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CHICAGO’S OUR HOME: HOW SOME SOUTH SHORE RESIDENTS ARE TAKING ON THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT 

MARIA: IT WAS ALREADY PAST MIDNIGHT WHEN RESIDENTS STILL AWAKE AT 7500 SOUTH SHORE DRIVE HEARD THE UNMISTAKABLE CHOPPING WHIR OF A HELICOPTER OUTSIDE.

AMBI

MARIA: THE SOUND OF A POLICE CHOPPER WASN’T NECESSARILY UNUSUAL IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD ON THE SOUTHSIDE OF CHICAGO. BUT ON THIS NIGHT – SEPTEMBER 30, 2025 – THE SOUND OF ROTATING BLADES KEPT GETTING CLOSER…AND LOUDER. WHAT THE RESIDENTS  DIDN’T KNOW YET IS THIS HELICOPTER WAS A BLACK HAWK. THE KIND OF MACHINERY NORMALLY USED TO CARRY OUT MILITARY OPERATIONS. AND SOON, THEIR OWN HOMES WOULD FEEL LIKE A BATTLEFIELD.

AMBI

MARIA: WHAT UNFOLDED OVER THE FOLLOWING HOURS RESEMBLED A SCENE FROM AN ACTION MOVIE – THE LIGHTS, THE DRONES, THE FLASHBANG GRANADES, THE SOUND OF DOORS GETTING KICKED IN… THE SCREAMING AND YELLING, AND CRYING. AROUND 300 FEDERAL AGENTS – INCLUDING BORDER PATROL, ICE AND THE FBI – ENTERED THE BUILDING. THEY PUSHED INTO NEARLY ALL 130 UNITS IN THE FIVE FLOOR COMPLEX. THEY DRAGGED PEOPLE OUT OF BED, UNLEASHED K-9S, POINTED THEIR GUNS AT, PUSHED AROUND AND ZIP-TIED RESIDENTS. MEN, WOMEN, CHILDREN AND THE ELDERLY – EVERYONE WAS CORRALED AND MARCHED OUTSIDE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

AMBI

MARIA: RESIDENTS IN PAJAMAS, SOME BAREFOOT AND SHIRTLESS, WAITED IN LINE FOR AGENTS TO TAKE THEIR PHOTOS. THEN, THE AGENTS WOULD SIGNAL IF THEY WERE FREE TO GO OR LED INTO CRAMMED RENTAL VANS WHOSE DESTINATION WAS STILL UNCLEAR. ALL OF THIS WAS BEING RECORDED BY A FILM CREW THAT ACCOMPANIED THE FEDERAL AGENTS. JUST A FEW DAYS LATER, THAT FOOTAGE  WOULD BE EDITED INTO A NEAT PROMOTIONAL SIZZLE REEL RESEMBLING A HOLLYWOOD MOVIE TRAILER. AND BLASTED ON X BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY.

ARCHIVAL: TRAILER AMBI 

MARIA: THE CAPTION ON THE VIDEO  INCLUDED THE LINES “TO EVERY CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIEN: DARKNESS IS NO LONGER YOUR ALLY. WE WILL FIND YOU.” BUT THAT NIGHT AGENTS DIDN’T SHOW WARRANTS. AND THEY DIDN’T JUST TAKE ALLEGED UNDOCUMENTED “CRIMINALS”. IN FACT, MANY IN THE COMPLEX WERE U.S. CITIZENS LIVING IN THIS HISTORICALLY BLACK CHICAGO NEIGHBORHOOD.

ARCHIVAL – BOVINO: WE’RE NOT VIOLATING THEIR RIGHTS. WE’RE MAKING IT SAFE FOR THEM SO THAT THEY CAN LIVE IN A SAFE AND SECURE NEIGHBORHOOD 

MARIA: THAT’S THEN BORDER PATROL CHIEF GREG BOVINO, SPEAKING TO A NEWS CREW THE NIGHT OF THE RAID. HE WOULD CLAIM THAT AGENTS WERE THERE TO ARREST MEMBERS OF TREN DE ARAGUA – A VENEZUELAN CRIMINAL GANG WHO BECAME CENTRAL IN THE 2024 TRUMP CAMPAIGN. BUT IN THE YEAR SINCE THE OPERATION, AUTHORITIES HAVE NOT MADE PUBLIC ANY CONFIRMED ARRESTS OF WANTED CRIMINALS OR CONFIRMED THE ARREST OF ANY TREN DE ARAGUA MEMBERS.

MUSIC

MARIA: 37 PEOPLE WERE DETAINED THAT NIGHT, BUT COUNTLESS OTHERS LOST THEIR BELONGINGS, HOMES AND PEACE OF MIND. IN THE YEAR THAT FOLLOWED, ILLINOIS SET UP A SPECIAL COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE THE OPERATION. STILL, THERE HAVE NOT BEEN ANY CRIMINAL CHARGES FILED AGAINST ANY OF THE ICE AGENTS INVOLVED IN ACTIONS IN CHICAGO, IMPEDING AVENUES FOR JUSTICE IN THE CRIMINAL COURTS. SO… THIS SUMMER, LAWYERS REPRESENTING 18 OF THE FORMER RESIDENTS AT 7500 SOUTH SHORE TURNED THEIR EYES TO THE CIVIL COURT SYSTEM. NOW THEY’RE SUING FEDERAL AGENTS UNDER A LAW THAT ALLOWS CITIZENS TO SEEK COMPENSATION IF THEY SUFFER PERSONAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE DUE TO THE ACTIONS OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES. BUT WILL THIS  LEGAL ROUTE THROUGH CIVIL COURTS  HELP VICTIMS OF FEDERAL ABUSE FAILED BY THE CRIMINAL COURT SYSTEM FINALLY FIND ACCOUNTABILITY?

