ICE Mistake Leaves US Citizen Injured on the Ground

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents mistakenly detained a US citizen in the Chicago suburb of Evanston on Sunday morning, leaving him on the ground with injuries, local authorities said.

Evanston police said the man was found after officers were dispatched at about 9:49 a.m. to reports of two men arguing. Police identified the injured person only as an Evanston resident. Officers said several bystanders were helping the man when they arrived and that an ambulance was called after he reported injuries to his head, neck and teeth.

Police said witnesses believed ICE agents were trying to detain the man. Officials said they later determined he was not the person the agents were seeking and released him.

Incident Follows Prior Chicago Crackdown

The case is the latest example of a US citizen caught up in federal immigration enforcement activity carried out under the Trump administration, which has included highly visible tactics that have triggered protests, legal challenges and political criticism across the country.

The incident comes about a year after “Operation Midway Blitz”, an ICE crackdown conducted in Chicago and surrounding areas. Legal proceedings challenging the agents’ approaches are still ongoing, according to the report.

Agent Encounter Led to Release

Evanston police said one of their officers, responding to the scene, encountered two SUVs near an intersection and spoke with an individual in one vehicle. Police said the person identified himself as a federal agent conducting a “fugitive investigation” and was wearing plain clothes and a vest marked “POLICE” with federal law enforcement markings.

According to Evanston police, the federal official said agents had attempted to identify someone who resembled a target. Police said the man refused to provide identification and “resisted detention”. Police said ICE later concluded the person was not the individual they were seeking and learned he was a US citizen, after which he was released.

The US Department of Homeland Security told CNN that the ICE agents conducting a targeted enforcement operation encountered a person who resembled their target. DHS said the agents “immediately identified themselves as law enforcement” and issued commands to the individual, who it said was not cooperative and declined to identify himself. A DHS spokesperson said ICE officers left without further incident once the individual finally identified himself.

Injuries Recorded, Video Shows Struggle

Evanston police said they are investigating the incident. Officers said they are preserving available body-worn camera footage and interviewing witnesses.

Surveillance footage obtained by CNN appeared to show two ICE agents and the man struggling while he remained upright, before the federal officials pulled him to the ground. The footage did not make clear what happened after the man was taken down as the individuals moved out of view. Moments later, at least three drivers pulled into a nearby parking lot, exited their vehicles and joined other bystanders, some of whom recorded the scene.

Evanston police said the officer noticed blood on the hands of the agent inside one of the SUVs. Evanston police said the federal official told them the blood was from an injury received while attempting to detain the man. The agent did not seek medical treatment.

Evanston’s police chief met the man at a local hospital, where an evidence technician photographed and documented his injuries.

Local police said the agent told the officer that five federal agents were operating in separate vehicles to search the area for their target. The federal agents later left after protesters began to gather, local police said, citing concerns that they could be attacked.

DHS said the man refused assistance from ICE agents, but did not address his injuries in its statement.

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23 September 2026