Key facts
- A US citizen was injured and detained by federal agents in Evanston, Illinois.
- The citizen was found with injuries to his head, neck, and teeth.
- The agent claimed the individual resisted detention and that he himself was injured during the arrest attempt.
- Witnesses believed the agents involved were from ICE.
- Federal agents left the scene due to fear of protesters.
- The incident occurred on the same day an ICE agent shot a man in Austin, Texas.
Evanston, Illinois, police are investigating an incident where a US citizen was injured and detained by federal agents before being released. The incident occurred on Sunday, the same day an ICE agent shot a man in Austin, Texas, amid a broader immigration crackdown.
Evanston police were called to an argument shortly before 10 a.m. on Sunday and found a man with injuries to his head, neck, and teeth. Officers questioned a plainclothes individual wearing a vest marked "police," who identified himself as a federal agent conducting a fugitive investigation. The agent stated that agents had attempted to identify a person they were seeking, but the individual refused to provide identification and resisted detention. Agents later determined he was not the person they were seeking and learned he was a US citizen. The agent also told officers that he was injured while attempting to handcuff the individual. Witnesses told police they believed the individuals attempting to arrest the man were ICE agents.
The agent stated that five federal agents were operating in the area in separate unmarked vehicles and had a warrant for a person with a Chicago address. He also said the agents left the area after protesters began to gather, fearing they would be attacked. Evanston officers later contacted the wrongly detained person at a hospital and documented his injuries.
The US Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The incident occurred as ICE faces scrutiny over its tactics. In Austin, Texas, a 28-year-old Venezuelan man remained hospitalized after being shot by federal agents during a traffic stop earlier on Sunday. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said he wants the city's police department involved in that investigation.
The events follow an increase in federal immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump, with a record 50,000 arrests in July, more than half of whom reportedly had no criminal record. In July, an ICE officer also fatally shot 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston. US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti were also fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis in January.