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Multiple Chicago schools were reportedly on soft lockdowns amid reports of ICE activity in the area
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One elementary school said its soft lockdown was “out of an abundance of caution and in our commitment to protecting everyone in our school community”
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Federal agents also reportedly used tear gas in another Chicago neighborhood, where an alderman told CBS Chicago that agents seem to be targeting “construction workers, landscapers and nannies”
Multiple Chicago schools were reportedly on soft lockdowns amid ICE activity on Friday, Oct. 24. Federal agents also reportedly used tear gas in the Lakeview neighborhood.
The A.N. Pritzker Elementary School in the Wicker Park neighborhood was among the schools that went into soft lockdown amid reports of ICE agents in the area. The school’s principal, Dr. Joenile Albert-Reese, said in a statement to families that the soft lockdown was a precaution and not due to an emergency.
“Out of an abundance of caution and in our commitment to protecting everyone in our school community, we will enter a Soft Lockdown for the remainder of the day,” the school’s statement read. “This simply means that all doors will remain locked, and we will not open them for anyone until further notice. Our daily schedule will continue as usual, but we will be extra mindful to keep our environment secure.”
Parents were asked to tell teachers about a “trusted adult” if they could not pick up their child themselves at dismissal.
Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty
ICE agents during a pre-enforcement meeting in Chicago on Jan. 26
During a soft lockdown, the school’s teachers are asked to check the hallways for staff and students before locking doors and windows. There are no outdoor activities and the “principal and assistant principal will verify that all classroom doors are locked, and that each classroom is calm and quiet.”
Other schools in the Wicker Park and Bucktown neighborhoods took similar safety measures on Friday, according to CBS Chicago, reportedly including Mitchell Elementary, Pulaski International and Rauner College Prep.
During a press conference on Friday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson asked Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to consider allowing Chicago public school students to learn from home, per the Chicago Tribune. However, when asked about this at a separate press conference, Pritzker said schools are already prepared, adding, “You’ve seen lots of neighborhood programs that have developed to support the parents also.”
Federal agents have been in Chicago for over a month as part of Operation Midway Blitz and Operation At Large. Ald. Bennett Lawson, who represents the 44th Ward, told CBS Chicago that tear gas was set off when neighbors protested federal agents pulling a construction worker from a home in Lakeview.
“Construction workers, landscapers and nannies seem to be a target,” Lawson told the outlet. “There’s no name involved, there’s no reading of rights. They’re just grabbing people.”
Immigration rights groups also claimed to CBS Chicago in September that ICE agents have targeted stores like Home Depot. When the Department of Homeland Security announced Operation Midway Blitz on Sept. 8, it said the ICE operation “will target the criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois.”
Andrew Diehl, who was tear-gassed, told CBS Chicago on Friday that agents “rolled their windows down, dropped the tear gas and continued on driving,” adding that there are two schools in the area.
“People were walking their dogs. Children get walked here frequently. It’s Friday in the middle of the day,” Diehl added.
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty
ICE agents outside the ICE processing facility in Broadview, Ill. on Sept. 27
Near another site, officers responded to the Lake View East neighborhood after an altercation involving federal agents and “two individuals,” the Chicago Police Department told Fox 32 Chicago. Officers de-escalated the scene, and there were no arrests made, police told the outlet.
Earlier this month, a federal judge prohibited federal agents from using tear gas and other weapons against protesters, journalists and others who do not pose an immediate threat to agents, reports WTTW. According to the order from U.S. District Court Judge Sara Ellis, agents have to issue two warnings before using tear gas and other types of chemical sprays.
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In an interview with CBS News, published on Friday, Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino praised federal agents’ use of force as “exemplary” in Chicago. When asked if agents defied the court order against using tear gas, Bovino disagreed, saying, “All uses of force were well within CBP [Customs and Border Protection] policy.”
“I’m not gonna let any violence be perpetrated against any federal agent or officer,” Bovino said. “Any use of force was well within CBP policy, as well as, I believe, anything else in conjunction with that court order.”
On Thursday, Oct. 23, Ellis ordered Bovino to appear in court in person on Tuesday, Oct. 28.
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