UPDATE 3:28 p.m. — Mayor Brandon Johnson posted a statement regarding the incident through his press office:
“Yesterday, federal immigration agents at the intersection of S California Ave. & W Van Buren St. put a Chicagoan in a chokehold on the side of the street. These agents are rogue, unaccountable, and cannot be trusted to keep Chicagoans safe. Thankfully, brave Chicagoans documented these actions and posted them on social media. The recklessness of these unchecked federal agents puts all Chicagoans at risk, regardless of their immigration status. In South Shore earlier this week, we saw federal agents busting down doors, handcuffing children, and putting long guns in the faces of Black, working-class residents. We need transparency and accountability from federal immigration agents operating in our city.”
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ORIGINAL STORY – New video posted to Instagram shows more details surrounding the incident that led to a Black man being temporarily detained and choked by federal agents on Wednesday in Chicago’s East Garfield Park neighborhood.
Witness footage posted Wednesday to an Instagram account called “Chicago Ghetto 3” captured federal agents at the intersection of Congress Parkway and California Avenue following a car crash. A man narrates while recording the video footage.
“I ain’t Venezuelan. I’m from right here in Chicago,” the narrator says. To the right of the narrator’s car, a federal agent is seen walking across the street at Congress Parkway back toward the Eisenhower Expressway. The federal agent in the video appears to be limping as he walks.
“Look, he tweaking. He just hurt himself. Nothing beats a Jet2 Holiday. His ass hurt,” the narrator continues. The Jet2 Holiday phrase comes from a viral trend on TikTok.
The video footage transitions to the scene outside a nearby BP gas station on the 500 block of South California. There, federal agents are escorting a Black man — with his hands behind his back — down an alley. The man appears to be the same Black man who is in the earlier reported video being choked by federal agents. The narrator asks the agents where they are taking the man.
“He’s a U.S citizen,” the video narrator yells from his car. Others follow the agents and the apprehended Black man down the alley in protest, recording the interaction as well. Someone in the background of the video can be overheard yelling, “He not no immigrant!”
According to the Chicago Police Department (CPD), local officers responded around 2:36 p.m. to a car accident with injuries in the 2800 block of West Congress Parkway.
In response to The TRiiBE’s inquiry, a CPD spokesperson said a white sedan — driven by an unknown operator — was driving eastbound on Congress Parkway. A 49-year-old woman driving a black sedan northbound on California was hit by the white sedan. She was transported to Mount Sinai for injuries to her shoulder, neck and hip, but was reportedly in good condition. The unknown driver of the white sedan “fled from the vehicle,” according to police.
“While on scene, Chicago Police Department supervisors were notified that federal authorities detained an individual who was possibly connected to the auto accident,” the CPD spokesperson said in their email to The TRiiBE. “Following further investigation, an Investigatory Stop Report was completed and the detained individual was released on scene. This investigation continues.”
The CPD spokesperson added that “at no point did CPD coordinate or assist federal authorities with immigration enforcement.”
However, it remains unclear how or why federal agents apprehended the Black man. In a separate video shared with The TRiiBE, an agent says to a witness recording the scene, “Just so you guys know, this is not an immigration enforcement action.” The agent goes on to say that they are responding to a robbery in progress.
In a written statement today, a coalition of Black-led civic and community-based organizations condemned the “unlawful, violent attack by federal agents on a Black man.”
They also wrote that the federal agents caused the car accident.
The TRiiBE has reached out to Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), but still no response.
“Yesterday, Agents chased a community member down, caused a car accident in the process, assaulted him by putting him in a chokehold, and illegally detained him. Community members came out to protest and document the violence. People asserting this man’s rights and this resistance to the violence led to the release of this man after local police arrived,” the coalition’s statement reads.
Maurice Woodard, organizing director at Equity and Transformation (E.A.T.), witnessed the aftermath of the accident. He joined in on the coalition’s statement.
“Feds took over the corner like a gang. They pulled a man out of his car, beat, choked and detained him. Blocked off all traffic as they did, worked directly with CPD, then fled the scene as quick as they got there,” Woodard said.
The incident took place outside of E.A.T.’s headquarters. They share the office space with the Westside Justice Center.
“Chicago is not within the 100 miles of the border that Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) are responsible for and have jurisdiction to patrol. CBP should not be in our Chicagoland communities, let alone choking, arresting and harassing Chicago civilians,” said Tanya Woods, Executive Director of the Westside Justice Center.
“Over the last two weeks, we have witnessed Border Patrol working with other agents to raid an apartment building in South Shore, patrol and arrest people downtown, this egregious incident of violence on the West Side, among several other raids and arrest around the Chicagoland community,” Woods continued.
Earlier this month, TRiiBE publisher Morgan Elise Johnson called for multi-racial unity as the Trump administration increased its militarization of American cities.
A coalition of more than 40 Black-led community and legal groups have come together to oppose President Donald Trump’s mobilization of military forces on Chicago. They are hosting a Know-Your-Rights training on Oct. 11 at 10:00 a.m., at the Westside Justice Center, located at 601 S. California Avenue.
This coalition have been advocating for community and economic investments as solutions to true community safety. Since last month, the coalition has been hosting Know-Your-Rights trainings.
