Disturbing video goes viral: ICE agent attacked US citizen – then realized the mistake, and left him injured on the ground

Federal immigration enforcement has become one of the most visible parts of Donald Trump’s second presidency, with heavily publicized operations spreading well beyond the southern border.

Chicago and its suburbs have repeatedly found themselves on that map.

Now an encounter in Evanston is raising a particularly awkward question about how those operations are being carried out after federal immigration agents detained the wrong man — a US citizen who was subsequently taken to hospital with injuries.

Video from the confrontation shows the man on the ground repeatedly insisting that he is an American citizen before the agents eventually release him and drive away. Local police are investigating.

They were looking for someone else

The encounter happened shortly before 10 a.m. Sunday near Howard Street and Dodge Avenue in Evanston, just north of Chicago.

Federal agents were conducting what DHS described as a targeted enforcement operation when they encountered a man who resembled the person they were seeking.

According to Evanston Police, five federal agents had been searching for a fugitive with a Chicago address and an arrest warrant.

The man they encountered was not him.

DHS said its officers identified themselves as law enforcement and ordered the man to identify himself.

“The individual was given lawful commands but was not cooperative and refused to identify himself,” a DHS spokesperson told CNN.

“ICE officers relied on their training and later left the scene without further incident once the individual finally identified himself.”

Federal agents told Evanston Police that the man resisted when they attempted to detain him for fingerprinting.

Video captures a considerably messier scene.

‘I’m a US citizen’

Surveillance footage obtained by CNN shows two agents struggling with the man while upright before pulling him to the ground.

Cellphone footage begins after the confrontation is already underway.

“I’m a f—ing US citizen,” the man can be heard shouting while being restrained.

Moments later, the agents release him. Video then shows them getting into their vehicles and leaving while the man remains face down on the street and bystanders gather around him.

Witness Miguel Angel Olivares told NBC Chicago that the amount of force immediately concerned him.

“They were using very rough force on him, and it looked like they really did hurt him. I did want to go over there and tell them to leave him alone, but at the same time, me being Hispanic, I was kind scared that they don’t know I’m a U.S. citizen,” Olivares said.

Head, neck and teeth injuries

Evanston Police arrived after witnesses called 911.

Officers found the man on the ground with several people helping him and requested an ambulance after he complained of injuries to his head, neck and teeth.

Police later visited him at a local hospital and photographed his injuries as part of their investigation.

Olivares recalled seeing visible signs of the confrontation.

“When we saw him, he had his jaw swollen and he had like a little blood on his shirt. Not sure if it was the agent’s or it was his,” he told NBC Chicago.

One Evanston officer also observed blood on a federal agent’s hands. According to police, the agent said he had been injured while attempting to handcuff the man.

Federal agents told local officers that they left because protesters were gathering and they feared being attacked.

DHS defends the operation

DHS has not accepted the characterization that its officers simply grabbed a random person without cause.

Its statement stressed that agents believed the man resembled the intended target and said officers had authority to investigate immigration status under federal law.

“Law enforcement officers use ‘reasonable suspicion’ to investigate immigration status and probable cause to make arrests consistent with the statute and the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,” DHS said.

“DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted, and officers do their due diligence. We know who we are targeting ahead of time.”

That final sentence has attracted particular scrutiny because Evanston Police say the agents ultimately determined that the person they had detained was not their target.

The department is preserving body-camera and vehicle footage and interviewing witnesses as its investigation continues.

Former DHS official sees a bigger problem

John Sandweg, who served as acting director of ICE and previously held senior positions at DHS during the Obama administration, told CNN that unanswered questions remain about exactly why agents approached the encounter so aggressively.

“Who was the individual they were targeting? Who was the guy they mistook here? Is this someone with a violent criminal history? Why did we have such an aggressive response from the officers?” Sandweg said.

Regardless of those answers, Sandweg argued that the footage raised broader concerns about the use of force.

“This is part of what we’ve seen across the board, where we’ve seen this erosion of accountability, where there’s a rush to defend these agents,” he said.

“And again, case after case after case where we’ve seen a very aggressive tone taken by the officers. It doesn’t always appear justified.”

Sandweg linked the incident to what he described as a wider problem with enforcement culture.

“This is a variety of factors contributing to this erosion of culture where we’re seeing these incidents keep recurring,” he said.

“It is another troubling circumstance where there are real questions about the use of force.”

This article is made and published by Nicolai H, who may have used AI in the preparation