Federal Raid Exposes Dangerous Conditions As ICE Ramps Up Raids
A federal immigration enforcement operation on Chicago’s South Shore earlier this year exposed dangerous living conditions inside a troubled apartment building—conditions so severe that a judge later ordered the emergency eviction of all remaining tenants, overruling objections from city leaders and tenant activists.
CBS News Chicago documented the aftermath of the September 30 raid, revealing busted apartment doors, pitch-dark hallways with no lighting, and standing water pooled across floors—conditions that authorities and the court later deemed unsafe for human habitation.
Residents told CBS News Chicago that federal immigration agents zip-tied occupants and detained dozens of people during what officials described as a targeted enforcement action. One resident said his boyfriend was zip-tied and placed on a bus, while others claimed women and children were escorted into vans staged near a nearby school.
Federal officials responded that it is standard protocol to temporarily detain everyone inside a large building during enforcement operations in order to maintain officer and public safety. Authorities said 37 people were detained during the raid.
The apartment building, located near 75th Street and South Shore Drive, soon entered foreclosure. A Cook County judge later described the property as a “fire trap” and approved an emergency eviction request filed by the building’s owner.
The court ordered all tenants to vacate the property by Friday, December 12.
In the days leading up to the deadline, residents attempted to delay or block the eviction, arguing they lacked sufficient time, money, and resources to relocate. Tenants also pointed to the onset of extreme cold weather and the holiday season as reasons the eviction should be postponed.
Residents formed a tenant union and challenged the order in court, while Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson sent a letter urging the judge to delay the eviction.
The judge denied the request.
Tenants were reportedly offered between $1,500 and $5,000 in relocation assistance, though several residents said the payments were insufficient to secure housing on short notice.
“Most of them are just hotline numbers that you’re gonna sit on the phone with for an hour or so,” resident Darren Hightower said. “Trying to find relocation, get a case manager to help you out with your situation. It’s tough.”
By Friday afternoon, fewer than ten tenants remained inside the building. Some residents turned in their keys as crews and outreach workers stood by.
“This is the worst day of my life right now,” resident Winifred Johnson said. “Worst day of my life.”
Johnson, a military veteran, said he had lived in the building for five months before being forced to leave.
“I don’t have nowhere to go,” Johnson said. “It’s going to really be freezing tomorrow, and that’s the main thing, just trying to get somewhere warm and safe.”
The eviction unfolded amid heightened federal immigration enforcement activity across the Midwest, underscoring the growing risks facing federal officers in the field.
In Minnesota, federal authorities reported that a Department of Homeland Security Investigations agent was briefly kidnapped Wednesday during an attempted arrest at an apartment complex in Plymouth, CBS News reported.
According to a federal criminal complaint, agents were conducting surveillance on a man accused of overstaying his student visa when they approached him and identified themselves. Authorities said the suspect jumped into a vehicle and ordered a woman to drive away.
One agent entered the front passenger seat in an attempt to stop the vehicle, while another tried to pull the suspect out. The woman allegedly drove off with the agent still inside, prompting fears of abduction.
The agent later drew his firearm and ordered the woman to stop, but she continued driving. The vehicle was eventually pinned by other federal agents near the New Hope Police Department.
The suspect fled into a nearby grocery store, where he was arrested. The woman was also taken into custody. Both were charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers.
The incident occurred during a broader Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation targeting Somali immigrants in the Twin Cities—highlighting the increasingly dangerous environment federal agents face while enforcing immigration law.