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MARIA: FROM FUTURO MEDIA, IT’S LATINO USA. I’M MARIA HINOJOSA. TODAY WE LOOK AT WHAT LEGAL RECOURSE THE RAID VICTIMS HAVE AT A TIME WHEN IT’S NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO PURSUE CRIMINAL ACTION AGAINST FEDERAL AGENTS. AND I’M BACK ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF CHICAGO, THE PLACE WHERE I GREW UP, TO SEE WHAT HAS CHANGED ONE YEAR AFTER THE ICE OCCUPATION

MUSIC

MARIA:  I’M STANDING  ON THE SIDE ENTRANCE OF 7500 SOUTH SHORE 

MARIA: I’M BACK ON CHICAGO’S SOUTH SIDE NEARLY A YEAR TO THE DAY OF THE MILITARIZED RAID.

MARIA: THE FIRST TWO FLOORS ARE BOARDED OVER. 

MARIA: ALL AROUND US, TATTERED REMNANTS OF THE LIVES THAT WERE ONCE LED IN THIS BUILDING…A PLACE PEOPLE USED TO CALL HOME.

MARIA: THERE’S AN AIR CONDITIONER STILL IN THAT WINDOW, YOU CAN SEE CURTAINS. WHICH GIVES YOU A SENSE OF LIKE, OH, PEOPLE LIVED HERE. 

MARIA: LAST DECEMBER, LESS THAN THREE MONTHS AFTER ICE DESCENDED ON THIS APARTMENT COMPLEX, A LOCAL JUDGE ORDERED THE BUILDING TO BE SHUTTERED DUE TO UNLIVABLE CONDITIONS. ALL REMAINING RESIDENTS HAD TO LEAVE. SINCE THEN, 7500 SOUTH SHORE HAS SAT EMPTY.

AMBI

MARIA: I PEER OVER A METAL GATE THAT SURROUNDS THE NOW OVERGROWN FRONT COURTYARD OF THE U-SHAPED COMPLEX.

MARIA: …THE GARDEN IS UNKEPT. EVERYTHING IS OVERGROWN. THERE IS CARDBOARD IN A COUPLE OF WINDOWS. THEY WERE BREAKING DOWN DOORS. THEY WERE BREAKING WINDOWS. AND THE RESULTS ARE STILL HERE. WE’RE SEEING LITERALLY THE SHATTERED WINDOWS THAT ICE AND OTHER FEDERAL AGENTS BROKE TO GET INTO THIS PLACE. 

MARIA: WE STOP AT THE FRONT GATE- THERE’S A LOCK.

JULIETA:  OH, IT’S OPEN. IT’S OPEN. 

MARIA: THAT’S LATINO USA SENIOR PRODUCER JULIETA MARTINELLI, WHO DISCOVERS THE LOCK IS OPEN.

MARIA:  OH, BOY. IT’S OPEN? OKAY. SO THE GATE THAT’S SUPPOSED TO KEEP PEOPLE OUT. WAIT, LET’S GO ON THIS SIDE. 

MARIA: IMMEDIATELY, A WHITE CAR WHICH HAS APPARENTLY BEEN WATCHING US FROM ACROSS THE STREET DRIVES UP ONTO THE CURB WHERE WE’RE STANDING AND PARKS. WE CAN’T REALLY MAKE OUT THE DRIVER AT FIRST.

MARIA:  WOW, SECURITY CAR HAS JUST PULLED UP, SO WE’RE GONNA SEE WHAT HAPPENS. 

JULIETA: WE’RE ON THE SIDEWALK, SO WE’RE NOT BREAKING ANY LAWS. 

MARIA: OKAY. OH, HE’S NOT EVEN GONNA TALK TO US. THAT’S REALLY INTERESTING. HE’S JUST GONNA WATCH US. SOMEBODY IS PAYING PRIVATE SECURITY TO BE HERE 24/7 TO MAKE SURE NO ONE GETS INTO THE BUILDING THAT IS ABANDONED. 

MARIA: EVENTUALLY, A WOMAN IN A BLACK SECURITY UNIFORM STEPS OUT.

ANDERSON:  I’M OFFICER ANDERSON 

MARIA:  OOH, THOSE NAILS THOUGH. OKAY, THE NAILS. 

ANDERSON: YES … AND, UM, THIS THE BUILDING THAT I MONITOR, SO I HAD TO COME OVER HERE JUST TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON. 

MARIA: WE’RE JOURNALISTS, AND WE’RE JUST REPORTING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED HERE ABOUT A YEAR AGO.

ANDERSON: OKAY. WELL, I CAN BE RIGHT HERE UNTIL YOU GUYS, YOU KNOW, MOVE SIDE BY SIDE, YOU GUYS. MAKE SURE NO ONE’S TRYING TO MESS WITH YOU ALL OR HURT, YOU KNOW? OKAY. SO I’M HERE FOR YOUR SECURITY. 

