On day of Kristi Noem visit to Chicago, federal immigration agents use tear gas on Elgin crowd

Rebecca Johnson and Stacey Wescott, Chicago Tribune on Dec 6, 2025

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CHICAGO — Federal immigration agents deployed tear gas and pepper spray Saturday on a crowd that gathered to protest a prolonged arrest in a northwest Chicago suburb, angering neighbors who said it was “uncalled for” and “tremendously disappointing.”

The standoff began around 10 a.m. Saturday when about 15 agents showed up to arrest an unidentified man at an apartment building on the 1600 block of Maple Lane in Elgin. Elgin police said there had been a traffic crash that morning involving a federal agent and the man, who then fled to the building.

The crowd, blowing whistles and shouting at agents to leave, grew throughout the morning, eventually swelling to at least 100 people by the afternoon.

Around 3:30 p.m., agents reportedly arrested the man while he was inside an apartment. Afterward, videos taken by a witness at the scene showed some people in the crowd throwing snowballs at the agents and their vehicles, while others yelled at them to stop.

While driving away, agents hurled pepper spray and flash-bang grenades into the crowd. One agent told the crowd, “Back up or gas will be deployed,” seconds before he threw a canister, a video shows.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokespeople didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Meanwhile, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem joined the U.S. Coast Guard for a Christmas tree event at Navy Pier on Saturday.

Audrey Luhmann, 40, of West Chicago, said the pepper spray and tear gas went “everywhere” into the crowd and that she could still smell it about an hour later on her clothes. Luhmann said neighbors asked the agents to see a warrant, which they refused.

“It’s almost as though they wanted things to escalate,” she said. “I don’t understand what goes through their mind to justify that kind of action. This could have been just a normal Saturday, and instead, this is what they have to do to our community.”

Federal agents faced mounting scrutiny from fearful residents and the courts alike over their use of chemical weapons during Operation Midway Blitz, which has tapered off since Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino left Chicago with hundreds of his agents in November. Body cameras repeatedly captured agents’ apparent glee in deploying tear gas and other munitions on residential streets.

“It’s clear that Chicago and Illinois remain a target of the administration,” Brandon Lee, of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, told The Chicago Tribune this week after agents detained at least three people in the west suburbs.

According to Elgin Police, a federal agent reported that he was involved in the traffic crash while conducting enforcement activities, and that someone involved in the crash had fled to Maple Lane. The crash occurred around 9:15 a.m. in the 1600 block of West Highland Avenue, police said in a statement.

About 45 minutes later, a separate caller in the 1600 block of Maple Lane reported that “subjects in masks were on their property stating they had a warrant.”

The protest outside the building appeared to escalate around 12:30 p.m., however. A video taken by a witness at the scene shows at least two agents tackling a protester while other agents push the crowd back. Agents then threw tear gas and pepper balls into the crowd, according to witnesses and videos.

Tracy Howell, 58, said the agents tackled the man after he stepped closer to them off the sidewalk. At that point, agents shot the pepper balls, which Howell said “irritated” her nose and throat. She had arrived at the apartment building around noon, she said.

“(The agents) just kept saying, ‘Move back. Move back.’ And I kept asking, ‘Where do you want us to move back to?’” she said. “And the guy who was most aggressive … pushed me to the ground.”

Howell said neighbors were bringing pizzas, water and hand warmers so the group could stay out protesting longer. She said, “It causes me so much anxiety” to see the federal immigration activity in her community, especially the use of chemical weapons.

“That was just testosterone and anger and uncalled for. There was no reason for it. One little step and they’re triggered,” she said. “I never would have guessed that I would have been pepper shot at or pushed down by law enforcement.”

Elgin Police said they received reports that shots had been fired, but they determined this wasn’t true after arriving at the scene. They instead found that agents had “dispersed chemical irritants.” They treated and released seven people at the scene.

“The Elgin Police Department will continue to respond to any calls for service and determine the appropriate action within the parameters of the Illinois Trust Act which prohibits Elgin officers from assisting with federal immigration enforcement operations,” the department said.

By 2:30 p.m., the man the agents were attempting to arrest was still on the balcony. About 30 agents at the scene were trying to negotiate with him, while a crowd of about 200 people told the man not to talk to them.