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Federal agents deploy teargas to disperse Chicago Ice protest
Federal agents used teargas and pepper balls to break up a demonstration outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) facility in Chicago on Friday morning, where around 100 protesters had gathered. At least three people were arrested, including two Democratic congressional candidates who had joined the protest.
The demonstrators tried to block government vehicles from entering and leaving the facility, which has become a key hub for detentions as part of the ongoing immigration crackdown called “Operation Midway Blitz.” Clashes broke out as homeland security agents in riot gear fired pepper balls from rooftops and released multiple teargas canisters into the crowd.
Kat Abughazaleh, a progressive candidate for Illinois’s ninth congressional district, was shoved to the ground by an agent earlier in the day. Later, she denounced the incident as a “violent abuse of power,” emphasizing that the repression of protesters was minor compared with the treatment faced by immigrant communities.
Illinois lieutenant governor Juliana Stratton, a frontrunner in the 2026 Senate race, condemned the use of force, declaring: “This isn’t about safety. This is about fear, control, and intimidation.” Another candidate, Bushra Amiwala, also criticized what she called an “unjustified” use of violence against peaceful demonstrators.
Protesters chanted the name of Silverio Villegas González, a father of two who was killed by an immigration officer during a traffic stop in Chicago the previous week.
The protest reflects heightened tensions as immigration raids intensify in Chicago. According to the Department of Homeland Security, nearly 550 arrests have been made in the city since the launch of the operation. Officials have stated that enforcement will continue indefinitely.