MARIA:  OKAY. 

ANDERSON: Y’ALL GO DO YOUR THING. 

MARIA: ANDERSON WORKS FOR A PRIVATE SECURITY FIRM HIRED TO LOOK OUT FOR THIS PROPERTY. SHE WALKS WITH US PAST THE GATE, AND INTO THE OVERGROWN COURTYARD. SHE TELLS US THAT THE NEW OWNERS HAVE HIRED 24/7 SECURITY TO KEEP AN EYE ON IT. ANDERSON DIDN’T WORK HERE AT THE TIME OF THE RAID, BUT SHE SAYS SHE KNOWS THIS BUILDING WELL. SHE’S A LIFELONG RESIDENT OF THE SOUTH SHORE NEIGHBORHOOD. SHE SAYS YEARS BEFORE THE RAID, THE BUILDING USED TO BE WELL TAKEN CARE OF. THERE WERE CAMERAS, WORKING LOCKS, AND SECURITY AT THE ENTRANCE.

ANDERSON: BUT AFTER THE SECURITY LEFT, WHATEVER, THE BUILDING JUST GOT TERRIBLE.

MARIA: 7500 SOUTH SHORE WAS ONE OF THREE BUILDINGS ACQUIRED BY TRINITY FLOOD – A WISCONSIN BASED INVESTOR – FOR NEARLY 20 MILLION DOLLARS IN 2020. ISSUES WITH UPKEEP AND MAINTENANCE WERE REPORTED BY TENANTS SOON AFTER. THEN, IN 2022, HUNDREDS OF MOSTLY VENEZUELAN ASYLUM SEEKERS BEGAN ARRIVING IN CHICAGO

ARCHIVAL:  GOVERNOR ABBOTT OF TEXAS HAS SENT BUSLOADS OF MIGRANTS TO NEW YORK CITY AND WASHINGTON, D.C., TRYING TO CALL ATTENTION TO OVERWHELMED BORDER COMMUNITIES, AND NOW HE HAS ADDED CHICAGO TO THE LIST. 

MARIA: AND THE BUSES KEPT COMING. IN SEPTEMBER OF THAT YEAR, THE STATE OF ILLINOIS ISSUED A DISASTER PROCLAMATION. AND BY DECEMBER, THE ASYLUM SEEKER EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM WAS UP AND RUNNING. IT PROVIDED RENTAL ASSISTANCE FOR 6 MONTHS – LATER REDUCED TO 3 MONTHS – TO HELP MOVE APPLICANTS INTO VACANT UNITS AND OUT THE STREETS AND SHELTERS. MANY OF THOSE ASYLUM SEEKERS ENDED UP IN PARTS OF THE CITY, LIKE THE SOUTH SIDE, WHERE THEY COULD FIND CHEAPER RENT. THAT LED THEM TO RUNDOWN BUILDINGS LIKE 7500 SOUTH SHORE. BY SEPTEMBER 2025, THE NIGHT OF THE RAID, THE OWNERS OF THAT COMPLEX HAD BEEN FIGHTING IN HOUSING COURT FOR MORE THAN A YEAR OVER  REPORTS OF NEGLIGENCE AND MULTIPLE CODE VIOLATIONS. WELLS FARGO WAS ALSO SUING THE COMPANY FOR $27 MILLION. THE BUILDING FELL INTO SEVERE DISREPAIR, WITH REPORTS OF MICE AND OTHER INFESTATION.THERE WERE NO SECURITY STAFF OR MAINTENANCE CONCERNS BEING ADDRESSED. RESIDENTS REPORTED SQUATTERS AND PETTY CRIME. HERE IS OFFICER ANDERSON AGAIN.

ANDERSON: THAT BENCH OVER THERE, THE ONE RIGHT HERE AND THIS ONE- UH-HUH, UH-HUH … ACROSS THE STREET. THEY WOULD JUST SIT THERE, PACKS OF THEM, SMOKING, DRINKING, FIGHTING ALL THE TIME. AND THEN THEY SAY YOU COME IN THIS BUILDING, SOMETIMES YOU MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO COME OUT, ‘CAUSE THEY WAS RAPING PEOPLE IN HERE. 

MARIA: WHAT?

MARIA: IF THIS DID HAPPEN, IT WAS NOT REPORTED. WE SEARCHED PUBLIC CRIME DATA FROM 2022 – THE YEAR VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS BEGAN ARRIVING – TO PRESENT. THERE WERE NO REPORTED SEXUAL ASSAULTS REPORTED AT THIS LOCATION. AND ANDERSON WOULD FOLLOW UP WITH MORE RUMORS. SHE WAS JUST REPEATING WHAT SHE HAD HEARD…

ANDERSON: THEY WAS ROBBING PEOPLE IN HERE. BUT YOU, YOU- THEY FOUND BODIES IN HERE. 

MARIA: WAIT, WHAT? 

ANDERSON: I DON’T KNOW IF THE PEOPLE WAS CALLING THE POLICE AND THEN THEY WAS KIND OF SCARED BECAUSE WHEN THE VENEZUELANS CAME, THEY WAS TAKING OVER THE BUILDING. AND THEY ALSO FOUND FOUR VENEZUELANS IN THE BACK OF THE BUILDING DEAD IN THE DUMPSTER. 

