CHICAGO (WLS) — An investigation has been initiated by the state of Illinois to uncover the reasons behind last summer’s immigration raid on an apartment complex located on the South Side. Allegations suggest that housing discrimination might be at the heart of the issue.
The Illinois Department of Human Rights is examining whether the landlord or the building’s management at 7500 S. Southshore Drive may have alerted the Department of Homeland Security, leading to the widely publicized raid in September. This is a question that has been on the minds of tenants and community members alike.
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The raid took place on September 30 at the intersection of 75th and South Shore Drive, drawing national attention as part of what was dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz.”
In a dramatic middle-of-the-night operation, Border Patrol, the FBI, and other federal agents descended from helicopters and stormed the building at 7500 S. Southshore Drive. The Trump administration released a slickly produced video showcasing the operation, which was aimed at apprehending members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
During the raid, thirty-seven individuals were arrested, but according to the state, the Department of Homeland Security has yet to provide updates on any formal charges or deportations.
As a result, the Illinois Department of Human Rights is now investigating whether discriminatory practices were a factor in initiating the raid.
“So we were very suspicious for a long time that the landlord or the property manager was involved in calling for this raid, and really outraged by that, and the impact that doing that had on the people of the building,” said Jonah Karsh with the Metropolitan Tenants Organization.
In the new filing, Illinois officials say agents dragged tenants and their children outside, separated them based on their race, ancestry and national origin, and left them zip-tied for hours.
The building owner and landlord is accused of telling the federal government about immigrants living in the building to “intimidate and coerce Black and Hispanic tenants into leaving.”
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Dozens of tenants in South Shore building immigration agents raided being evicted
In the aftermath of the raid, the 130-unit building was deemed unfit for habitation, and in December, all of the residents were forced to move out. But earlier last summer, the tenants had been been trying unionize and brought concerns about unsafe living conditions to advocates and the City Council Committee on Housing.
‘We cannot normalize that when we are using federal enforcement as retaliation, when people may be behind rent and not being able to make payments,” said Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, Chair of the Housing and Real Estate Committee. “That is what the due process, and that’s what it’s important that we get to the bottom of it so this does not become the norm.”
The landlord and management companies did not respond to ABC7’s request for comment.
One tenant told ABC7 that just days before the raid, maintenance went through tagging certain doors with an X, as if to direct authorities on which apartments to raid.
“It wasn’t over everybody’s door, it wasn’t over my door, it wasn’t over my neighbor’s door, but it was over specific units, mainly squatting units or just vacant units,” the tenant said.
“If these allegations are substantiated, appears that the landlord and property manager may have been using the federal agents as sort of a private eviction force,” Karsh said. “If that can happen in this building, and it can happen somewhere else, yeah, I mean, it’s incredibly egregious.”
The hope is the investigation into what prompted the raid serves as a warning to other landlords about due process.
“That these illegal practices will not be tolerated and will be investigated and there will be accountability and justice,” Sigcho-Lopez said.
Governor JB Pritzker said in a statement, “These allegations of housing discrimination raise serious concerns for people struggling to maintain housing – and the communities that have been profiled and relentlessly targeted by the federal government during its violent immigration enforcement operations. State law prohibits discrimination, and that includes aiding or abetting conduct intended to interfere with housing and civil rights.”
A spokesperson for DHS said, “This operation was performed in full compliance of the law. Given that two individuals of a Foreign Terrorist Organization were arrested, at a building they are known to frequent, we are limited on further information we can provide.”
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