Church leaders say they were never contacted before ICE agents arrested 4 people outside Bronzeville shelter
By Jermont Terry
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CHICAGO (WBBM) — South Side community leaders are sharing their fears and frustrations after a new round of ICE arrests on Wednesday outside a Bronzeville shelter
The people detained become part of the more than 800 arrested in “Operation Midway Blitz.”
As Homeland Security touts the hundreds of arrests since the operation started, those running the shelter are insisting that the way ICE agents moved in was over the top and unnecessary.
Security surveillance caught the moments federal ICE agents in SUVs pulled up outside a homeless shelter in Bronzeville. Agents were seen jumping out, and people started running as agents followed.
“But there were, probably again, 20 that they chased,” said Bright Star Community Development Corporation executive director Caryl R. West.
Bright Star Church runs the former migrant shelter, which is now converted into a 260-bed homeless shelter. Despite having the names of everyone who stays in there, church leaders say Homeland Security never contacted them to see if who they were looking for was registered.
“They would’ve given us an opportunity to help identify those individuals. We could have, in fact, let them know if they were here or if they were maybe at work,” said executive director Lakreshia Kindred.
The agents never entered the shelter, but church leaders, once they discovered what was going on, came out.
Bright Star’s pastor, Chris Harris, took to social media to sound the alarm.
Church leaders understand that federal agents are carrying out the mission, but argue that the way ICE is going about detaining people is cruel and unnecessary
“What they’ve portrayed is not really how things are being executed, and if what they’re saying is true, there’s a way to do it with peace and dignity.”
“They didn’t show us the respect to come to our facility to come and communicate with us,” said West.
Church leaders said ICE arrested four people, but say the way this was done has left all of those here uneasy.
“We brought them here to provide shelter, and now they feel as if though they don’t have any shelter,” West said.
There is no word of anyone getting injured during the arrests. Operation Midway Blitz started back on September 8.
CBS News Chicago reached out to ICE about the incident, but has yet to hear back.
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