10 hours ago
2
Shocking video captured Border Patrol agents dragging a 67-year-old man from his car and pinning him to the ground in an immigration enforcement operation during a children’s Halloween parade in Chicago, according to reports.
The man was driving home after a long morning run when he turned a corner in the city’s Old Irving Park neighborhood and discovered Border Patrol agents had blocked off the road leading to his home, his running club, DWRunning Racing Team, posted in a social media statement.
The man, who the club identified as a US citizen, was reportedly dragged out of the car and thrown to the ground shortly after agents “threatened to break his window,” if he didn’t move his car, the club said.
Video posted by the club captured the runner, who has not been identified by name, on the ground breathlessly saying, “I’ll move my … get off of me,” as agents kneeled on his back while cuffing him.
Onlookers screamed, “Get off of him,” and “You’re f—-ing suffocating him!” at the agents while filming the incident.
The man suffered six broken ribs, which caused internal bleeding during the detainment, the club claimed.
The arrest came as Border Patrol agents converged in the neighborhood to conduct an immigration enforcement raid. Residents claimed the officers interrupted a children’s Halloween parade and released tear gas without warning, ABC News reported.
Footage obtained by the outlet showed agents deploying the tear gas and cuffing several people, including US citizens, outside houses adorned with Halloween decorations, according to the outlet.
The agents “had to deploy crowd control measures” to protect themselves from a hostile crowd, Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement to ABC.
Agents were conducting an operation to arrest an illegal immigrant from Mexico “who has previously been arrested for assault,” authorities told the outlet.
“During the operations, Border Patrol agents were surrounded by a group of agitators. Federal law enforcement issued multiple lawful commands and verbal warnings, all of which were ignored,” McLaughlin said.
Two US citizens were arrested for assaulting and impeding a federal officer, Mclaughlin said.
“To safely clear the area after multiple warnings and the crowd continuing to advance on them, Border Patrol had to deploy crowd control measures,” the statement continued.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately answer The Post’s request for comment on the arrest of the man featured in the video.
“The outpouring of messages and support [over] the past 24 hours has been overwhelming and heartwarming. It’s given us some hope that light can shine through the dark,” the club wrote in a follow-up message.
“For those concerned about our athlete, thank you. He is doing as well as can be expected.”
DWRunning did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for additional comment.
Several violent clashes have occurred between federal agents and angry protesters since US Immigration and Customs Enforcement last month launched “Operation Midway Blitz” in the Windy City.
The initiative aims to “target the criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois because they knew Governor Pritzker and his sanctuary policies would protect them and allow them to roam free on American streets,” the department announced in an X post.
.
English (US)