MARIA: TO BE VERY CLEAR – THERE WERE NO MURDER VICTIMS DISCOVERED THE NIGHT OF THE RAID. THERE WAS ONE HOMICIDE REPORTED IN THE BUILDING IN THE YEAR LEADING UP TO THE RAID, AND THE SUSPECT WAS A VENEZUELAN IMMIGRANT. IN FACT, LATINO USA JUST DID A VERY SIMILAR STORY ABOUT AN APARTMENT COMPLEX IN AURORA, COLORADO. OWNED BY SOMEBODY WHO DIDN’T LIVE IN THE CITY,  IT FELL INTO DEEP DISREPAIR, WAS RENTED OUT CHEAPLY TO NEWLY ARRIVED VENEZUELAN IMMIGRANTS… AND THEN AN ACCUSATION THAT TREN DE ARAGUA HAD TAKEN OVER THE ENTIRE BUILDING COMPLEX. BACK HERE IN CHICAGO…DATA DOESN’T SEEM TO BACK UP THE CLAIMS THAT THE BUILDING WAS OVERRUN BY THE GANG TREN DE ARAGUA. ACCORDING TO CRIME STATISTICS, SOUTH SHORE ROUTINELY TOPS THE LISTS OF NEIGHBORHOODS WITH THE HIGHEST HOMICIDE RATES IN THE CITY.  AS A CHICAGOAN, I KNOW THIS IS A NEGLECTED PART OF MY CITY. A DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICE HAS BLOCKED FINANCIAL RESOURCES AND HOME LOANS FROM AREAS OF THE CITY WHERE BLACK CITIZENS AND OTHER MINORITIES LIVED. IN CHICAGO, THAT WAS THE WEST AND THE SOUTHSIDE. BUT BACK TO ANDERSON, THE SECURITY OFFICER. HER TAKE ON CRIME – ALTHOUGH MISINFORMED – WAS IMPORTANT FOR ME – AND YOU – TO HEAR. IT’S THE KIND OF RUMOR-FUELED RHETORIC THAT THEN- BORDER PATROL CHIEF GREG BOVINO USED TO JUSTIFY THE RAID – HERE HE IS AGAIN –

GREG BOVINO:  HOW ABOUT YOU LIVE IN THE APARTMENT  NEXT DOOR TO TREN DE ARAGUA MEMBERS THAT ARE TRAFFICKING IN PROSTITUTION, GUNS, DRUGS, AND TAKING ADVANTAGE OF AMERICAN CITIZENS IN A VIOLENT WAY. WHY DON’T YOU LIVE NEXT TO THEM AND THEN SEE HOW MUCH OF A GESTAPO OR A NAZI WE ARE? 

MARIA: THE MESSAGE BEING COMMUNICATED IS THAT THE PEOPLE LIVING IN THIS BUILDING WERE DANGEROUS.

MARIA:  BUT WHAT DOES ICE HAVE TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT THERE WAS A BUILDING THAT HAD SOME CRIME? THAT’S A POLICE PROBLEM. THAT’S NOT AN ICE PROBLEM. 

ANDERSON: EXACTLY. BUT THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT, OUR PRESIDENT IS DOING.  HE REALLY DIDN’T WANT THEM OVER HERE HE WAS TRYING TO BUILD A WALL, AND HE DIDN’T FINISH BUILDING THE WALL, SO THEY CAME OVER HERE. 

JULIETA:  WERE YOU, WERE YOU GUYS AROUND WHEN THE RAID HAPPENED? 

MARIA: THAT’S PRODUCER JULIETA MARTINELLI AGAIN, TALKING TO A RESIDENT WE MET JUST OUTSIDE 7500 SOUTH SHORE.

JAMES: I WASN’T AROUND, UH, ACTUALLY WHEN IT HAPPENED, BUT WHEN THEY WAS EVICTING THE LAST PEOPLES OUT, I WAS OUT WITH RESOURCES TRYING TO GET THEM PLACES FOR HOUSING AND STUFF LIKE THAT. 

MARIA: HIS NAME IS JAMES FIGHT. JAMES WALKS THIS STREETS EVERY DAY AS PART OF HIS JOB DOING OUTREACH FOR PEOPLE DEALING WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES.

MARIA:  SO YOU’RE FROM THIS NEIGHBORHOOD. YOU GREW UP IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD- ONE BLOCK AWAY. ONE BLOCK AWAY. RIGHT THERE. WHY DO YOU THINK ICE CAME AND TARGETED THIS BUILDING? 

JAMES: WELL, UH, THEY HAD A LOT OF, UH, MIGRANTS STAYING IN THIS BUILDING. THEY HAD-

MARIA:  IS THAT A REASON TO BRING H- BLACK HAWK HELICOPTERS AND- 

JAMES: NO, THAT WASN’T A REASON TO BRING IT, BUT THEY WAS DOING A LOT OF STUFF IN HERE THAT WAS, UH, ILLEGAL. THEY HAD A FEW HOMICIDES, RIGHT? AND IT WAS OF THAT DESCENT 

MARIA: BUT AGAIN, WE’RE SEEING THIS IDEA PUT OUT BY ICE THAT NEWLY ARRIVED VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS WERE MEMBER OF TREN DE ARAGUA GANG AND HOW THIS CLAIM IS SPREADING, DESPITE A LACK OF EVIDENCE SUPPORTING THE CLAIMS.

