Chicago ICE Raid and National Guard Deployment: Women and Children Zip-Tied Amid Escalating Crackdown
The federal government’s immigration crackdown in Chicago has escalated sharply this week, spreading from apartment raids in South Shore to violent clashes with protesters in Brighton Park. What began as an alleged gang enforcement operation has now expanded into a multi-agency show of force involving ICE, Border Patrol, and soon, the National Guard.
On Monday night, a late-night raid at 7500 South Shore Drive left families traumatized as federal agents reportedly zip-tied women, children, and even U.S. citizens. Then on Saturday, Border Patrol agents shot and injured a woman on the city’s Southwest Side, triggering mass protests and a heavy law enforcement response.
By Sunday morning, President Donald Trump announced he was deploying the National Guard to Chicago—marking one of the largest domestic military authorizations of his second term.
Inside the South Shore Raid: “They Treated Us Like We Were Nothing”
Residents in the predominantly Black South Shore neighborhood say what they experienced Monday night bore little resemblance to a “targeted operation.”
According to DHS, the raid aimed to capture members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang allegedly operating out of Chicago shelters. Officials said 37 people were arrested. The FBI confirmed involvement and called the effort “a targeted immigration enforcement operation.”
But residents paint a picture of terror.
“I was woken up by pounding and screaming,” said Maria Lopez, a mother of two. “Before I could grab my kids’ shoes, they zip-tied me and threw us in the hallway.” Lopez said she and her children were loaded into a U-Haul truck “like cargo.”
Another resident, Pertissue Fisher, told ABC 7 Chicago that officers pointed guns at her face.
“They treated us like we were nothing,” she said. “I’ve never had a gun put in my face before. I was so scared I couldn’t speak.”
Fisher said she was detained for five hours before being released without explanation.
A 67-year-old U.S. citizen, Rodrick Johnson, said ICE agents broke down his door and zip-tied him despite showing them proof of citizenship.
“I asked if they had a warrant,” Johnson told the Chicago Sun-Times. “They said I had to wait until they looked me up. No one ever brought me a lawyer.”
When residents returned, they found their homes trashed—doors kicked in, belongings destroyed, and neighbors missing. Photos from Block Club Chicago and the Sun-Times show children’s toys and clothing scattered in hallways alongside broken furniture and glass.
Witnesses Say Children Were Among the Detained
Neighbors said several children were zip-tied and separated from parents. Witness Eboni Watson recalled seeing agents detain barefoot children in the cold night air.
“One of the agents laughed and said, ‘F*** them kids,’” she said. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Residents say there were no social workers or city officials present. “They just disappeared with people,” Watson said. “Nobody told us where they were taken.”
DHS later posted a promotional video online celebrating the raid as part of “Operation Midway Blitz,” claiming over 900 arrests across Illinois.
Border Patrol Shooting Sparks Protests in Brighton Park
Days later, the situation in Chicago exploded further after Border Patrol agents shot a woman on the city’s Southwest Side. DHS said the shooting occurred Saturday morning after agents were “rammed by vehicles and boxed in by ten cars.”
According to DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, the woman, identified as Marimar Martinez, was armed with a semiautomatic weapon and allegedly attempted to run agents over. She was treated for her injuries and later taken into FBI custody. Another suspect, Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, was arrested at the scene.
Federal officials claimed Martinez had previously been flagged in a Customs and Border Protection intelligence bulletin for doxing agents online. No officers were seriously injured, DHS said.
But the shooting drew hundreds of protesters to the streets of Brighton Park, where demonstrators clashed with federal officers throughout Saturday. Photos from the Chicago Sun-Times show tear gas erupting on residential streets, ICE officers in tactical gear advancing behind armored BearCat vehicles, and protesters being held down and doused with milk and saline after exposure to gas.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem later visited Chicago and met with federal employees at a nearby immigration facility. Protesters gathered outside, leading to additional arrests.
Trump Deploys National Guard to Chicago
As images of tear gas and armored vehicles spread across social media, President Trump authorized 300 Illinois National Guard troops to deploy to Chicago.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said the move was necessary to protect “federal officers and assets” amid what she called “violent riots and lawlessness.”
“President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the chaos plaguing American cities,” Jackson said.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker condemned the deployment, calling it “unnecessary and unconstitutional.”
“This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Pritzker said in a statement. “It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.”
Pritzker accused Trump of manufacturing the crisis to justify a domestic military presence. “This is not about safety,” he said. “This is about control.”
A City on Edge
As protests continued into Sunday night, federal officers remained stationed across Chicago’s South and West Sides. The Chicago Police Department said it was not directly involved in the Border Patrol shooting and was only assisting with “traffic and documentation.”
Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Noem described Chicago as “a war zone” in a Fox News interview, claiming “paid protesters” were targeting officers.
“Our intelligence indicates these people are organized and making plans to ambush and kill them,” she said. “Somebody is funding them.”
Civil rights groups have condemned the remarks as inflammatory and dangerous. Local organizers said the city’s immigrant communities are living in fear, unsure if more raids or violence will follow.
“This isn’t law enforcement—it’s occupation,” said Rosa Alvarez with the Chicago Immigrant Rights Coalition. “Families are being terrorized in their own homes. Now the president wants to send soldiers into our neighborhoods.”
Legal and Political Fallout
The decision to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago follows similar moves in Los Angeles, Memphis, and Washington, D.C. California Governor Gavin Newsom successfully sued to block the Los Angeles deployment, arguing that it violated federal law prohibiting the military from domestic policing.
A federal judge in Oregon also temporarily blocked Trump’s attempt to send the Guard to Portland, ruling that such action could violate constitutional limits.
Despite mounting opposition, Trump’s administration says it intends to continue the deployments, framing them as part of a broader campaign to “restore order” in American cities ahead of the 2026 election.
The Human Cost
In South Shore, residents are still picking up the pieces of their shattered homes. Many say they haven’t heard from detained family members. Parents are replacing doors and locks, children are sleeping on floors, and neighbors have started mutual aid drives to replace what was lost.
“It’s like we don’t even exist to them,” said Fisher. “They came into our homes, destroyed everything, and walked away like nothing happened.”
As armored trucks rumble through city streets and the National Guard readies to deploy, Chicago’s neighborhoods are bracing for what comes next.
