Hours after Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced 100 military personal was expected to be sent to Illinois from the Department of Homeland Security, multiple armed, camouflaged and masked federal agents were spotted in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood early Tuesday morning as part of a “targeted immigration enforcement operation.”
Video and photos captured from the area, near 75th and South Shore Drive, showed the group of federal agents out on the street, near a building, and in large vehicles at times. Some were in uniforms that said they were with the U.S. Border Patrol police, with others marked FBI.
In an email to NBC Chicago, an FBI spokesperson confirmed agents were in the area supporting a “U.S. Border Patrol targeted immigration enforcement operation.”
“The FBI, alongside other Department of Justice law enforcement partners, have been supporting these efforts at the direction of the Attorney General,” the spokesperson said.
Other agencies, including U.S. Border Patrol, the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to NBC Chicago’s request for more information.
The agents come after Attorney General Pam Bondi said that she was sending more federal troops to ICE facilities around the country, saying “violence against federal officers will not be tolerated.”
Over the weekend, armed border patrol agents were spotted patrolling downtown Chicago, walking down busy, tourist-lined streets, including Michigan Avenue.
Armed agents were also spotted outside a federal ICE processing facility in suburban Broadview, where chaotic clashes between protesters and guards have been captured on video. The facility, at 1930 Beach St., is being used as part of an immigration enforcement campaign known as “Operation Midway Blitz.”
At 11 a.m., the Village of Broadview, including Mayor Katrina Thompson, Police Chief Thomas Mills and Fire Chief Matt Martin will hold a press conference to address the ongoing tensions at the facility, “including the repeated, unprovoked deployment of chemical agents that have impacted residents, first responders, and protesters.”
Illinois House Republicans will also hold a meeting at 11 a.m. to discuss their efforts to restore order, support law enforcement and keep communities safe, according to a press release.
President Donald Trump, in an exclusive interview with NBC News on Sunday, said that he is still considering sending armed National Guard troops into Chicago.
“Any place where there is big trouble, we want to go and help out,” he said, calling Chicago a “crime-ridden mess.”
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