Federal immigration agents fired tear gas and pepper spray Saturday at a crowd gathered to protest a lengthy detention in Chicago's northwest suburbs, angering neighbors who said it was “inappropriate” and “extremely disappointing.”
The standoff began around 10 a.m. Saturday when about 15 agents showed up to arrest an unidentified man at an apartment building in the 1600 block. Maple Lane in Elgin. Elgin police said there was a traffic accident that morning involving a federal agent and a man who then fled into the building.
The crowd, whistling and yelling for the agents to leave, grew throughout the morning, eventually swelling to at least 100 people by the afternoon.
Agents reportedly arrested the man while he was inside the apartment around 3:30 p.m. Later, video taken by a witness at the scene shows some people in the crowd throwing snowballs at the agents and their cars, while others yell at them to stop.
As the agents left, they threw pepper spray and stun grenades into the crowd. One agent told the crowd, “Move over or gas will be used,” seconds before he threw the canister, the video shows.
Representatives for the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joined the U.S. Coast Guard for a Christmas tree celebration at Navy Pier on Saturday.
Audrey Luman, 40, of West Chicago, said pepper spray and tear gas were “everywhere” in the crowd and that she could still smell it on her clothes about an hour later. Luman said neighbors asked agents to see the warrant, but they refused.
“It was like they wanted the situation to escalate,” she said. “I don't understand what comes into their head to justify such actions. It could have been an ordinary Saturday, but instead they have to do this to our community.”
Federal agents clashed increased attention from frightened residents and trials over their use of chemical weapons during Operation Midway Blitz, which was scaled back after Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino left Chicago along with hundreds of his agents in November. Body cameras repeatedly captured the apparent glee of agents firing tear gas and other munitions into residential streets.
“It is clear that Chicago and Illinois remain a target of the administration,” said Brandon Lee of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. told the Tribune this week after agents detained at least three people in the western suburbs.
According to Elgin police, a federal agent reported that he was involved in a traffic accident during a law enforcement investigation and that someone involved in the accident fled on Maple Lane. The crash happened around 9:15 a.m. in the 1600 block of West Highland Avenue, police said in a statement.
About 45 minutes later, another caller in the 1600 block of Maple Lane reported that “masked subjects were on their property, stating they had a warrant.”
However, the protest outside the building appeared to escalate around 12:30 p.m. Video taken by a witness at the scene shows at least two agents fighting with the protester as other agents push back the crowd. The agents then threw tear gas and pepper balls into the crowd, according to witnesses and video.
Tracy Howell, 58, said agents grabbed the man after he approached them from the sidewalk. At that point, agents fired pepper balls, which Howell said “irritated” her nose and throat. She said she arrived at the apartment building around noon.
“(The agents) just kept saying, 'Move back. Step back.” And I kept asking, 'Where do you want us to go back to?'” she said. “And the guy who was the most aggressive… pushed me to the ground.”
Howell said neighbors brought pizza, water and hand warmers so the group could stay outside longer protesting. She said, “I'm very concerned” about federal immigration activity in her area, especially the use of chemical weapons.
“It was just testosterone and anger and it was misplaced. There was no reason for it. One small step and they would work,” she said. “I never would have thought that law enforcement would pepper me or knock me down.”
Elgin police said they received reports of a shooting but determined after arriving on scene that it was not true. Instead, they found that the agents “dispersed chemical irritants.” They provided assistance on the spot and released seven people.
“The Elgin Police Department will continue to respond to any requests for assistance and determine appropriate actions under the Illinois Trust Act, which prohibits Elgin Police officers from assisting in federal immigration enforcement operations,” the department said.
By 2:30 p.m., the man agents were trying to arrest was still on the balcony. About 30 agents at the scene tried to negotiate with him, and a crowd of about 200 people asked the man not to talk to them.
