Protest in La Villita Ends in Arrests After ICE Presence

Protest in La Villita

Arrests Over ICE Operations

Community Demands Transparency

At least two protesters were pinned down and held on the ground by police on November 8 in the La Villita neighborhood of Chicago during a demonstration against the presence of immigration agents.

The incident occurred when a group of residents gathered to voice their opposition to ongoing operations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the area.

Protest in La Villita Leaves Tension and Arrests

In “La Villita,” a Mexican neighborhood in Chicago, in the U.S., ICE agents burst in using tear gas and pepper spray, triggering chaos and protests.

A mother and her daughter suffered the effects of pepper spray during a controversial operation that has sparked tension in the community.

Despite this… pic.twitter.com/8JAe9kA2C7

— Fuerza Informativa Azteca (@AztecaNoticias) November 11, 2025

According to witnesses, the protesters briefly blocked part of the main road, which led to a police intervention that escalated into shoving and arrests.

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The situation intensified when some attendees tried to record the events, at which point several officers pushed protesters toward the sidewalk.

Videos shared on social media show two people on the ground while being restrained by police, as others demand their release.

Community Reaction

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Una publicación compartida por Noticias Telemundo (@noticiastelemundo)

An Instagram video posted by Noticias Telemundo showed scenes from the protest.

Activist Mayra Macías shared images of the moment on her Instagram account, accompanied by a message denouncing the impact of ICE actions on immigrant communities.

“Our communities are being attacked every day in Chicago. People are outraged — and rightfully so — because our communities are being torn apart by ICE. At that moment, a caravan of federal agents had already left; this is what was left behind,” she wrote.

Her post spread widely, generating reactions of anger from users and civil-rights organizations.

Local groups warned that immigration operations create an atmosphere of fear in predominantly Latino neighborhoods.

They also called on city authorities to prevent federal agents from operating in residential areas without coordination with local government.

Neighbors in La Villita also claimed that the arrests occurred during a peaceful protest and that the police response was “disproportionate.”

Position of the Authorities

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a statement confirming the detention of at least nine people during operations carried out the previous Saturday across different parts of Chicago, including the La Villita area.

According to the statement, the arrests were part of a “targeted action against individuals with criminal records and pending deportation orders.”

DHS reiterated that its agents “act in accordance with the law and prioritize public safety,” although it did not specify whether the people arrested during the November 8 protest were included in that operation.

Meanwhile, community and immigrant-rights groups announced they will continue organizing demonstrations to demand transparency in federal operations and to denounce what they describe as a pattern of harassment against Latino communities in Chicago.