CHICAGO (RTW News) — A federal immigration enforcement operation in Chicago took a harrowing turn when agents deployed tear gas on a crowded street just outside Funston Elementary School, causing immediate panic among parents and educators on a sunny Friday earlier this month.
As chaos erupted, teachers and caregivers racing to secure the safety of children were left grappling with how to explain the shocking scenes they witnessed. Parents now face the difficult task of communicating necessary safety information without instilling fear and robbing their children of their innocence.
Weeks after the incident, families—many feeling unthreatened by potential immigration raids—continue to live in fear of a similar incident occurring in their community. This reflects the pervasive anxiety that has seeped into life under the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policies.
Why did the agents deploy tear gas?
The Department of Homeland Security asserted that the agents were met with hostility, having been “impeded by protesters” during the operation known as “Operation Midway Blitz,” initiated in Chicago earlier in September. Witnesses described seeing masked and armed agents patrolling neighborhoods in unmarked trucks, prompting widespread protests from community members against what many perceived as a siege.
According to a DHS statement, the deployment of tear gas was a response to sustained assaults on agents during the operation. However, local residents express a different sentiment, emphasizing the disruption and fear caused by this aggressive enforcement method.
Witness Accounts
Teacher Liza Oliva-Perez said she had just left the school for lunch when she noticed a helicopter overhead and the SUV accompanied by a trail of honking cars. As the chaos unfolded, she barely had time to react as one of the agents threw a canister of tear gas towards the street.
Meanwhile, children at the nearby Luna y Cielo Play Cafe were swiftly ushered to safety by caregivers as panic ensued outside. A local mother described her desperate rush to retrieve her children, who were left terrified after witnessing the raid.
Community Response
In the aftermath, community members rallied together, standing guard near the school as the final bell approached. Teachers and parents alike expressed outrage at the aggressive tactics employed by federal agents, vowing to protect the children in their neighborhood at all costs.
“You don’t mess with the kids,” said first-grade teacher Maria Heavener, highlighting the deep-seated anger felt by many in the community over the incident. Local residents are left reeling from the trauma inflicted on their children and the violation of their sense of safety in what should be a protected environment.