JAMES: AND, UH, TRUMP AND HIS ADMINISTRATION, YOU KNOW WHAT I’M SAYING, FELT LIKE, I DON’T KNOW WHERE THEY GOT THEIR INFORMATION FROM, BUT THEY TOOK THEM ALL OUTTA HERE. THEY ZIP-TIED KIDS AND BABIES AND EVERYTHING IN HERE. IF HE WAS TARGETING THOSE WHO HAD COMMITTED A CRIME OR A FELONY IN THE CITY, THEN THAT’S WHO THEY SHOULD’VE BEEN FOR. 

MUSIC

MARIA: COMING UP ON LATINO USA…WE’LL HEAR MORE ABOUT HOW THIS BUILDING IN THE SOUTH SIDE OF CHICAGO BECAME A TARGET FOR ICE, AND WHAT LAWYERS AND ACTIVISTS ARE DOING TO HELP FORMER RESIDENTS NEARLY A YEAR AFTER THE RAID.

STAY WITH US, NO TE VAYAS.

BREAK

MARIA: IT’S LATINO USA. I’M MARIA HINOJOSA. BEFORE THE BREAK, WE WERE AT  7500 SOUTH SHORE ON  THE SOUTHSIDE OF CHICAGO. THIS BUILDING BECAME A FOCAL POINT OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S OPERATION MIDWAY BLITZ A YEAR AGO LEADING TO ONE OF THE LARGEST MILITARIZED ICE RAIDS IN U.S. HISTORY. SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE HOPING TO HELP FORMER RESIDENTS MOVE FORWARD ARE THE ATTORNEYS REPRESENTING 18 OF ITS FORMER RESIDENTS IN A FEDERAL CLAIM AGAINST THE U.S. GOVERNMENT.

JONATHAN MANES:  MY NAME IS JONATHAN MANES. I’M SENIOR COUNSEL AT THE MACARTHUR JUSTICE CENTER.

MARIA: THE MACARTHUR JUSTICE CENTER IS AN INSTITUTION IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO – PRIMARILY FOCUSED ON CIVIL RIGHTS AND THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM.

JONATHAN MANES:  THE LEVEL OF MILITARIZED VIOLENCE THAT WE’VE SEEN FROM FEDERAL IMMIGRATION AUTHORITIES ON OUR STREETS, IS SHOCKING AND IT DEMANDS ACCOUNTABILITY. IT DEMANDS A RECKONING IN COURT, AND THAT’S WHAT WE ARE DOING ON BEHALF OF LOTS OF CLIENTS.

MARIA: BUT CHALLENGING THE ACTIONS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGAINST THE CONSTITUTIONAL ORDER REQUIRES TESTING NEW STRATEGIES.

JONATHAN MANES:  A LOT OF OUR WORK IN THE PAST WAS FOCUSED ON ACCOUNTABILITY FOR ABUSES AT THE STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL. AND THERE ARE TOOLS AVAILABLE THERE THAT JUST ARE NOT AVAILABLE AGAINST THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T REALIZE THAT YOU CAN’T REALLY SUE A FEDERAL OFFICER FOR VIOLATING YOUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS DIRECTLY. 

MARIA: JONATHAN SAYS FEDERAL LAW EXISTS THAT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO SUE INDIVIDUAL STATE AND LOCAL POLICE OFFICERS, BUT NO COMPARABLE STATUTE EXISTS FOR FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT. THAT MEANS A LOCAL POLICE OFFICER AND AN ICE AGENT ARE GOVERNED BY VERY DIFFERENT LEGAL MECHANISMS.

JONATHAN MANES: THERE’S ALL KINDS OF OTHER LEGAL OBSTACLES THAT MAKE IT HARDER TO GET ACCOUNTABILITY FOR CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AGAINST FEDERAL OFFICIALS.

MARIA: TO TAKE ON THOSE CHALLENGES, HIS ORGANIZATION BANDED TOGETHER WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO’S IMMIGRANTS RIGHTS CLINIC, THE NATIONAL IMMIGRATION LAW CENTER AND MALDEF – THE MEXICAN AMERICAN LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND- TO TRY AND TRACK DOWN THOSE MOST AFFECTED LAST YEAR AFTER THE RAID AT THE BUILDING WE VISITED. THE PROCESS WAS DIFFICULT FROM THE START. FOR ONE, NONE OF THE AGENTS WERE NAMED

JONATHAN MANES: THE OFFICERS WHO ARRESTED OUR CLIENTS, THAT INFORMATION, IN ORDINARY POLICE WORK, THAT’S PUBLIC. YOU GET A POLICE REPORT, YOU SEE WHO ARRESTED YOUR CLIENT, YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENED.

