Ald. Rodriguez Condemns ICE/CBP Detentions in Little Village, Calls for Immediate Release of Staff and Residents (Chicago, IL) – Alderman Michael D. Rodriguez (22nd Ward) is demanding the immediate release of two members of his staff and several community residents who were detained Wednesday during an immigration enforcement operation in Little Village.
According to Rodriguez, federal agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detained at least seven residents in the predominantly Latino neighborhood — including multiple U.S. citizens. Among those held, he said, were Jacqueline Lopez and Elianne Bahena, Rodriguez’s chief of staff and an elected 10th District Police Commissioner.
“Today in the Little Village community, ICE/CBP detained at least seven residents of our community. Several of those detained are U.S. citizens,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “In addition, they detained two members of my aldermanic staff, Jacqueline Lopez and Elianne Bahena… Both Ms. Bahena and Ms. Lopez are also U.S. citizens.”
Rodriguez condemned the federal operation as a violation of civil and constitutional rights, saying that residents have a legal right to observe ICE and CBP activity in public.
“All residents have the right to peacefully observe ICE/CBP activity,” he said. “The federal government continues to claim that those who exercise their rights are breaking the law — these claims have been repeatedly proven false.”
Calling the agents’ actions “lawless,” Rodriguez demanded that all detained individuals be released immediately and that federal authorities be held accountable for what he described as “an utter disregard for our constitutional rights.”
“These federal agents are operating lawlessly, demonstrating utter disregard for our constitutional rights,” he said. “I demand the immediate release of my staff members, as well as everyone else whose rights were abjectly violated by ICE/CBP agents in Little Village today.”
As of Wednesday evening, ICE and CBP had not publicly responded to the alderman’s allegations or confirmed details of the detentions
Ald. Rodriguez Condemns ICE/CBP Detentions in Little Village, Calls for Immediate Release of Staff and Residents
