Politics
Border Patrol Agents Detain 2 City Employees During ‘Lawless’ Little Village Raids, Ald. Rodriguez Says
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents detained two city employees during an aggressive raid in Little Village, Ald. Mike Rodriguez (22nd Ward) said.
At least seven people were detained by agents during the mid-morning raid, including Jacqueline Lopez and Elianne Bahena, Rodriguez’s chief of staff, who is an elected member of the Ogden (10th) District Police Council. Both are U.S. citizens, Rodriguez said.
“These federal agents are operating lawlessly, demonstrating utter disregard for our constitutional rights,” Rodriguez said.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security accused Bahena and Lopez of “tailing Border Patrol vehicles to draw attention to them. One car then attempted to ram a vehicle.”
Six U.S. citizens were arrested on Wednesday for impeding operations and three undocumented immigrants were detained, according to the statement.
Rodriguez said Thursday afternoon Bahena and Lopez had been released.
“All residents have the right to peacefully observe ICE/CBP activity,” Rodriguez said, using the acronyms for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. “The federal government continues to claim that those who exercise their rights are breaking the law — these claims have been repeatedly proven as false.”
Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino accompanied agents on the raids in the Little Village neighborhood and suburban Cicero, according to Block Club Chicago.
U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” Garcia called Wednesday’s raids “state-sponsored terrorism.”
“Masked Gestapo, led by Gregory Bovino, conducted their campaign just a block from my home, and at other locations in Little Village and Cicero,” Garcia said in a statement. “Their reckless operatives once again endangered innocent lives with chemical agents, violent aggressions and high-speed chases through our neighborhoods that ended in yet another car wreck in our streets.”
“What happened in our community today was state-sponsored terrorism. Masked Gestapo, led by Gregory Bovino, conducted their campaign just a block from my home, and at other locations in Little Village and Cicero. They abducted community members, U.S. Citizens, one of whom is a local elected official, and government staff. Their reckless operatives once again endangered innocent lives with chemical agents, violent aggressions, and high-speed chases through our neighborhoods that ended in yet another car wreck in our streets.
The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights called the raids “violent” and “disruptive.”
Federal agents drove “recklessly through popular business districts, deliberately spreading fear across communities with significant immigrant populations,” causing several car crashes, according to the coalition.
Armed with military-style weapons, agents went to “various businesses, attempting to open doors, including a family community clinic,” forcing many stores to close early, according to the coalition.
An agent used pepper spray on a member of the public in Cicero, according to the coalition.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