MARIA: SO, HOW DO YOU HOLD SOMEONE ACCOUNTABLE WHEN THEY ARE NOT ONLY SHIELDED, BUT AFFORDED COMPLETE ANONYMITY BY THE LAW AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT? JONATHAN  AND HIS TEAM KNEW THEY COULDN’T SUE THE INDIVIDUAL OFFICERS. SO…THEY DECIDED TO GO AFTER THE GOVERNMENT ITSELF. THEY FILED A FEDERAL TORT CLAIM INSTEAD. AS PART OF THEIR COMPLAINT, JONATHAN AND HIS TEAM SUBMITTED 18 STATEMENTS GIVEN BY RESIDENTS WHO WERE PRESENT THAT NIGHT. WE REQUESTED TO SPEAK WITH THE FORMER RESIDENTS WHO FILED THE CLAIM BUT, FOR THEIR SAFETY, THEY HAVE CHOSEN NOT TO GIVE INTERVIEWS AT THIS TIME. BUT THE MACARTHUR FOUNDATION DID PREVIOUSLY PUBLISH PART OF THEIR INTERVIEWS WITH TWO OF THE UNIDENTIFIED CLAIMANTS IN THE SUIT. THEY INCLUDE VIVID DESCRIPTIONS LIKE

WOMAN:…DERRIBARON CON UN ARIETE LA PUERTA PRINCIPAL DE MI APARTAMENTO. 

MARIA: THIS WOMAN WHO DESCRIBES AGENTS IN MILITARY GEAR RAMMING DOWN HER DOOR.

WOMAN: NOS APUNTARON CON ARMAS DE TIPO MILITAR Y GRITARON EN INGLÉS: “SALGA Y BAJE”…

MARIA: SHE SAYS THE AGENTS POINTED THEIR WEAPONS AT HER FAMILY AS THEY SCREAMED AT THEM TO EXIT.

WOMAN:… NI SIQUIERA TUVIMOS TIEMPO DE VESTIR A MI HIJO DE SEIS AÑOS, QUE SOLO LLEVABA PUESTO UN CALZONCILLO… 

MARIA: HER 6 YEAR OLD CHILD WAS MARCHED OUTSIDE IN HIS UNDERWEAR. SHE SAYS SHE PASSED OUT FROM THE FEAR. ANOTHER CLAIMANT DESCRIBES SOMETHING SIMILAR –

MAN:  I FEARED FOR MY LIFE, AND I THOUGHT I MIGHT BE SHOT AND KILLED. WHEN ONE AGENT POINTED HIS GUN AT ME, HE SAID TO THE OTHER AGENTS, “HERE’S ANOTHER ONE.” 

MARIA: HE SAYS NO ONE EVER SHOWED HIM A WARRANT. AND THAT ONE AGENT CUT HIS CITY OF CHICAGO ID IN HALF.

MAN: THEY TREAT ME AND OTHERS AS IF WE WERE LESS THAN HUMAN,

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MARIA: THE CLAIM PUTS THE GOVERNMENT ON NOTICE – JONATHAN SAYS THEY WERE NOT ONLY NEGLIGENT AND VIOLENT, LEADING TO PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL HARM FOR THE RESIDENTS, THEY ALSO HAD NO LEGAL JUSTIFICATION FOR THE RAID.

JONATHAN MANES: THEY CLAIMED THEY WERE RAIDING THIS BUILDING BECAUSE IT WAS FULL OF TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBERS. AND YET, IN THE NEARLY A YEAR SINCE, THERE HAS BEEN ZERO EVIDENCE THAT ANYBODY IN THAT BUILDING WAS AFFILIATED WITH TREN DE ARAGUA. IT WAS A PRETEXT FOR A MILITARIZED RAID THAT WAS MEANT TO FRIGHTEN PEOPLE. IT WAS MEANT TO SHOCK PEOPLE. 

MARIA: THE TORT CLAIM  GIVES THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SIX MONTHS TO RESOLVE THE CLAIM AND REACH A SETTLEMENT OR DENY THE CLAIM. IF THE GOVERNMENT DENIES THE CLAIM THEN HE CAN TAKE THE CASE FORWARD – TO A BENCH TRIAL WHERE THEY CAN LAY OUT THEIR EVIDENCE IN FRONT OF A JUDGE.

JONATHAN MANES:  I DON’T HAVE VERY MUCH FAITH IN THE INTERNAL ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT, BUT I DO HAVE FAITH IN OUR COURTS.

MARIA: THAT INCLUDES THE CIVIL COURTS WHEN ACCESS TO THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM IS BLOCKED.

JONATHAN MANES:  IT WASN’T JUST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENTS WHO ENTERED THAT COMPLEX. THERE WERE VIDEOGRAPHERS. DHS BROUGHT CAMERA CREWS WITH THEM WHILE THEY WERE CONDUCTING THIS RAID. AND THEN WITHIN A COUPLE DAYS, ON SOCIAL MEDIA, YOU HAD A MINUTE-LONG SIZZLE REEL OF THIS RAID.

MARIA: HE’S REFERRING TO THE VIDEO WE MENTIONED AT THE TOP OF THE STORY – RECORDED BY A FILM CREW THAT ARRIVED WITH THE FEDERAL AGENTS.

JONATHAN MANES: THIS VIDEO WAS INTENDED TO DEMONSTRATE THE POWER OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, THE POWER THAT IT COULD GO ANYWHERE AND DO ANYTHING, KICK DOWN DOORS, TAKE PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR APARTMENTS. I DON’T THINK THAT IS THE WAY THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHOULD OPERATE TO ENFORCE THE LAWS IN THIS COUNTRY

MARIA: SEVERAL OF HIS CLIENTS HAVE BEEN DEPORTED. AND MANY ARE STILL STRUGGLING WITH THE AFTERMATH.

