Palestine supporters in Chicago anti-ICE protests organized by the Chicago Teachers Union also bringing children … credit screen shot from Live Facebook post Univision Chicago Hundreds of people march through the streets of Pilsen in protest of the arrests of undocumented people across the country June 8, 2025 at 3:00 PM
The recent ICE protests in Chicago and Los Angeles expose a dangerous turn in America’s immigration debate—one where symbolism trumps substance, laws are recast as oppression, and public officials play both sides while working-class citizens get left behind.
What began as routine enforcement in Chicago’s South Loop—targeting individuals who had final removal orders from immigration judges—erupted into a full-blown standoff. Protesters clashed with Homeland Security officers and federal agents.
Social media showed activists locking ICE officers in businesses, forming barricades, and shouting down attempts to serve legal warrants. It wasn’t a peaceful vigil—it was obstruction of federal law.
The political class quickly followed the script.
Governor J.B. Pritzker defended local police, stating, “Chicago police followed the law. We’ve tried to make sure that our police are focused on deterring violent crime and not engaged in administrative deportation proceedings like the ones that ICE are now turning into something criminal.”
But immigration activist and lawyer Alexa Van Brunt pushed back.
“A perimeter is a law enforcement tactic to detain and arrest someone,” she said. “So if that’s what was going on, then it seems very clearly to be crossing the line of state and local law.”
Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez took it further. He claimed the detained immigrants were being held without due process and demanded new legislation to prevent police from assisting ICE without reviewing warrants.
“The number of police officers that were deployed and the level of inhumanity that we saw, those demand a call for action,” he told WBEZ.
Chicago politicians are asking for a city hearing, several aldermen attacked their own police department for cooperating with federal law enforcement—even when court orders were in hand. Instead of upholding the law or supporting public safety, they cast CPD officers as villains for doing their job.
In an era of skyrocketing violent crime and unsolved murders, this political theater only further alienates frontline workers from the leaders who claim to support them.
Mayor Brandon Johnson—never one to miss a dramatic line—compared the ICE actions to kidnappings: “We saw armed masked men walk down our streets in broad daylight. They kidnapped mothers and fathers. They brutalized protesters and shoved crying grandmothers into the back of unmarked vans.”
Speaking at a National Immigrant Heritage Month event, he concluded, “This is not a time to cower in silence.”
Let’s set the record straight.
ICE had judicial warrants. The individuals detained had already been ordered removed by immigration judges. These weren’t random street snatches. They were legal enforcement actions—whether one agrees with immigration law or not.
So when officials like Sigcho-Lopez demand that local police ask ICE for warrants, they’re either misinformed or misleading. ICE already had warrants—final removal orders signed by immigration judges.
What more do they want? A notarized apology?
Meanwhile, amid this political circus, David Huerta, president of SEIU California, was arrested during a protest in Los Angeles. Not for defending American union jobs—but for interfering with federal agents, who themselves are likely union members.
That’s right—a labor leader attacking federal officers, some of whom are card-carrying public union members, in defense of undocumented labor that often undercuts union contracts.
This isn’t solidarity. It’s sabotage.
And it deserves a federal investigation. Not just of ICE operations—but of the elected officials and activist groups who interfered with lawful enforcement and may have violated federal obstruction statutes.
If a private citizen tried to block U.S. Marshals or FBI agents with a megaphone and human wall, there would be consequences.
Why should aldermen or union leaders be above the law?
Let’s be brutally honest: the activist left is using migrants as human shields in a proxy war against law enforcement and immigration policy. The goal isn’t reform—it’s anarchy. If this were about helping immigrants, the focus would be on legal aid, English classes, green card applications.
But that’s too slow. Too boring. Not radical enough.
So instead we get riots in LA, blockades in Chicago, and mayoral speeches comparing law enforcement to kidnappers.
The real losers?
Migrants who actually want to live and work here legally. And working-class Americans—many unionized—who watch their wages stagnate, their neighborhoods strain, and their voices drowned out by a movement that’s more about defiance than solutions.
If you want to support immigrants, help them become legal.
If you want to protect workers, stand with the rule of law.
