Voto Latino Condemns ICE Agents’ Escalating Aggression in Chicago Neighborhoods
No family should live in fear of those sworn to protect them
Washington, D.C. — Voto Latino strongly condemns the escalating aggression and excessive force being used by federal immigration agents against residents of Chicago. Families across the city are being subjected to military-style raids. According to the Associated Press, agents fired tear gas and smoke grenades as they rappelled from Black Hawk helicopters. They then went door to door, waking up residents and using zip ties to restrain them.
In response, Voto Latino issued the following statement:
“What is unfolding in Chicago is an unmistakable abuse of power by federal immigration agents. The use of helicopters, chemical agents, and military-style tactics in residential neighborhoods has no place in America. These actions endanger families, traumatize children, and erode the very trust that public safety depends on.
ICE acted like an invading army in our neighborhoods — not as protectors of public safety, but as aggressors inflicting fear on immigrant, Black, and brown families. What we’re seeing in Chicago is not normal, and everyone should be appalled by what we’re witnessing. To see children taken from their parents, nearly naked and zip-tied in the middle of the night, should have never happened in the United States, and we cannot let this become our reality. No child should ever have to bear this kind of terror. Let’s be abundantly clear: This is not law enforcement; it is cruelty, and it leaves lasting scars on entire communities.
Voto Latino stands in unwavering solidarity with Chicago’s immigrant, Black, and brown communities. We echo and uplift the calls from Illinois leaders demanding transparency and accountability. No family should live in fear of those sworn to protect them — not because of where they were born, the language they speak, or the color of their skin. Voto Latino will continue to stand with communities under siege — fighting for justice, defending human dignity, and ensuring that every family’s right to safety and belonging is upheld.”
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Voto Latino is a civic advocacy organization dedicated to educating and empowering the next generation of Latino voters while working to build a more inclusive and representative democracy. Since its founding, Voto Latino has registered nearly two million voters. In 2024, the organization took legal action to protect voting rights, filing multiple lawsuits in Texas, Arizona, and North Carolina to safeguard access to the ballot ahead of the elections.