EVANSTON, Illinois — A U.S. citizen was hospitalized after federal immigration agents mistakenly detained him Sunday in Evanston while searching for another man, according to local police and witnesses.
Evanston police said officers responding near Howard Street and Dodge Avenue found the man on the ground with injuries to his head, neck and teeth. Witness Miguel Olivares said he heard the man repeatedly saying, “I’m a U.S. citizen,” and recorded federal agents pinning him down. Olivares told ABC7 Chicago that the agents appeared to use significant force and that one seemed to strike the man in the face.
A federal agent later told Evanston police that officers had approached the man because he resembled a fugitive they were seeking. According to police, agents detained him for fingerprinting after he refused to provide identification, then released him after determining he was not their target and was a U.S. citizen.
The Department of Homeland Security said the man was uncooperative and that officers acted according to their training. DHS also maintained that its operations are “highly targeted.” However, in this case, agents detained and injured someone who was not the person they were seeking.
Evanston police are investigating and collecting body-camera, dash-camera and witness video. Police Chief Schenita Stewart later met with the injured man at the hospital and offered department support.
Sources
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