JONATHAN MANES: ONE OF OUR CLIENTS DESCRIBES HAVING NIGHTMARES OF OFFICERS SAYING, “I’M GONNA KILL YOU. GET DOWN OR I’LL KILL YOU.” THE DEHUMANIZATION IN ICE DETENTION FACILITIES, THAT SORT OF INDIGNITY STICKS WITH PEOPLE

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MARIA: THE EFFECTS OF THIS RAID WERE WIDESPREAD. NOT ONLY DID IT LEAD TO THE ARREST OF 37 BUILDING RESIDENTS AND COUNTLESS TRAUMA, IT ALSO LED TO SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES FOR U.S. CITIZENS WHO’D LIVED IN THIS BUILDING.

DICKSON ROMEO:  MY NAME’S DICKSON ROMEO, I’M A MEMBER AND THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SOUTH SIDE TOGETHER. 

MARIA: SOUTHSIDE TOGETHER IS A LOCAL HOUSING ORGANIZATION HELPING TENANTS IN THE AREA ADVOCATE FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR COMMUNITIES.

MARIA: AND YOU GREW UP?

DICKSON ROMEO: IN SOUTH SHORE. SOUTH SHORE IS MOSTLY A TENANT NEIGHBORHOOD. I’M 32, SO ME GROWING UP IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD WAS AROUND THE TIME THAT THERE WAS THE DESTRUCTION OF PUBLIC HOUSING,, WITH THE PLAN OF TRANSFORMATION. 

MARIA: DICKSON SAYS AS A LIFELONG RESIDENT AND ADVOCATE, HIS TEAM HAS DEALT WITH MANY ISSUES – MOSTLY RELATED TO THE KIND OF NEGLECT THAT ALLOWS BLIGHTED APARTMENT BUILDINGS LIKE 7500 SOUTH SHORE TO HAPPEN IN THE FIRST PLACE.

DICKSON ROMEO: SOUTH SHORE WAS ONE OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE A LOT OF FOLKS ON SECTION 8 VOUCHERS ENDED UP MOVING TO BECAUSE OF THE HOUSING MAKEUP OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT ALSO BECAUSE OF THE AFFORDABILITY.  

MARIA: DICKSON SAYS THE NEGLECT FELT BY CITIZENS OF THE SOUTH SHORE NEIGHBORHOOD WAS EXARCEBRATED BY THE ICE RAID – BUT THE ACTIONS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DIDN’T HAPPEN IN A VACUUM. IT ALL STARTED WITH THIS BUILDING THAT WAS ALLOWED TO CRUMBLE. AND  DIXON – ALONG WITH OTHERS, NOW  BELIEVE IT WAS THE PROPERTY OWNER  WHO CALLED ICE IN THE FIRST PLACE.

DICKSON ROMEO:  OUR UNDERSTANDING FROM- LOOKING AT WHAT HAS BEEN REPORTED INDICATE THAT THERE’S SUSPICION THAT THERE WAS SOME COORDINATION.

MARIA: DICKSON IS REFERENCING RECENT REPORTING THAT FOUND IT’S LIKELY THAT TRINITY FLOOD, THE PROPERTY OWNER BASED IN WISCONSIN, CALLED ICE BASICALLY USED THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO EMPTY THE PROPERTY. THE ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS HAS OPENED AN INVESTIGATION INTO TRINITY FLOOD FOR POTENTIAL HOUSING DISCRIMINATION. THAT INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING. WHILE THE BUILDING WAS EVENTUALLY CLOSED, TRINITY FLOOD WAS ABLE TO SELL THE NOW EMPTY PROPERTY. WE EXHAUSTED ALL METHODS TO TRY AND FIND A CONTACT FOR FLOOD TO ASK FOR COMMENT AND WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL.

WE’LL BE RIGHT BACK. NO TE VAYAS.

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MARIA: IT’S LATINO USA. I’M MARIA HINOJOSA. WE CONTINUE WITH OUR STORY. THE ALLEGATIONS THAT THE OWNER OF THE 7500 SOUTH SHORE BUILDING SOMEHOW COORDINATED THE OPERATION WITH ICE, HAVE MADE IT ALL THE WAY TO THE CHICAGO MAYOR’S OFFICE, ACCORDING TO DEPUTY MAYOR BEATRIZ PONCE DE LEON.

MAYOR BEATRIZ PONCE DE LEON: IT HAS ALSO BEEN SPECULATED THAT THAT LANDLORD MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE ONE THAT CALLED ICE. WE DON’T HAVE CONCRETE EVIDENCE OF THAT, SO I CAN’T SAY IF THAT’S TRUE OR NOT. BUT I DON’T THINK IT’S SURPRISING, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE HAVE CALLED ICE ON IMMIGRANTS FOR MANY REASONS OVER THE YEARS. 

MARIA: SHE CONFIRMED THAT MANY OF THE NEW RESIDENTS WERE VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS WHO WERE BUSSED INTO CHICAGO FROM OTHER CITIES. THEY WERE GIVEN VOUCHERS AND SOUGHT OUT HOUSING WHERE THEY COULD AFFORD IT.

MAYOR BEATRIZ PONCE DE LEON:  I THINK WE HAVE HAD UNSCRUPULOUS BUSINESS OWNERS FOREVER, RIGHT? THAT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE AFFORDABILITY CRISIS, THAT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF LOW-INCOME PEOPLE AND THEIR NEEDS FOR SHELTER AND HOUSING, AND UNFORTUNATELY, THAT HAPPENS. ADD TO THIS THIS ELEMENT OF INCREASED NEED BECAUSE SUDDENLY YOU HAVE A GROUP OF MIGRANTS IN, IN LARGE NUMBERS, THERE WERE PROBABLY CASES OF PEOPLE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THAT.

