Chicago federal intervention: Tracking surge in immigration enforcement operations

Local officials said a Chicago Public Schools high schooler was detained Thursday on the Southwest Side as a surge in federal enforcement continues.

Some Chicago Public Schools Board members are now pushing for remote learning in response to federal operations in Chicago. The district says it cannot implement e-learning on its own and it would need Governor JB Pritzker to act.

Community organizers and witnesses said at least one teenager was detained by federal agents during a protest. Benito Juarez High School officials confirmed that individual is a student at their school, and he has since been released.

"I marked a junior student absent, not because that student was sick... it was because ICE had snatched him up on his way to school," Benito Juarez Community Academy teacher Liz Winfield said. "It's a sense of unease. It's a sense of anger and frustration. It's a lot of students calling in, or parents calling in saying, 'I don't feel safe.'"

CPS interim CEO Macquline King said Thursday night schools are the safest place for students to be.

ABC7 reached out to Governor Pritzker's office for comment, but have not heard back.

After Thursday's events at the Little Village Discount Mall, attorneys are now accusing federal agents of "simply ignoring" a temporary restraining order that put strict guidelines on the use of tear gas. A federal complaint is now taking aim at the man who led the charge.

Video obtained by ABC News of Thursday's protests on the Southwest Side showed what appeared to be Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino once again leading operations on the ground. At one point, Chief Bovino appears to be seen throwing a tear gas canister into the crowd, but that has not been confirmed.

Attorneys from Loevy and Loevy, who represent the plaintiffs in the lawsuit that resulted in a temporary restraining order restricting how federal agents use tear gas and other chemicals on protesters and journalists, have filed a notice of violation in federal court accusing Bovino of personally violating the order regarding Thursday's apparent use of tear gas.

"Certainly the government's going to make its arguments here," ABC7 Chief Legal Analyst Gil Soffer said. "Maybe they'll argue the agents had no choice but to throw the tear gas, he felt there was immediate threats, he gave the requisite warnings, it was the only measure he could use to protect his own safety, the safety of his officers."

ABC7 has reached out to DHS regarding accusations involving Bovino.

Bovino was already set to appear in court November 5, but now a federal judge wants to hear more about what unfolded at the discount mall and has ordered more than double the time for questioning Bovino while he's under oath.

Chopper 7 spotted tense moments between federal immigration agents and crowds of people in Little Village.

Chopper 7 was over 26th and Sacramento on Thursday at about 11 a.m.

It happened at about 10:30 a.m. on 26th and Sacramento near the Cook County jail.

Chicago police were seen helping with crowd control.

Video shows a crowd surrounding agents inside a SUV.

One person was seen opening the door of a moving car, another person throwing an object at the agents.

Officials did not release any information regarding the incident.

When "Operation Midway Blitz" was first announced back in early September, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it was being launched in honor of Katie Abraham, a young woman who was killed in Urbana by a drunk driver who happens to be undocumented.

Abraham's mother is now speaking out. She says this should not be her daughter's legacy.

"It's not consistent with who she was. It doesn't align with who she was," Lorence said. "She was compassionate. She was empathetic. She was caring. She was loving beyond belief."

Abraham was 20 years old. She died in Urbana on January 19, when police say an SUV driven by an undocumented drunk driver slammed into the vehicle she and her friends were riding in. A second woman died the next day. The man charged with their deaths is undocumented. But, her mother said that is not the point.

"It was a drunk driver that killed her. It was bad decision making by a human being that killed her," Lorence said. "Whether or not she would believe in this operation is not what we're here to talk about... She's being attached to it and she doesn't have a voice to say if she wants to or not."

Abraham's name was attached to "Operation Midway Blitz" with her father Joe Abraham's blessing. He spoke to ABC7 back in September. Because of that, Katie Abraham's mother waited to speak out.

"He's going through a lot," Lorence said. "He's going through a lot of grief and so am I."

Joe Abraham shared the following statement with ABC7:
"DHS launched Operation Midway Blitz in honor of my daughter, Katie Abraham, a young woman with a big heart and a bright future who was killed in Urbana by a criminal illegal alien drunk driver who never should have been in this country.

"Sanctuary policies failed Katie and they're failing communities across America. Katie cared deeply about people, but she would never believe that compassion means turning a blind eye to danger. I gave my blessing to launch this operation in her name because it's about protecting other families from living the nightmare that mine lives every day. I stand proudly behind it."