Various immigration centers across the country have been accompanied by peaceful protestors hoping to stop the horrors going on behind closed doors. These immigration centers have been a major focus of the current presidential administration, and drastic measures have been taken to ensure that anyone who might pose as an illegal immigrant is persecuted to the fullest extent of the law. In Chicago, Illinois, ICE agents decided that the best way to approach a peaceful protest at a local detention center would be to, you guessed it, post up on the roof of the building with automatic rifles and full gear.
The brief video above showcases ICE agents standing atop an immigration detention center in Chicago, Illinois. Before they arrived at the top of the building, a peaceful protest was underway, calling for the removal of the center, the release of its residents to the public, and various other requests. What’s really odd is why ICE was there at all. Typically, ICE has nothing to do with protests, as it is supposedly part of the Homeland Security team. However, many ICE agents tend to cover their faces with masks and refuse to show identification, so it is unclear whether these men are ICE agents and, if so, why they are present.
Commentators under the video were just as shocked, with one of the top comments saying, “But ICE has no jurisdiction over citizens peacefully protesting. It’s not their beat. Who told them to go up there? Who do they think they are, the FBI?!” Honestly, I have to say I agree. Despite the reasoning for the protest, I don’t think that protestors are in the scope of ICE agents and should instead be handed over to the local police.
Other commentators chose to reflect on the real reasoning behind why the agents were there, saying, “It’s performative cowardice that reflects the bully’s mentality. A bully believes that you should respect his pecking order and bow down to his authority. He doesn’t quite know what to do when his escalations are met with even more contempt.”
Fortunately, it appears that no one was injured as a result of the agents being placed where they were. Considering recent events concerning gun violence in public locations, there should be more security measures to help avoid random attacks. I want to believe that the agents tasked with guarding the area did not have ill intentions, although not having access to their credentials makes the situation far more terrifying than previously thought imaginable.
