Federal Agents Conduct Immigration Enforcement in Bronzeville, Four Detained

CHICAGO (WLS) — Federal agents made immigration arrests at a shelter in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood on Wednesday.

Part of the raid was livestreamed on social media as four people were taken into federal custody.

The shelter’s executive director called the raid “traumatizing.”

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All of it unfolded just after 9 a.m. Wednesday, and it was caught on video that was shared on social media.

Officials from Bright Star shelter informed ABC7 that seven unmarked federal vehicles arrived abruptly. They reported that federal agents pursued some migrants who were outside the facility, resulting in the detention of four individuals.

“It’s quite unbelievable, and you don’t really grasp it,” said Lakreshia Kindred, the executive director of Bright Star community outreach. “You see it on television, you hear about it, but when it actually occurs close to home, the impact is entirely different.”

This shelter in Bronzeville houses about 260 people, and they say it’s a mixed community of migrants and unhoused Chicagoans.

Now the shelter is working on some mental health support as they say the raid was very traumatizing to witness.

“Many of them are enduring very challenging times,” stated Caryl R. West, executive director of Bright Star community development. “They have faced hardship, loss, and trauma, and being in a place meant for shelter and safety, only to have that security compromised, puts us in a very distressing situation.”

The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday also provided more information on Tuesday’s arrests in the South Shore neighborhood.

DHS says 37 undocumented immigrants were taken into custody at an apartment building there.

The department says the arrests happened in an area frequented by the Tren De Aragua Venezuelan gang and their associates.