A group of demonstrators made their way through Chicago’s Loop Tuesday, with a car driving toward protesters in a scary scene.
During the march in downtown, a red sedan appeared to drive through part of the crowd near the intersection of Monroe and State. Police officers were seen chasing after the vehicle on foot, but it was unclear whether there were any other individuals hit, or if the driver was taken into custody.
The march continued after the frightening incident, with protesters making their way toward the intersection of DuSable Lake Shore Drive and Randolph Street. Lake Shore was briefly closed, but reopened as marchers made their way back to the west.
The protesters were watched closely by Chicago police as they made their way down city streets, demonstrating against a recent surge in immigration arrests ordered by the administration of President Donald Trump.
The rallies, both of which drew hundreds of people, converged for a rally at Federal Plaza before marchers began to move through the Loop, escorted by Chicago police officers on bicycles.
Multiple people were taken into custody by Chicago police officers after a brief confrontation at Madison and Wabash, according to Navarrete, but the march was allowed to continue.
Those protesters have said they are rallying in solidarity with similar demonstrations in Los Angeles, where the National Guard was deployed by Trump against the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
After the initial controversy, which prompted a lawsuit from California officials, Trump deployed additional National Guard members and more than 700 U.S. Marines.
The moves have drawn intense scrutiny not just from protesters but also Democratic Party leaders, including Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin during a Senate floor speech.
“I condemn violence, vandalism, including violence against law enforcement. There is no place in legitimate protests for that to occur,” Durbin said. “What is happening in Los Angeles, as brought to my attention over the weekend, is something we need to address. However, addressing it effectively means not grandstanding, but giving law enforcement the resources they need to control the situation. Neither the Governor of California nor the Mayor of Los Angeles asked for the National Guard troops that President Trump is sending.”
Groups have criticized the Trump administration’s aggressive tactics on immigration enforcement, including a travel ban and arrests last week at a Chicago office used for Immigration and Customs Enforcement check-ins.
Those arrests in Chicago led to a confrontation between ICE agents and demonstrators, with more than a dozen individuals ushered into waiting ICE vans during the enforcement action.
ICE said in a statement the individuals detained had “final orders of removal” signed by a judge.
“Those arrested had executable final orders of removal by an immigration judge, and had not complied with that order,” ICE said in the statement.
According to ICE, those taken into custody were part of the agency’s “Alternatives to Detention” program, which “ensures compliance with release conditions and provides important case management services for aliens on ICE’s non-detained docket.”
Case reviews are frequently conducted for those individuals, and “may influence continued placement” in the program. Those reviews typically take places at offices for the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program, according to officials.
The Chicago City Council’s Latino Caucus released a statement following the arrests.
“The actions taken today send a chilling message to our immigrant communities: that even those who follow the law are at risk,” the statement read, in part. “We reaffirm our commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of all immigrants in Chicago and demand immediate answers and accountability for today’s events.”
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