CHICAGO (WLS) — An Illinois state representative, who is also a candidate for Congress, reported a tense encounter with a Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agent on Tuesday on Chicago’s Northwest Side.
Hoan Huynh, a Democratic state representative from Chicago seeking to represent the 9th District, was in his car around 11:30 a.m. near the intersection of Montrose and Kimball avenues in Albany Park, according to a statement released by his campaign.
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The release detailed that Huynh was in the vicinity due to reports of potential activity by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to the statement, six CBP agents, armed and ready, surrounded his vehicle, with one agent brandishing a firearm.
The agent allegedly pressed the gun against the car window in an attempt to shatter the glass, the campaign reported.
Huynh’s team claims the agents prevented them from trailing an unmarked vehicle carrying ICE officers.
Huynh was eventually able to leave.
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“This was federal agents using violent intimidation trying to silence us,” Rep. Huynh said. “If they can pull a gun on an elected official and try to bash in my window, there’s no end to the terror they will continue reigning on our communities. We must fight back against this fascist regime that has no place in America.”
Huynh is a Vietnamese refugee who came to America as a child when his family was granted asylum after collaborating with American troops during the Vietnam War, the release said.
Neither ICE nor CBP have responded to requests for comment.
Farther north, a Rogers Park school says a vendor employee was detained Tuesday afternoon by federal agents.
The action drew parents to stand outside Decatur Classical School on Sacramento Avenue.
The school sent a letter to parents, saying this happened outside the school, and no students were present at the time.
Afternoon PE classes were moved inside as a result.
In the letter, the school says mental health professionals are available for students, and that “As a reminder, our school and CPS WILL NOT coordinate with federal representatives, and we WILL NOT allow ICE agents or any other federal representatives access to our school unless they produce a criminal judicial warrant.”
