Federal Officers Abduct Teacher from Chicago Daycare
“One might call it domestic terrorism, and it would be correct," Alderperson Andre Vasquez said.
Today, November 5, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents abducted a teacher from a Spanish-immersion Chicago daycare.
A video of the abduction posted by WGN News shows two agents violently taking a woman out of the daycare, and then putting her against a car. One of the agents, who is masked, then goes back inside the daycare while the second agent, who is not masked, stays outside, holding onto the woman’s arm. The first agent then exits the daycare.
Alderman Matt Martin stood outside the daycare and described what had occurred:
I’ve seen video, both video that was taken by parents who are waiting in line to drop their kids off, as well as video footage from inside of the building. … We have an educator who is coming here to do some of the most important work that’s happening day in and day out in our community, which is taking care of our children ... She was followed inside by ICE — they were not invited inside — and violently taken away. We have agents with guns who are walking around the facility with teachers inside, with children inside. We are, of course, demanding that she be released.
Local leaders held a press conference to condemn the teacher’s abduction.
“It is absolutely horrifying and shameful that we’ve gotten to this level of escalation from the federal government,” Alderperson Andre Vasquez said. “We need to remind each other, it’s the federal government doing it. One might call it domestic terrorism, and it would be correct.”
Vasquez continued, “I don’t believe it to be an anomaly. I do believe it’s an escalation, and I’m concerned we’re going to see more of it.”
“To target and terrify children and care providers is unconscionable,” said Greg Kelley, the president of SEIU Healthcare Illinois, Indiana, Missouri & Kansas.
“What happened this morning is a serious escalation that endangers all of our children and all of our families,” he continued. “No parent should be afraid to send their child to daycare, and no childcare worker should live in fear that they could be next just for doing their job.”
“Today I can speak for our members of SEIU, childcare workers, home care workers, nursing home workers, hospital workers, and say that we are with you,” he said. “We stand with you.”
In a statement to The Carceral Report, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin claimed, without providing evidence, that “officers attempted to conduct a targeted traffic stop of this female illegal alien from Colombia.” The male driver allegedly refused to pull over, the statement says.
“Law enforcement pursued the vehicle before the assailant sped into a shopping plaza where he and the female passenger fled the vehicle,” she continued. “They ran into a daycare and attempted to barricade themselves inside the daycare — recklessly endangering the children inside.”
The Carceral Report has requested that DHS provide bodycam and dashcam footage, and asked what was the basis of the traffic stop. We have not received a response.
Trump administration officials have repeatedly lied about the circumstances of abductions, and people’s status, often falsely claiming a person does not have authorization to be in the country when they do.
At the press conference, local leaders were asked about DHS’s claims. Their response was swift and succinct: They’re lying.
“They’re not telling us the truth,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Chicago) at the press conference. “The person they targeted had legal documentation.”
“We’re talking about a raid at a daycare,” he continued.