But if all you want is a photo op with a bullhorn and a masked mob behind you, at least be honest: this isn’t justice.
It’s theater. And it’s dangerous.
References
ICE protesters clash with immigration agents in South Loop (4 June 2025) Chicago Tribune https://chicagotribune.com/2025/06/04/ice-protesters-clash-immigration
ICE Mass Arrest Sparks Chaos In South Loop As Activists Fight Operation (4 June 2025) @BlockClubCHI
LA Business Owner Locks ICE Agents, Sparks Riot (6 June 2025) @DorLinder
The LA situation where a business owner locked ICE agents in his store is turning into a riot situation. Crowds are ensuing. Eggs being thrown at agents and their vehicles. The FBI is on scene. pic.twitter.com/3iTB233DTL
U.S. Attorney Announces Huerta’s Arrest (6 June 2025) @billessayli
Federal agents were executing a lawful judicial warrant at a LA worksite this morning when David Huerta deliberately obstructed their access by blocking their vehicle. He was arrested for interfering with federal officers and will face arraignment in federal court on Monday. Let… pic.twitter.com/GIFD34LIcF
— U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) June 7, 2025
Protesters Attempt to Breach Detention Center After ICE Raid (6 June 2025) @rawsalerts Twitter https://x.com/rawsalerts/status/1931171831194460643
🚨#BREAKING: Protesters and other activists are now rioting and attempting to break into the a detention center holding over 40 illegal immigrants with tear gas being fired
— People's City Council – Los Angeles (@PplsCityCouncil) June 7, 2025
Aldo Buttazzoni Harassed by Anti-ICE Protesters (6 June 2025) @AldoButtazzoni Twitter https://x.com/AldoButtazzoni/status/1931198649008054755
NOW: Anti-ICE protestors surrounded me & attempted to grab my belongings while documenting the protests.
They accused me of being an agitator & “infiltrator” despite me wearing a name tag. I never hide who I am when filming protests like I have done countless times. pic.twitter.com/vST8pLdOls
LAPD officer and wannabe tough guy Zachary Adler is completely unhinged right now. He was putting his hands on people all night and now he’s walking up to people threatening to shoot point blank. Fuck these pigs. https://t.co/WNUthBB3nKpic.twitter.com/lL2MKCYjGq
— People's City Council – Los Angeles (@PplsCityCouncil) June 7, 2025
Jonathan Green Reports National Guard on Temple St (6 June 2025) @johngreenla
ICE Raids at Home Depot in Paramount (Huerta Incident) (7 June 2025) @CitizenAppLA
🚨BREAKING | ICE Raids at Home Depot in Paramount Federal agents and Homeland Security conducted a raid at the Home Depot on Alondra Blvd. Police shut down nearby roads as gas was reportedly deployed in the area. Stay informed and #ProtectTheWorld with Citizen pic.twitter.com/ntRSig1EG3
— Citizen Los Angeles (@CitizenAppLA) June 7, 2025
SEIU California President David Huerta Arrested (7 June 2025) @pr0ud_americans
David Huerta, SEIU California President, arrested during LA ICE raid for obstructing a vehicle. Part of a broader enforcement action with 40+ arrests, igniting protests and local backlash. pic.twitter.com/zG3rKzCsbk
Border Patrol Presence in Inglewood (7 June 2025) @CitizenApp
🚨BREAKING | Border Patrol Activity Border Patrol presence reported near Lennox Blvd & S Osage Ave, Inglewood. Video shows federal vehicle on scene. Details unclear. #ProtectTheWorld with Citizen pic.twitter.com/cBs8CA3jf9
Warning About Rock-Throwing Dangers (7 June 2025) @SecondCityCop
This shit is going to get someone killed. If a rock goes through a window & the driver loses control & pedestrians are taken out, then what? This is no different than the asshole who drops rocks off a viaduct onto vehicles below. https://t.co/TL6KQqvU4q
Border Patrol Vehicles Exit Paramount Protest (7 June 2025) @jeremotographs
Many Border Patrol vehicles and other unmarked cars just exited the anti-ICE protest area in Paramount, California. They were met with fierce resistance from protesters, with a number of vehicles being visibly damaged. pic.twitter.com/Ek8AyQ9AQb
— Jeremy Lindenfeld (@jeremotographs) June 7, 2025
Fox News Obtains Video of CBP Agents Under Attack (7 June 2025) @BillMelugin_
BREAKING: @FoxNews has obtained intense video showing @CBP agents’ perspective inside their vehicle as it is pelted with rocks while they attempt to leave the anti-ICE protest in Paramount, CA today. You can hear & see the windows & windshield breaking w/ each hit. Federal source… pic.twitter.com/2oo2N4GzU1
Journalist Threatened During LA Riots (7 June 2025) @anjewla90
As a journalist was reporting what was happening on the ground in LA, one of these rioters threatened to “kill her with a rock.” pic.twitter.com/SZadgAtUuf
Protestors Prepare Molotov Cocktails and Throw Rocks (7 June 2025) @AnthonyCabassa_
NEW 🚨: Protestors are emptying out buckets full of rocks and empty glass beer bottles, and spraying some kind of liquid/gas into it. Not sure what the plan is for the bottles, but the rocks were used shortly after to launch them toward police.
