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6h ago

Forest Park Mayor Condemns ICE After Cemetery Workers Detained With Pepper Spray

DHS says agents were conducting a river rescue tied to Operation Midway Blitz when the four U.S. workers were arrested for obstruction.

Danny Greer, from left, Mayor Rory Hoskins, Cordell Walls and Darren Eichler hold a press conference in Forest Park on Oct. 13, 2025, after Greer, Walls and Eichler, all employees of Concordia Cemetery, were detained for hours and subjected to physical force by federal agents while on private property. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
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Overview

  • Four U.S. citizens working at Concordia Cemetery in Forest Park were detained on Oct. 7 during an ICE operation and held for hours, with three later released without charges and a fourth treated at Rush Oak Park Hospital.
  • Video published by WGN shows agents cutting a locked gate to enter the private cemetery, deploying what appears to be pepper balls, and ordering workers to the ground.
  • DHS identified the two people taken from the nearby Des Plaines River as Martin Martinez Guereca and Jaime Arturo Martinez Rojas and described both as criminal noncitizens.
  • Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins called the episode an overreach and urged an end to Operation Midway Blitz, while the village prepares know‑your‑rights trainings and the workers consider legal action.
  • DHS said on social media that Operation Midway Blitz has resulted in more than 1,500 arrests in the Chicago area.