Latest news with #ByronSigcho-Lopez
Axios
5 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
Chicago officials decry ICE tactics in surprise detentions
At least 20 people were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Wednesday in the South Loop, advocates say. Elected officials and advocates tell Axios the detainees received text messages asking them to check in as part of a federal monitoring program that requires them to wear ankle monitors. Why it matters: Chicago alders say masked ICE agents did not identify themselves nor inform attorneys why individuals were being detained or where they were going. The other side: ICE sent a statement to NBC 5 saying the agency had " final orders of removal" signed by a judge for those detained. ICE did not respond to Axios' multiple requests for comment. The big picture: After the people were separated from their lawyers at the 2245 S. Michigan Ave. administrative office, activists called supporters to gather outside the building, leading to clashes between protesters and agents. Elected officials on the scene included Alds. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th), Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33rd), Andre Vasquez (40th), Jessie Fuentes (26th) and Anthony Quezada (35th). Quezada says agents pushed him to the ground. What they're saying: "They cannot be operating with that level of secrecy," Sigcho-Lopez tells Axios. "These people came in with no identification, pointing guns, wearing masks, shoving people to the ground, without giving any reason for why they were being detained. This was not safe. This was mayhem." "Using text messages to call people into ISAP [Intensive Supervision Appearance Program] facilities to arrest the exact immigrants who are demonstrating their commitment to the rule of law by complying with ICE's instructions runs counter to every claim the Trump Administration has made," Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Illinois) said in a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The intrigue: Immigrant advocates The Resurrection Project noted that ICE agents brought a photographer with them during the action, suggesting the agency is, "turning our pain into political theater," according to a statement. "Today wasn't about public safety or law enforcement. It was about creating fear and confusion in our communities," the group said. Zoom in: Mayor Brandon Johnson released a statement Wednesday saying in part, "I condemn the reckless and dangerous escalation from ICE agents." State of play: Chicago police officers were also at the scene, but according to spokesperson Tom Ahern, they were there for crowd control and were not cooperating with ICE. "No arrests were made by CPD and the crowd dispersed without incident," Ahern said in a statement. Zoom out: Wednesday's incident came after ICE officers this week reportedly detained two people who worked at a Pilsen restaurant.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Community outraged as ICE raid sparks questions in Pilsen
CHICAGO (WGN) — The Pilsen community was fired up after an alleged ICE raid in the South Side neighborhood Monday morning. WGN TV News was told several people donning FBI vests illegally entered a business and a residence, taking two Mexican nationals into custody. 'We are, right now, investigating the reason why those neighbors have been detained without a warrant,' Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward) said. Sigcho-Lopez said the alleged ICE raid happened around 8:30 a.m. 'In both instances, the video footage and the witness's recollection, there was no warrant,' Sigcho-Lopez. 'It's questionable if they even attempted to identify the people they ultimately detained.' In footage circulating on social media, a Chicago Police Department squad car is also visible. CPD issued the following statement in response: 'An officer was en route to court and observed law enforcement activity. Upon learning this activity was related to civil immigration enforcement, the officer immediately left the scene. At no point did the officer assist in immigration enforcement.' -CPD The immigration status and criminal record of the two Mexican nationals remain unclear. An ICE press release dated April 29, 2025, claims that during the first 100 days of Donald Trump's second term, ICE arrested more than 66,000 people. In response to a request for comment on this story, the FBI released the following statement: 'We can confirm that the FBI was supporting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) immigration enforcement operations at a residence in the referenced vicinity earlier today which resulted in the apprehension of two subjects. The FBI, alongside other Department of Justice law enforcement partners, have been supporting these efforts at the direction of the Attorney General. The FBI's contribution to this effort can vary dependent on the specific needs of DHS. For any further releasable information, please contact the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Chicago Field Office.' U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement has not responded to requests for comment on this story. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
City Council hearing on controversial art devolves into shouting, name-calling
CHICAGO — A City Council committee meeting called to discuss a controversial piece of art at the Chicago Cultural Center devolved Tuesday into a shouting match between aldermen and the ordered removal of one of them before he left on his own accord. The boiling point came more than two hours into the Committee on Special Events, Cultural Affairs and Recreation hearing on a piece called 'US-Israel War Machine' when Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward) invoked white supremacy during debate. Sigcho-Lopez later denied using the term to describe Ald. Bill Conway (34th Ward), who'd just finished speaking and expressed regret that it became part of the conversation. 'Things got heated in there. We talked about it behind closed doors,' Conway told WGN after the dust-up. 'He apologized and said that those remarks were not directed towards me. I have no desire to — I appreciate him doing that. I have no desire escalate this any further.' Sigcho-Lopez's larger exception to the hearing was the council's step into matters of potential censorship in discussing a process to approve public art in city-owned spaces. 'Now we going to develop a process where aldermen can now go and give an opinion about every single piece of art? It's a disgrace that we have this conversation today in the City of Chicago,' he said. Tuesday's meeting was called after a majority of the city's alders signed onto a letter demanding the removal of the large, two-sided puppet at the cultural center that depicts Uncle Sam on one side and Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu on the other. The 27 signees called the piece, which includes messages critical of the United States and Israel for Palestinian deaths in the Israel-Hamas conflict, 'antisemitic.' Clinée Hedspeth, the commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and exhibition curator Grace Needlman were called to respond to the process of approving art. 'The intention of the exhibition was to celebrate the incredible range of puppets being made here in Chicago,' Needlman told those in attendance. The puppet is part of a wider exhibition at the Cultural Center, the selection of which prompted Ald. Debra Silverstein (50th Ward), the council's only Jewish member, to call for the hearing. 'If someone submitted a puppet of Mayor Johnson with his hands covered in blood protesting removal of ShotSpotter, would that be displayed?' she asked. The mayor addressed the art at a separate press conference Tuesday. 'I think it's important, particularly at a time when history and culture is being threatened and undermined that we don't find ourselves exacerbating the attempt to silence the voices of individuals that speak their truth through their lived experiences,' he said. Tuesday's hearing was informational only. No votes were taken nor any decisions made after the many hours of debate. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
