2 U.S. citizens among 5 arrested at early morning Elgin, Illinois ICE raid
Two U.S. citizens among five arrested during ICE raid in Elgin
Two U.S. citizens among five arrested during ICE raid in Elgin
Two U.S. citizens among five arrested during ICE raid in Elgin
Two U.S. citizens were among five people arrested in an early morning ICE raid in Elgin, Illinois, Tuesday, an operation that was shared on social media by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Those two citizens were later released.
A video shared on social media by a witness shows several people being led away in handcuffs by agents in military uniforms with tactical vehicles in the street. The witness took the video after hearing what she described as an explosion around 5:50 a.m.
In the video, you can see armed officers shining flashlights at a door and into a window. Another neighbor said he heard a response from law enforcement from the air.
"I was awakened at 20 to 6 by the drone of a helicopter flying overhead, circling the house, circling the neighborhood, spotlight on, right over the house," said neighbor Jim Andresen. "Very unusual in our usually quiet neighborhood."
A contractor called by a homeowner in the neighborhood to repair damage told CBS News Chicago that both the front and back doors of the home in question were busted in.
Five people were arrested by immigration agents from a single home. Two of them have since been released, because they are U.S. citizens.
One of those men said it was an incredibly scary morning to be arrested by immigration agents. He said they were asked at one point if they were citizens, and both men were on their way to work at the time so were able to produce their drivers licenses, and be released.
He said the reason the other three people were detained remains unknown.
Noem shared a video of the same raid, where she appeared to be present, and said in her social media post that the offenses include DUI, felony stalking and assault, but it was not clear whether the people shown in the video were related to any of those charges. Noem also spoke in her post about the ICE agent dragged during a fatal shooting in Franklin Park, Illinois, Friday over the same video of the Elgin raid, even though they are separate and unrelated incidents.
Neighbors said the federal presence was massive, to the point where they wondered if it was necessary.
"The amount of presence for helicopters, drones, a spotlight, the vehicles, the armored vehicles, it looked like it was a military orchestration that was coming down," said neighbor Nick Hurst. "Was that necessary for this kinda standard little neighborhood?"
Nonprofit immigrant rights organization Casa DuPage responded as soon as they heard about the raid.
"We go out and patrol our communities starting as early as 4 in the morning," said Ismael Cordoba-Clough of Casa DuPage.
The group works to warn others in the community of any ICE-related activity. They said they could not reach the family that lives in the home before they were taken into federal custody.
"I see the door broken and I hear them screaming in Spanish, telling them to get out or else they'll come in with deadly force, things like that, and then I see them come out one by one," Cordoba-Clough said.
Later, Illinois state Sen. Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) canvassed her district herself, with strong words for Noem, after she said her community is afraid and angry with the ongoing "Operation Midway Blitz."
"She can go to hell. Don't come into my community," Castro said.
It is not clear if anyone arrested Tuesday morning has been charged with or convicted of any crimes. CBS News Chicago has asked the Department of Homeland Security for more information, but has not heard back about any of those specifics.
Law enforcement sources say the FBI, U.S. Marshals, ICE and Customs and Border Protection are all on the ground in Chicago and surrounding suburbs.
Actions like this are expected to last in Chicago for a few more weeks.
