A shocking incident unfolded in a Chicago neighborhood when Illinois state Rep. Hoan Huynh says federal immigration agents pointed a gun at him during enforcement operations. Huynh, a Vietnamese refugee, says he was driving with a colleague when they came across multiple Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) vehicles.
According to Huynh, the agents surrounded their car, and at one point, an agent went to the passenger side and pointed a gun directly at his face. He said this happened without any warning. Huynh immediately identified himself as an elected official, but he described the situation as frightening and dangerous.
He was in the area to inform local residents and small business owners about their rights during ICE raids. This included educating them on the right to an attorney and how to respond safely if approached by immigration authorities. Huynh said their goal was simply to make sure people understood their legal rights and felt protected during raids.
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Video footage from the encounter shows masked ICE agents surrounding the car while Huynh repeatedly announces his identity. He says the video does not show the most intense part of the encounter, which occurred just before recording began. He described the agents as ready to break the car windows before stepping back once they noticed a camera recording the event.
Federal Response Disputes Claim
Federal authorities have strongly disputed Huynh’s account. Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a statement saying Huynh had stopped near ICE operations twice and behaved in a way that interfered with law enforcement activities.
According to McLaughlin, the first time, Huynh was given a warning. The second time, the agents had to leave their vehicle to assess whether he posed a threat. The agency called his behavior “unbecoming of a public servant” and claimed it put officers at risk.
The DHS statement framed the situation as a matter of officer safety rather than a threatening act toward the lawmaker. The department emphasized that Huynh was in a sanctuary area, and his actions complicated the operations that were underway.
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Neighborhood Tensions Rise
The encounter took place near Montrose and Kimball avenues in Chicago around 11:30 a.m. Huynh was visiting local businesses to inform residents about their civil rights during federal immigration raids. He says this was part of a broader effort to connect with the community and ensure that people knew what they could do if ICE approached them.
The incident has stirred significant attention because it involves a state lawmaker facing armed federal agents. Advocates for immigrant rights argue that the event highlights the stress and fear residents experience during raids. They also point out that elected officials often try to support communities by providing information on legal rights.
Huynh insists that he and his team were acting entirely within their legal rights. He said that ICE agents initially approached aggressively but stepped back once it became clear they were being recorded. Meanwhile, DHS maintains that Huynh’s actions could have jeopardized safety during the operations.
This incident illustrates the growing tension in cities where federal immigration enforcement and local officials interact. Videos and statements from both sides continue to circulate online, fueling discussions about the balance between law enforcement duties and community safety.