Amnesty International USA condemns the September 30, pre-dawn ICE raid on an apartment building in a historically Black neighborhood in Chicago. According to news reports, federal agents raided the apartment building, broke into homes without warrants in the middle of the night, forcibly removed residents, including children, from their homes, zip-tied their hands, and interrogated them without access to legal counsel.
“It is shocking that federal agents unlawfully broke into homes, tore residents – including children – from their beds, zip-tied their hands, and interrogated people on the streets,” said Paul O’Brien, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA. “This terrifying raid demonstrates the new normal for communities across the United States: increasing militarization under the guise of immigration enforcement in complete disregard for human rights.”
As reported in the press, federal officers used flashbang grenades, broke down doors, and entered nearly every apartment in the building. Federal officers ignored requests for warrants or to contact lawyers, damaged private property and left parts of the building in disrepair.
This raid follows a disturbing pattern by the Trump administration of using federal agents to carry out raids, detain people and make arrests without warrants in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and now Chicago. President Trump recently told top military commanders to consider using U.S. cities as “training grounds for our military,” and Homeland Security Secretary Noem has declared the government was “sending in the Department of War” to both Chicago and Portland, against the wishes of both Mayors and the state’s governors.
“Deploying military forces and federal officers with weapons and other equipment into our neighborhoods, creates an atmosphere of intimidation and fear and facilitates the unlawful use of force, arbitrary detention and other human rights violations,” said O’Brien. “Militarized forces should not be roving our communities and snatching away our friends and neighbors. These raids are creating a climate of fear for all of us, especially immigrant and Black, brown, and Indigenous communities. This is not about public safety. It’s a clear expansion of authoritarian practices intended to stoke racism, instill fear across communities and silence dissent, and it must stop.”
Amnesty International USA demands a full independent investigation into the unlawful raid and calls for immediate accountability. Congress must immediately stop funding ICE and hold ICE and other federal agencies accountable for their lawlessness and abuses.
“The government has an obligation to uphold the rule of law and ensure that nobody is above the law,” said O’Brien. “These raids are an attack on human rights and a threat to everybody in the U.S. Federal officials who committed human rights violations during the raids, including those with command responsibility, must be held accountable.”
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