ICE Conducts Immigration Arrests in Chicago, Collateral Detentions Possible
Chicago, IL — Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents carried out targeted operations in the Chicago area on Monday, arresting individuals with criminal records while acknowledging that colla
NBC News was present during one such arrest, where ICE agents took 25-year-old Christopher Fragoso Lara of Mexico into custody outside a tire shop. Authorities stated that Fragoso Lara had prior convictions for home invasion, aggravated battery, and possession of a weapon. He was apprehended without incident in subfreezing temperatures.
The operation was part of a larger enforcement effort across multiple U.S. cities, directed by the Trump administration to demonstrate a commitment to aggressive immigration enforcement. ICE agents and personnel from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) conducted multiple door-to-door searches, but not all resulted in arrests. In some cases, officers moved on after failing to locate their targets.
According to ICE, ten teams, each comprising approximately ten federal agents, were deployed across Chicago for the operation. Officials confirmed that by Sunday, ICE had detained 1,179 individuals nationwide, with 52% of them classified as “criminal arrests.” The remaining detainees were individuals without criminal records but lacked legal immigration status.
Fragoso Lara was transported to an ICE processing center on the outskirts of Chicago, where he joined others awaiting deportation. He expressed concerns about being separated from his 5-year-old daughter, who remains in the U.S. “She’s without me. She grows up without a father,” he said, appealing for a second chance.
ICE Assistant Field Office Director Frank Padula reported that the facility had been especially busy in recent days. “We’re nonstop,” he stated, referring to the heightened pace of enforcement operations.
Concerns have been raised about so-called “collateral arrests,” in which individuals who are not the direct targets of an operation are also detained. Sam Olson, director of enforcement and removal operations for ICE in Chicago, acknowledged the possibility, stating, “We’re tasked to enforce immigration laws. If somebody is here illegally, whether or not they’ve committed crimes, there is that possibility that they could be arrested.”
The Trump administration has prioritized the arrest and removal of individuals with criminal histories, including suspected gang members. However, at least 566 of those arrested in recent operations had no known criminal records, sparking debate over the scope of the crackdown.
With immigration enforcement ramping up, officials have indicated that operations will continue, potentially leading to further detentions and deportations in the coming weeks.