InstagramFederal agents arrested two men Monday at Pilsen’s Carnitas Don Pedro and a nearby home. Agents did not present a warrant for the arrests, which were captured on video, Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez said.
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PILSEN — Federal agents appeared to arrest two men Monday at a well-known carnitas restaurant in Pilsen and in a nearby home, sparking outrage among neighbors.
Parts of the immigration enforcement activity were recorded on video by neighbors and shared on social media. Witnesses and video appear to indicate both men were arrested without judicial warrants, said Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th).
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“We are calling for a full investigation into these detentions without a warrant that are outside the due process,” he said.
Both men who were detained worked at Carnitas Don Pedro, 1113 W. 18th St., organizers said. One man was arrested at the restaurant after federal agents entered the business without a warrant, searching for him, members of a local rapid response group said. The man was getting ready to leave after finishing his night shift when the agents arrived, members of the group said.
The men are believed to be roommates, and the second arrest took place at their home in the 1800 block of South Carpenter Street, around the corner from Carnitas Don Pedro, organizers said. Federal agents entered the home with guns drawn and without presenting a warrant, the man later said in a video shared by local organizers on social media.
About 8:30 a.m., organizers with the Pilsen Rapid Response Network, a group of neighbors and community organizers who assist in verifying and sharing information about federal immigration agent sightings, received reports that agents were in the area.
About seven members of the group found immigration authorities near West 18th Street and South Carpenter Street, said Diego Morales, chair of the 25th Ward Independent Political Organization.
Video taken by organizers and shared on social media shows five agents, five black vehicles and a parked Chicago Police Department squad car in the 1800 block of South Carpenter Street. The agents are seen talking to an organizer and to a Chicago police officer, who is later shown leaving the scene.
The agents’ vests read police, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security, according to organizers and witnesses, Morales said. Homeland Security is the federal department that oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE.
The video shows neighbors asking an agent for a warrant and alerting neighbors to the presence of immigration agents, reminding them of their right to remain silent.
Later in the video, agents are seen transferring a handcuffed man to the back seat of a gray vehicle. The man says federal agents entered his house with guns drawn.
Chicago police did not participate in the arrests, a Police Department spokesperson said in an emailed statement. The officer in the video was on the way to court and saw law enforcement activity, but the officer did not assist in immigration enforcement operations, a department spokesperson said.
“Upon learning this activity was related to civil immigration enforcement, the officer immediately left the scene. At no point did the officer assist in the immigration enforcement,” the spokesperson wrote.
FBI officials confirmed the agency assisted Homeland Security in immigration enforcement operations that led to the two arrests, but it did not provide additional information regarding the nature of the operations or the reason for the arrests.
“The FBI, alongside other Department of Justice law enforcement partners, have been supporting these efforts at the direction of the attorney general. The FBI’s contribution to this effort can vary dependent on the specific needs of” Homeland Security, an FBI spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
ICE did not confirm the operations or the identities of the two men. Reached by email, an ICE spokesperson told Block Club to provide the detainees’ date of birth and immigration case number to provide more information.
Tenoch Huerta, an organizer for the nonprofit Resurrection Project who arrived at the scene, asked agents for more information about the arrests and whether a valid warrant had been presented. Officials did not respond to his questions and told him to contact the agency’s media team, Huerta told Block Club.
The man arrested at Carnitas Don Pedro ran to the back of the business when agents arrived, and he climbed the stairs leading to residential apartments above, which are considered private areas, Morales said. Security footage showed agents follow and initially appear hesitant to enter the stairwell before proceeding and arresting the man without showing a warrant, Morales said. Agents had their guns drawn, according to workers and neighbors, organizers said.
“Based on the video footage that we obtained and the videos, we can with confidence share that there was no warrant that was shown either to the business owner or the people detained,” Sigcho-Lopez said.
Block Club Chicago could not reach immediately obtain a copy of security footage from Carnitas Don Pedro. Reached by phone, a staff member at the restaurant said the owner declined to speak.
The other man who was detained was in his car when federal agents chased him to his home, Morales said. The man had a minor car crash as he tried to flee, left the vehicle and entered his house in the 1800 block of South Carpenter Street, followed by federal agents. He was arrested after agents entered the home without showing a warrant, Morales said. Agents had their guns drawn, the man said in a video.
The arrests left some neighbors, rapid response network members and local workers shaken, Morales said. He said the Pilsen Wellness Center will offer emotional support to neighbors and the rapid response group will canvass the neighborhood sharing Know Your Rights information.
Detaining someone without a warrant is a violation of due process and an abuse of power that follows patterns observed around the country, Sigcho-Lopez said. He is calling on the Office of Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee Rights and other officials to support a call for an investigation into these arrests, Sigcho-Lopez said.
“Entering businesses or residences without a warrant and with very violent tactics should be denounced. We’ll be calling on our federal representatives to investigate and condemn such actions,” he said.
Local groups ARISE Chicago and the Pilsen Chamber of Commerce are working with the business owner to offer guidance and support, Sigcho Lopez said. The 25th Ward Office and organizers are working with local immigration support organizations to provide legal assistance to those detained.
“We will exhaust all our legal options and all the power of our community to protect every single constituent, to protect their constitutional rights and human rights and due process,” Sigcho-Lopez said.
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