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MARIA: THOSE WHO REALLY KNOW THIS NEIGHBORHOOD – WHETHER THEY BELIEVE THE ICE VERSION THAT TREN DE ARAGUA MEMBERS WERE LIVING THERE, OR NOT – SEEM TO BE IN AGREEMENT ABOUT ONE THING: THIS RAID DIDN’T MAKE THE SOUTH SHORE SAFER. NO MATTER WHICH WAY YOU SLICE IT. HERE’S DICKSON, THE SOUTHSIDE TOGETHER ORGANIZER, AGAIN –

DICKSON ROMEO:  THAT SEEMS TO BE OFTEN WHAT THE NARRATIVE IS, IS THAT WHETHER YOU’RE BLACK OR YOU’RE VENEZUELAN, LIKE, WHATEVER, WE’RE VIOLENT, THEREFORE THESE VIOLENT MEANS ARE NOT ONLY AN ADEQUATE BUT A NECESSARY RESPONSE TO OUR EXISTENCE, AND I JUST DON’T THINK THAT THAT’S TRUE AND AN EFFECTIVE THING. I DIDN’T HEAR A SINGLE PERSON FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHO LIVES AROUND THE BUILDING AFTER THE OPERATION SAY, “OH, I FEEL SAFER NOW.” 

MARIA: BUT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONTINUES TO ANNOUNCE MORE OPERATIONS. JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO, ALMOST EXACTLY ONE YEAR TO THE DAY OF THE CHICAGO RAID, THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY ANNOUNCED PLANS FOR A NEW SO CALLED “ICE SURGE IN SANCTUARY CITIES.”

TOM HOMAN:  SANCTUARY CITIES ARE SANCTUARIES FOR CRIMINALS. THEY NEED TO BE OUTLAWED.

MARIA: THAT’S TOM HOMAN, THE BORDER CZAR OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, SPEAKING AT A DOJ EVENT AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER.

TOM HOMAN: WE’RE GONNA KEEP PUSHING. WE’RE NOT GONNA APOLOGIZE. WE’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE. ICE IS GONNA CONTINUE DOING THEIR JOB EVERY DAY ACROSS THIS COUNTRY, ESPECIALLY IN SANCTUARY CITIES, WHERE WE’LL SURGE RESOURCES AND FLOOD THE ZONE

MARIA: ON X, THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY ONCE AGAIN HAD ILLINOIS ON THE LIST OF STATES THEY PLAN TO TARGET.

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MARIA: WHILE CHICAGOANS GET READY FOR ANOTHER POTENTIAL INFLUX OF FEDERAL AGENTS, THOSE STILL WORKING TO HELP DEAL WITH THE AFTERMATH OF LAST YEAR’S ACTIONS SAY THEY ARE NOT GOING TO STOP FINDING AVENUES TO TRY AND HOLD THE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABLE. IN MID SEPTEMBER, MONTHS AFTER THE 18 FORMER RESIDENTS OF 7500 SOUTH SHORE FILED THEIR FEDERAL TORT CLAIM, ANOTHER GROUP FOLLOWED SUIT AND FILED A SEPARATE CLAIM. THIS ONE INVOLVES 15 LOCALS WHO HAD VARIOUS ENCOUNTERS WITH ICE DURING MIDWAY BLITZ – INCLUDING VIOLENT ATTACKS, ASSAULTS AND ARRESTS. THEY TOO NOW WAIT FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THEIR DAY IN COURT AND LAY OUT THEIR GRIEVANCES AGAINST THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.

DICKSON ROMEO:  I THINK IT’S THE PEOPLE WHO FIGHT EVERY DAY AND SHOW UP AND SAY, “HEY, THIS AIN’T GREAT, BUT I’M GONNA DO, I’M GONNA DO SOMETHING AND THIS IS THE THING I’M GONNA DO.”

MARIA: HOUSING ADVOCATE DICKSON SAYS THIS IS THE CHICAGO ATTITUDE -YOU  FIND A WAY. AND IF ONE DOESN’T EXIST, THEN YOU MAKE ONE.

DICKSON ROMEO… AND WATCHING THAT HAPPEN IN REAL TIME JUST GIVES ME HOPE.

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CREDITS

MARIA: THIS EPISODE WAS PRODUCED BY JULIETA MARTINELLI AND IT WAS EDITED BY REBECA IBARRA. WITH FIELD PRODUCTION BY CINDY MARTIN. IT WAS MIXED BY STEPHANIE LEBOW AND JULIA CARUSO.

FACT-CHECKING BY ROXANA AGUIRRE.

FERNANDA ECHAVARRI IS OUR MANAGING EDITOR.

NANCY TRUJILLO IS OUR PRODUCTION MANAGER.

THE LATINO USA TEAM ALSO INCLUDES REYNALDO LEAÑOS JR., GLORIMAR MÁRQUEZ AND LEVI SHARPE.

PENILEY RAMÍREZ AND I ARE EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS.

I’M YOUR HOST, MARIA HINOJOSA.

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