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Federal immigration raids in Chicago have escalated into chaotic scenes of helicopters, chemical agents and mass detentions, sparking outrage from Illinois officials and civil rights advocates who say the Trump administration’s tactics resemble a “military invasion” of U.S. neighborhoods.
Residents awoke last week to federal agents rappelling from helicopters onto an apartment complex on Chicago’s South Side, where 37 immigrants were arrested. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed the operation but offered few details. Activists said children and U.S. citizens were among those zip-tied, detained and separated from family members.
“They are the ones that are making it a war zone,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said Sunday on CNN. “They fire tear gas and smoke grenades, and they make it look like it’s a war zone.”
The South Shore raid, conducted early Tuesday, involved unmarked trucks and Black Hawk helicopters. Agents moved door to door in the five-story building, breaking through entrances and detaining residents without showing warrants, according to multiple witnesses and advocacy groups.
Rodrick Johnson, a 67-year-old U.S. citizen, told the Chicago Sun-Times he was zip-tied after agents forced open his door. “I asked if they had a warrant, and I asked for a lawyer,” he said. “They never brought one.”
Dixon Romero, with Southside Together, said dozens of residents were left shaken. “Everyone we talked to didn’t feel safe,” Romero said. “This is not normal. It’s not OK. It’s not right.”
Gov. Pritzker has ordered an investigation into reports that children were zip-tied and detained apart from their parents. “Military-style tactics should never be used on children,” he said. Several Democratic members of Illinois’ congressional delegation gathered near the site Sunday, demanding the raids stop.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem defended the actions, calling them “necessary” to target members of the Tren de Aragua gang, though she offered no details. On Saturday, Noem posted an edited one-minute video on X showing helicopters, agents breaking doors and detainees in restraints — set to background music.
While DHS said the operations focus on “criminal threats,” local leaders and immigrant rights groups argue the crackdown has instead ensnared innocent people and terrorized communities.
Tear Gas, Smoke Bombs and Hospital Arrests
The raids have expanded in both scope and aggression. Activists report that agents have recently used tear gas and smoke bombs in residential areas, including near a public school. On Friday, agents allegedly released a chemical canister near Funston Elementary in Logan Square, forcing recess indoors.
That same day, Chicago Alderperson Jessie Fuentes was handcuffed by immigration agents at a hospital after asking to see a warrant for a man injured during a chase.
“ICE acted like an invading army in our neighborhoods,” said state Rep. Lilian Jiménez. “Helicopters hovered above our homes, terrifying families and disturbing the peace of our community. These shameful and lawless actions violate the most basic liberty: the right to live free from persecution and fear.”
An incident involving agents shooting a woman they said was armed has further inflamed tensions. While DHS alleges she tried to run agents over, activists insist federal officers caused the crash and wrongfully detained a U.S. citizen.
Legal Battles Mount
The suburban village of Broadview — home to a federal immigration processing center — has become the epicenter of protests and lawsuits. Officials there filed a federal suit Friday seeking the removal of an eight-foot fence erected outside the facility, which they say blocks emergency access and was installed “illegally.”
“The fence also constitutes an immediate public safety hazard,” the complaint states.
Civil rights attorneys are also asking a federal judge to extend a 2022 consent decree restricting how ICE can make arrests in six states, including Illinois. That order expired in May, but lawyers have filed dozens of alleged new violations over the past month.
The aggressive tactics come as President Donald Trump pushes to expand deportations and send National Guard troops to “support immigration enforcement” in blue states. More than 1,000 immigrants have been detained in the Chicago area since the crackdown began last month, according to federal data.
For Pritzker and other Illinois officials, the raids mark a dangerous new phase in the administration’s approach to immigration. “What we’re seeing is not law enforcement — it’s intimidation,” Pritzker said. “It’s government by fear.”
