U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Wednesday detained more than ten migrants at a South Loop supervision office in Chicago after individuals were reportedly tricked into showing up for routine immigration appointments. The incident has triggered sharp criticism from city officials, immigration attorneys, and advocacy groups, who described the arrests as deceptive and dangerous.
According to community organizers and attorneys, the detained individuals received text messages instructing them to appear at the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP) office operated by BI Incorporated at 2245 S. Michigan Avenue. ISAP monitors migrants released from custody through scheduled check-ins and electronic tracking.
People under this program has also received a similar text message, either yesterday or Monday, being told to come in and check in for an unexpected or unscheduled check-in," said Antonio Gutierrez, co-founder of Organized Communities Against Deportations.
Many who arrived expecting routine case reviews were instead placed in ICE custody. Attorney Cynthia Fernandez, who represents a Guatemalan client caught in the sweep, said, "She followed everything. She did everything. She has an active pending work permit... She came in with her attorney - and yet she's still arrested." Fernandez added, "I'm her attorney. I should be able to do something, but I can't. I don't know where she is."
Footage from the scene showed masked federal agents loading detainees into vans while protestors, including several alderpersons, confronted officers and chanted "shame." Among those present were Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez and Ald. Anthony Quezada, who sat on the ground in an attempt to block a van from leaving. "We don't know who is arresting our brothers and sisters, because they are hiding behind masks," said Ald. Michael Rodriguez.
Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez described the scene as "Gestapo-style abductions happening in front of all of us." Ald. Julia Ramirez added, "People are not meant to be trapped. They need to live lives of dignity."
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson condemned the arrests in a statement Wednesday evening, saying, "Mayor Johnson condemns the reckless and dangerous escalation by ICE agents... Federal agents should never be allowed to come into our city and assault elected officials or any Chicagoan." He reaffirmed the city's commitment to the Welcoming City ordinance and the Illinois Trust Act, which limit local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
ICE later confirmed the arrests, stating: "Those arrested had executable final orders of removal by an immigration judge and had not complied with that order."
The timing of the operation coincided with a broader immigration enforcement directive issued by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who earlier Wednesday ordered ICE to ramp up detentions of immigrants who have overstayed their visas. The policy shift followed a terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, in which a suspect accused of overstaying his visa was charged with targeting a group of Jewish individuals.
On the same day as the Chicago operation, federal agents reportedly arrested more than 2,200 undocumented migrants nationwide, according to NBC News, marking a record for a single day under the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement policies.
