ICE arrested more people in Chicago’s western suburbs Wednesday and a dramatic raid in Naperville caused a chaotic situation, according to witnesses.
Witnesses said federal agents appeared to target a suburban roof repair to the distress of workers and many Cress Creek residents.
The agents converged on a two-story home early Wednesday afternoon without warning, sending roofers running in all directions.
Bobby Fischer said his Naperville home has a giant hole in the roof and no one to fix it after the ICE operation sent roofers running in all directions.
“Our neighbors witnessed agents with guns drawn running down a residential street, which seems irresponsible,” Fischer said.
He and his family were not home when ICE arrived as they were out celebrating a birthday. They came home to an abandoned work site with all the roofers inexplicably gone.
Neighbors quickly caught the Fischers up on what happened.
One of the roofers, who did not want to reveal his identity, told WGN-TV the ICE agents were heavy-handed, in his opinion, as they took many of the roofers into custody.
“They commenced to attack us, to throw us onto the ground,” the roofer said.
That roofer, a 32-year-old father, is still shaken and was barely able to finish his conversation as he was overcome with emotion.
“Some of them are fathers,” he said. “It’s very hard what is happening. It’s a lot of harm that they’re doing to us.”
Fischer wishes agents could have used more discretion and done this at a safer location without putting the roofers or the neighborhood in harm’s way.
“There shouldn’t be anything wrong with guys making a living. I don’t care if they’re documented,” Fischer said.
WGN-TV reached out to ICE for comment, but has not yet heard back.
Meanwhile, people in Cicero, Wheaton and Naperville spotted ICE’s arrest teams taking some people into custody and caught some of it on video.
Witnesses described a group of masked individuals trying to get others to come out of their vehicle in a Mendard’s parking lot off Aurora Avenue.
One man who spoke with WGN-TV said the masked men had no visible ID badges as they tried to make an arrest.
Community rapid response teams in Wheaton converged on a parking lot near Roosevelt as federal agents worked to arrest what Homeland Security described as “illegal criminal aliens.”‘
The local response team, however, questioned the ICE agents and demanded to see judicial warrants. The ICE agents soon left and abandoned their effort, according to witnesses.
ICE agents also continue to stake out local jails, looking to detain people as they’re released from custody.
Video obtained by WGN Investigates shows agents in the public library of the Kane County Jail in St. Charles, taking a man into custody on Wednesday.
It’s unclear why the man had been in jail, or why ICE agents targeted him.
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