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Federal Immigration Operations Reach Chicago’s North Side, With Tear Gas and School Lockdowns

Border leaders defend agents’ actions under a court order that limits use of force.

Overview

  • Agents were seen Friday across Lakeview, Wicker Park, Bucktown and West Town, extending Operation Midway Blitz into residential areas.
  • Video shows tear gas deployed on a Lakeview residential street after neighbors gathered around an agents’ vehicle, according to the local alderman.
  • Community groups reported at least nine detentions, including a West Town case where agents blocked a car, smashed a window and pulled a man from the vehicle.
  • A.N. Pritzker Elementary instituted a soft lockdown and other CPS campuses tightened safety protocols, keeping doors closed while classes continued.
  • Chicago police said they de-escalated a separate confrontation without making arrests, and Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino defended the force used as compliant with agency policy amid a federal order limiting tear gas on the ground.