept up by ICE in Elgin, Illinois; Melrose Park protest gets underway with Kristi Noem in Chicago area
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem apparently chose Mexican Independence Day to send a message to the immigrant community, arriving in force on Tuesday morning to an Elgin home and taking four people into custody.
They arrived like a military operation. Agents could be seen in camouflage uniforms with military helicopters circling above at about 5:30 a.m. They broke the front door down and entered the home. Members of Elgin's rapid response teams want to keep their identities anonymous.
"It's terrorizing everyone, putting people back into hiding. People don't know what to do," one team member said.
Noem was apparently on hand and posted footage of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents taking occupants of the home into custody, saying they were violent criminals wanted for crimes like assault and DUI.
The only problem is two of the four people they detained are apparently U.S. citizens who they released shortly afterward. One of them is a man who preferred not to speak on camera.
"I'm just glad I had my wallet, my ID, and I cooperated," he said.
That operation was one of several ICE detainments made in the area on Tuesday. A short time later, ICE agents stopped a driver on Route 31, a few blocks away, taking him into custody. Illinois state Sen. Cristina Castro, who represents the 22nd District, says this is all a show for the Homeland Security secretary.
"She can go to hell. Don't come to my community. Go to hell," Castro said.
RELATED | Arrested by ICE in the Chicago area: Who are they?
Cellphone video shows what appears to be federal agents armed near Chippewa and Martin Drive in Elgin on Tuesday morning.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker says DHS never bothered to alert city or state officials of their presence.
"This is dangerous, wrong, unconstitutional. It's un-American," Pritzker said.
DHS' operation "Midway Blitz" includes the entire state of Illinois, plus Lake County, Indiana, with ICE currently focusing on the Chicagoland area and suburbs. Law enforcement who are part of this surge are from ICE, U.S. Marshalls, the DEA, and the ATF.
Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino also posted a video Tuesday, showing Department of Homeland security agents arriving in Chicago. He led the immigration crackdown in Los Angeles, signaling possible escalation in Chicago.
Pritzker says he expects more of these military-style operations in the coming days. ABC7 reached out to ICE for information about Tuesday's detainments but did not immediately hear back.
And as immigration enforcement operations ramped up throughout the suburbs on Tuesday, people gathered in Melrose Park to rally and march against ICE's presence in Illinois. State lawmakers joined immigration activists as they made their voices heard.
Dozens of protesters marched along North Avenue, flying the flags of various Latin American countries whose native citizens feel increasingly under attack. They include Mexicans, in particular, who are celebrating that country's Independence Day.
"I take very personal that this year has been very different. We are in fear that we cannot celebrate our motherland in the country that I call home today," said Nancy Salgado with the West Suburban Action Project.
Even as immigration officials announced the arrests of whom they say are undocumented criminals around the city and suburbs, those rallying rejected those claims. They are also continuing to call for transparency surrounding the death of Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, who was killed by an ICE agent following a traffic stop in Franklin Park last week.
"They don't want to release it because it's not helping them build the story or the argument that people are here trying to hurt the community," said Marien Casillas Pabellón with the West Suburban Action Project.
SEE ALSO | Illinois officials demand release of video in deadly shooting involving ICE officer in Franklin Park
ICE said Villegas-Gonzalez struck an officer with his car and dragged him while trying to get away. That officer then fatally shot Villegas-Gonzalez.
DHS said Villegas-Gonzalez was an undocumented immigrant with a criminal history of reckless driving. An officer hurt in the incident is still recovering.
State lawmakers representing Melrose Park and Cicero joined Tuesday's protest.
"When the most powerful court in the nation says racial profiling is OK... we know we have gone backwards," said Deputy Majority Leader and Illinois state Rep. Lisa Hernandez, D-Cicero.
Immigration advocates called for an immediate end to the ongoing detentions. They are struggling to keep track of just how many people have been picked up by federal agents so far.
"Yesterday, there was a big ICE operation in West Chicago. Today, there is a big ICE operation in Elgin. We're continuing to get calls throughout the morning from different suburban and city areas," said Brandon Lee with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
Illinois Congresswoman Lauren Underwood said on Tuesday that according to a recent briefing from ICE, some 250 people from the Chicago area have been taken into custody since Sept. 6. Those who are detained and processed are being transferred to detention centers in Indiana and Wisconsin.
A group of Latino leaders gathered at Daley Plaza to deliver an urgent message on Tuesday.
"We ask all undocumented residents, or anyone who is vulnerable, to stay home as much as you can, and to know your rights," said Berto Aguayo with the Latino Leadership Council.
SEE ALSO | Chicago federal intervention: Tracking surge in immigration enforcement operations | Live updates