Anti-ICE Protesters Build Barricades in LA (7 June 2025) @rawsalerts
🚨#BREAKING: Anti-Ice protesters are now moving refrigerators along with other objects into the street to build a barrier wall while throwing rocks at police
ANTIFA Confronts Police, Met with Heavy Response (7 June 2025) @camhigby
🚨BREAKING: As ANTIFA push to the police line the cops absolutely LIGHT THEM UP with every munition they have. pic.twitter.com/XjVTzleuV2
— Cam Higby | America First 🇺🇸 (@camhigby) June 8, 2025
Federal Agents Use Tear Gas at Federal Detention Building (8 June 2025) @IRT_Media
6/7/25 – Around 11 PM, after LAPD cleared out from the Federal Detention Building, a small group returned to protest. Some began throwing objects at the building. Federal agents responded with tear gas and pepper balls, quickly dispersing the crowd. LAPD later returned to the… pic.twitter.com/OBEzYC9CKP
Criticism of Border Patrol’s Actions and Court Injunction (8 June 2025) @dogeai_gov
The court’s injunction against Border Patrol is a direct attack on enforcement—77 of 78 arrests in Kern County had no prior records? That’s not efficiency, that’s harassment masquerading as policy. The CBP Home App exists to streamline lawful processes, but when agents slash…
National Guard Deployment to Los Angeles (8 June 2025) @USNorthernCmd
#USNORTHCOM can confirm that elements of the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from the California National Guard have begun deploying to the Los Angeles area, with some already on the ground. Additional information will be provided as units are identified and deployed. pic.twitter.com/BxqZM2YG1G
— U.S. Northern Command (@USNorthernCmd) June 8, 2025
National Guard Arrives at Federal Detention Center (8 June 2025) @IRT_Media
🚨 National Guard has arrived at the Federal Detention Center in Downtown LA. Over the weekend, President Trump authorized 2,000 California National Guard troops under federal Title 10 orders. Tensions remain high. pic.twitter.com/DEFNz3qFLY
LA City Council Member Criticizes ICE Raids During Pride Month (8 June 2025) @JeffVaughn
A Los Angles City Council member says ICE raids should not happen during Pride Month:
“It was a calculated attempt to take joy from our community,” says Ysabel Jurado. “I’m heartbroken. But I’m ready to fight.” pic.twitter.com/89oik4j03k
Performative activism rises as traditional activism becomes a trend for social media (14 Jan 2022) Hannah Wang https://thewildcattribune.com/10174/news/performative-activism-rises-as-traditional-activism-becomes-a-trend-for-social-media/
The American Federation of Teachers and The CIA (1977) George N Schmidt https://scribd.com/doc/106238989/The-American-Federation-of-Teachers-and-the-CIA-by-George-N-Schmidt
[ picture Palestine supporters in Chicago anti-ICE protests organized by the Chicago Teachers Union also bringing children … credit screen shot from Live Facebook post Univision Chicago Hundreds of people march through the streets of Pilsen in protest of the arrests of undocumented people across the country June 8, 2025 at 3:00 PM]
