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By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
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A lawful permanent resident in Illinois was reportedly detained for several hours after federal immigration agents stopped him on a neighborhood street and requested proof of his legal status.
Antonio Enriquez, 53, said he was walking to a store in Melrose Park last month when agents in unmarked vehicles approached him and asked for his immigration documents, according to The Chicago Tribune.
Newsweek has contacted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for comment via email outside office hours.
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Why It Matters
Tensions remain high in Chicago two months into Operation Midway Blitz, the Trump administration’s enforcement effort aimed at targeting migrants without legal status. DHS has said more than 1,000 people have been arrested under the operation, part of a broader push for increased immigration arrests and removals. The crackdown has sparked protests and legal challenges, with authorities citing safety concerns even as a federal judge moves to restrict parts of the enforcement activity.
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What To Know
Enriquez told federal agents his documents were at his home, only a few blocks away, and urged officers to accompany him there, saying, "Vamos a mi casa. Let’s go to my house," The Chicago Tribune reported.
Enriquez said the agents declined, per the report. Video footage cited by The Chicago Tribune, captured by a bystander, shows several officers restraining him after he attempted to pull his arm away during the encounter. The recording depicts at least three agents pushing Enriquez to the ground and handcuffing him. In the video, a federal agent can be heard telling the person filming, "We’re not trying to hurt anybody, but if you resist, that’s what happens."
Enriquez was taken to a nearby U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, per The Chicago Tribune. The man's daughter, Alexis Gomez, told the outlet that her father remained detained for roughly six hours until she arrived with copies of his green card and Social Security card. She said she feared her father might not be released despite his legal status as a permanent resident.
The Trump administration is moving forward with what it describes as the largest deportation effort in U.S. history, a central component of the Republican Party’s hard-line immigration agenda. Under the government's aggressive deportation policy, individuals with legal status, including green-card holders, applicants, and valid visa holders, have been caught up in the raids.
What People Are Saying
"For decades, sanctuary policies exasperated the crime crisis in Chicago. Now thanks to our brave DHS law enforcement, Chicago is experiencing a historic drop in violent crime," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. "Since initiating Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago, homicides decreased 16%, shootings decreased 35%, robberies decreased 41%, vehicular carjackings decreased 48%, and transit crime decreased 20%. It’s common sense—when you remove the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from our country—crime rates plummet."
Governor JB Pritzker wrote in a post on X: "Tear gassing kids in peaceful neighborhoods makes no one safer. He cannot steal credit from our violence prevention and law enforcement efforts that have reduced crime for four years straight—long before his masked agents showed up."
What Happens Next
The Trump administration is shifting the focus of its operations to Charlotte. Immigration enforcement operations are still expected to continue throughout Chicago and Illinois.
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