In recent weeks, Chicago has found itself at the center of a fierce national debate over immigration enforcement, federal power, and the boundaries of local authority. As President Trump’s administration ramps up efforts to deport undocumented immigrants, the city has witnessed a dramatic escalation in federal activity—culminating in controversial raids, legal battles, and a flurry of misinformation that’s left residents anxious and divided.
The controversy exploded on social media in early October 2025, when a viral image purported to show a three-year-old child being zip-tied by federal agents during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid in Chicago. The photo, widely shared on platforms like Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, X, and Threads, was accompanied by posts decrying police brutality and accusing the Trump administration of targeting children. One Facebook post read, “Why does tRump’s criminal regime think that a 3 year old child is an enemy of the country?... Why zip-tie a baby? WHY?”
But, as reported by AFP, the image was not what it seemed. A reverse image search traced the still to a TikTok video posted months before Trump’s return to the White House—June 19, 2024, to be exact. The video, uploaded by Corey Evans Jr. of Longview, Texas, featured a playful game of ‘cops and robbers’ between Evans, a local law enforcement officer, and his young son. In the clip, Evans jokingly pretends to handcuff the laughing child, with the cuffs falling off as soon as he lets go. “WHEN YOU CATCH HIM OUTSIDE AND HE SUPPOSED TO BE ON HOUSE ARREST,” the video’s caption reads, complete with a laughing emoji and the hashtag #jokes.
Evans, contacted by AFP, expressed frustration over the misrepresentation of his content: “I believe people are misrepresenting the video to push their narrative about Trump and the ICE raid in Chicago,” he said. On his TikTok page, Evans clarified, “Me and my son, we live in Texas. We don’t live in Chicago. We got a whole series on my page. I’m trying to figure out why people lying to make it political.” His account features multiple videos of similar lighthearted scenes, all labeled as jokes.
Despite the viral misinformation, the reality in Chicago is no laughing matter. According to Democracy Now! and other outlets, the city has endured a series of aggressive ICE raids, including a high-profile operation on September 30, 2025, at a residential apartment complex. Eyewitnesses described a terrifying scene: ICE agents clad in fatigues and armed with automatic weapons rappelled from a Black Hawk helicopter, broke down doors, and detained both adults and children—some of whom were zip-tied in the streets. Residents, including U.S. citizens and legal residents, were among those rounded up.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker condemned the raids, stating, “Since the beginning of this invasion, families have been snatched up off the streets or removed from their homes, zip-tied and detained for hours, including especially U.S. citizens and legal residents of our state. And in the words of CBP chief patrol agent Greg Bovino, they’re being chosen by how they look.”
The federal government’s actions have not gone unchallenged. On October 6, 2025, Illinois officials filed a lawsuit to block President Trump’s order deploying 700 National Guard troops to Chicago. The move came just one day after a federal judge in Oregon temporarily stopped a similar deployment to Portland, highlighting the patchwork of legal responses across the country. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also took action, signing an executive order establishing ‘ICE-free zones’ on city property, thereby preventing federal agents from using these spaces for raids. “The order establishes ICE-free zones. That means that city property and unwilling private businesses will no longer serve as staging grounds for these raids,” Johnson announced.
The legal and political battles have been accompanied by disturbing reports of excessive force. Ed Yohnka, director of communications and public policy for the ACLU of Illinois, described a pattern of “escalation of violence and chaos on behalf of ICE agents.” In one recent incident, ICE agents allegedly fired chemical weapons and projectiles at protesters outside the Broadview ICE detention center, hitting journalists, clergy members, and even local police officers. Asal Rezaei, a CBS News Chicago correspondent, recounted being attacked while reporting: “An ICE agent that was masked pointed his weapon and shot directly at my car. He saw that my window was open, and he shot right here. You can see the point of impact right there... I immediately felt it burning. I started throwing up.”
Chicago Alderperson Jessie Fuentes was also briefly detained by federal agents after questioning their authority during an attempted arrest at a hospital. Video shared by Book Club Chicago shows Fuentes repeatedly asking for a signed judicial warrant before being handcuffed and led away. “He has constitutional rights,” Fuentes insisted, only to be told by agents, “You need to leave... You are going to be placed under arrest.”
Yohnka and other local officials have sharply criticized the federal response, arguing that there is no emergency to justify such extreme measures. “There’s no emergency, and there’s no justification for having done—or, for having guards or troops here in the city of Chicago or in the Chicagoland area,” Yohnka told Democracy Now!. He added, “What we have seen over the last few weeks is the escalation of violence and chaos on behalf of ICE agents... Everything from marching up and down in fatigues and pulling families out of parks, to the indiscriminate firing of projectiles and chemical weapons at the Broadview detention center.”
The Trump administration, for its part, has branded Chicago a “war zone” to justify the deployment of troops and the militarization of immigration enforcement. Yet, as Yohnka noted, “There is no invasion here. There is no armed conflict going on. There is no sabotage to the actions of the federal government... There is nothing here that justifies something as extreme as declaring that there is an insurrection.”
Meanwhile, community members are left grappling with fear and uncertainty. According to local reports, some children have stopped attending school, and businesses in affected neighborhoods are suffering economically. The aggressive tactics have drawn widespread condemnation from civil liberties groups, city officials, and many residents, who worry that the crackdown is causing more harm than good.
As legal challenges wind their way through the courts and misinformation continues to swirl online, one thing is clear: the struggle over immigration enforcement in Chicago is far from over. Whether the city will find relief from federal incursions—or see further escalation—remains to be seen. For now, Chicagoans are left navigating a tense, uncertain landscape, searching for answers and hoping for a return to normalcy.
