Chicago anti-ICE protests prompt street closures while car speeds into crowd

CHICAGO - Hundreds of people took to the streets in downtown Chicago on Tuesday afternoon to protest immigration arrests across the country.

While the protests were mostly non-violent earlier in the afternoon, there were some brief clashes between protesters, police squad cars vandalized, and one instance in which a car appeared to drive through the crowd amid rolling street closures.

Around 7:30 p.m., the CTA said bus service in the downtown area was temporarily suspended due to the protests.

‘Fluid and ongoing situation’

What we know:

As of around 8:45 p.m., the Chicago Police Department did not have any information on the number of arrests made during the protests.

"[T]his is a fluid and ongoing situation. We will provide those details at a later time once the information has become available," said a spokesperson in an email.

Several protesters were seen clashing with Chicago police officers throughout the late afternoon into early evening.

Bus service suspended

No buses were running from North Avenue and Roosevelt Road, and Clinton Street and the Lake Front, CTA said.

Other buses might see major delays from the congestion on their routes.

CTA said to consider using the L train as an alternative mode of transport through the downtown area.

Check with TransitChicago.com for the latest updates.

Car drives through crowd

As protesters walked near Monroe Street around 6:20 p.m., a dark red or maroon car appeared to have sped through the crowd in an area where the street was blocked.

It was unclear whether anyone was hurt by the car, but as Fox 32's Dane Placko reported, it was a frightening moment for those in the streets. People were seen jumping out of the way of the car.

Sky Fox captured the moments when the car was trying to weave through a crowd and came very close to some of the pedestrians. A police officer tried to hit the side of the window to get the car to pull over, but the car drove away.

Placko said the driver appeared to be irritated that they couldn't move because of the protests.

A group of people were seen attending to what appeared to be an older woman on the ground after the car sped through. It was unclear if she had been hurt by the car.

Nick Wozniak, who witnessed the incident told Fox 32 people were "diving out of the way and the person [was] shouting and they kept barreling through the crowd."

Fox 32 saw a woman on the ground who needed medical attention after the incident. 

Angel, a witness, said the car wouldn't stop "and the lady got knocked over in the process. I don't think she got hit by the car, but in the commotion of people running though the side."

Sky Fox continued tracking the car until it came to a stop in the West Loop area with a broken window. People got out of the car to push it.

It was unclear if anyone was arrested.

CPD cars vandalized

Multiple Chicago police squad cars appeared to be vandalized, mostly with spray paint amid the protests.

Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) posted multiple photos of the cars, many with obscenities painted on them.

"I hear several cars have been vandalized so far. Anyone else having 2020 flashbacks? Anyone check the basement of @ChicagoOMEC for @ChicagosMayor?" he posted on X.

Smaller protests early

Earlier in the afternoon, a group of about 100 protesters were in front of the Chicago Immigration Court in the Loop around 3 p.m.

It was unclear who organized the protest, but participants told Fox 32's Dane Placko they were able to disrupt court proceedings in the building, but federal officials have not confirmed that.

A woman who works in a federal building across the street from Federal Plaza told Fox 32 that their bosses said they could go home early on Tuesday in anticipation of the protests. She said most people took advantage of that, but they were not ordered to leave or evacuate the building.

By about 5 p.m., a larger group gathered at Federal Plaza for another demonstration.

The protest is part of a campaign called "From LA to Chicago: ICE Out!"

"I just think it's not right what's going on right now… people are being snatched off the street, so you just gotta do something about it," said Benjamin Rose, one of the protesters.

Organizers say they’re responding to what they describe as an aggressive federal crackdown on immigrants, especially after President Donald Trump sent the National Guard and U.S. Marines into Los Angeles following large protests over ICE raids there.

"We cannot let this repression intimidate us," the group wrote in a Facebook post. "For those who believe in immigrant rights, for those who believe in democracy, for the entire working class – now is the time to take to the streets in protest!"

Tuesday’s protest follows others held throughout Chicago over the past few days, including gatherings outside immigration court, Chicago police headquarters, and Daley Plaza.

Earlier Tuesday morning, about 20 people demonstrated downtown, carrying signs and voicing concern over immigration enforcement in schools and neighborhoods. Some wore masks, citing fears of retribution.

One teacher said immigration raids had taken students from her school.

"These are my children, our children," she said. "We need to take care of them and protect their families."

Protests sparked in LA

Big picture view:

President Trump made no secret of his willingness to exert a maximalist approach to enforcing immigration laws and keeping order as he campaigned to return to the White House. 

The fulfillment of that pledge is now on full display in Los Angeles.

The president has put hundreds of National Guard troops on the streets to quell protests over his administration's immigration raids, a deployment that state and city officials say has only inflamed tensions. Trump called up the California National Guard over the objections of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom — the first time in 60 years a president has done so — and is deploying active-duty troops to support the guard.

By overriding Newsom, Trump is already going beyond what he did to respond to Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, when he warned he could send troops to contain demonstrations that turned violent if governors in the states did not act to do so themselves. Trump said in September of that year that he "can’t call in the National Guard unless we’re requested by a governor" and that "we have to go by the laws."

But now, the past and current president is moving swiftly, with little internal restraint to test the bounds of his executive authority in order to deliver on his promise of mass deportations. What remains to be seen is whether Americans will stand by him once it’s operationalized nationwide, as Trump looks to secure billions from Congress to dramatically expand the country's detention and deportation operations.

For now, Trump is betting that they will.

"If we didn't do the job, that place would be burning down," Trump told reporters Monday, speaking about California. "I feel we had no choice. ... I don't want to see what happened so many times in this country."

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