Federal Agents Use Tear Gas, Disrupt Northwest Side Halloween Parade

Neighbors stated that two neighbors, one of whom was 70 years old, were arrested for allegedly getting in the way of immigration police arresting another man. Agents also threw a 67-year-old woman to the ground. OLD IRVING PARK – Witnesses say that federal authorities sprayed chemical irritants on people in the Chicago region for the fourth day in a row on Saturday morning.

According to social media posts and quick responders, agents used tear gas on citizens Saturday morning in two different places on the Northwest Side: Old Irving Park and Avondale. Neighbors stated that federal authorities used tear gas on people who were trying to help with an arrest near the corner of Kildare Avenue and Grace Street in Old Irving Park a little before 10 a.m.

According to neighbors and a Homeland Security official, federal investigators arrested three persons in Old Irving Park, two of whom were American citizens.

Luis Villegas, a 35-year-old father and construction worker, was the first person to be arrested on Kildare Avenue. His family informed ABC-7 that officers hunted him down and grabbed him while he was working on a personal project. Neighbors said that the other two people who were arrested were a woman on a bike and a 70-year-old man getting ready for a marathon. Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that “two U.S. citizens were arrested for assaulting and impeding a federal officer.” She also added that Villegas had a previous assault charge, but she didn’t provide any documentation of the 35-year-old man’s criminal history.

“Our officers are facing a 1000% increase in assaults against them as they put their lives on the line to arrest murderers, rapists, abusers, and gang members,” the statement continued. “Secretary Noem’s message to the rioters is clear: you won’t stop us or slow us down.” ICE and our federal law enforcement colleagues will keep up their work to uphold the law. And if you touch a police officer, you will be punished to the utmost extent of the law.

An ICE rapid responder informed Block Club that masked agents “knocked to the ground” a 67-year-old lady during the Old Irving Park incident. Neighbors stated in a local rapid reaction chat that the fight happened right before the Old Irving Park Association Halloween Parade was supposed to march down the street, which ruined the festivities.

James Hotchkiss was leaving his house at 9:45 a.m. on Saturday to go to the nearby costume parade with his wife and kids when he heard whistles in the vicinity. This is a quick way to let people know that ICE is in the area. He told his family to stay inside and went toward the sound.

Hotchkiss witnessed a black SUV, two silver SUVs, and police cars turning south onto Kildare from Grace. A huge gathering of neighbors, some still in their jammies, came at the scene to heckle the officers arresting Villegas, Hotchkiss said. He said that after arguing with quick responders who were trying to block their way out, the agents got out of their cars, put on gas masks, and attacked at least two persons.

Around 9:55, Hotchkiss observed smoke in the air and heard a lot of neighbors yell that agents had used tear gas.

He said, “I took off my glasses because my eyes were burning.” “I saw someone pour water on a gas can that looked like it was on fire.”

In the middle of all the pandemonium, Hotchkiss saw officials forcing two neighbors to the ground and arresting them. Hotchkiss added that the unmarked SUVs left with the three people who had been arrested a little after 10 a.m.

Neighbors said that the 70-year-old guy was let go with some injuries.

State Rep. Lindsey LaPointe wrote on Facebook, “These actions are harmful, traumatic, illegal, and uncalled for.”

Around 10:30 a.m., agents sprayed tear gas at residents who were responding to another arrest near the corner of Harding Avenue and Roscoe Street in Avondale, according to a quick responder. It was yet unclear what led to the arrest.

A quick responder who tried to follow an unmarked federal vehicle away from the site said that at least one person was arrested during the fight in Avondale.

“At that instant, I saw a man racing at me with two or three cops behind him. They pushed him down onto the front yard of a neighbor. The two times tear gas was used Saturday comes after multiple times this week when federal agents used tear gas as part of Operation Midway Blitz and Operation At Large. On Wednesday, federal agents used pepper spray on people living near a grocery store in Cicero. On Thursday, they used tear gas on dozens of people living near Little Village’s Discount Mall, including several high school students. On Friday, they used tear gas on about 50 people living near a construction site in Lakeview.

People are saying that Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino broke a federal judge’s order when he sprayed tear gas on a gathering in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood during the standoff on Thursday.

Source: https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/26/federal-agents-use-tear-gas-again-this-time-in-northwest-side-confrontations/

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