Overview
- Mayor Daniel Biss said the city launched two inquiries into the incident, one into the agents’ use of force and one into the vehicle collision, with options that include referral to the Cook County state’s attorney or the DOJ Civil Rights Division.
- DHS said an agent delivered defensive strikes after the detainee kicked him and grabbed his genitals, while videos show agents punching a restrained man; three U.S. citizens were arrested during the encounter and later released, and five Mexican nationals were detained in Evanston and Skokie.
- Hundreds gathered for protests and a vigil in Evanston, the city began dispatching police supervisors to encounters involving federal agents, and neighborhood networks continued to track unmarked enforcement vehicles.
- A federal court order by Judge Sara Ellis limits use of chemical agents and requires warnings and body cameras when feasible, yet recent reporting documents tear gas deployments in several Chicago neighborhoods and a judicial warning to the operation’s leader.
- DHS reports more than 3,000 detentions across Chicago since September, with local impacts including a canceled outdoor recess near the Evanston operation and reduced business traffic reported in Pilsen.