Chicago, Illinois, is in a rather tense state right now, especially after ICE and Border Patrol’s intensified mobilizations in the region. And while it appears private establishments and properties aren’t that safe anymore, one laundromat in Chicago begs to differ, as it managed to shoo off a squad of ICE and Border Patrol agents while they were waiting to nab the people of color inside.
The incident took place in a laundromat on Pulaski Road, Chicago, Illinois, at around 10 AM on October 22. TikTok user Garza appears to be among those inside the laundromat just doing what laundromat patrons usually do when a group of ICE and Border Patrol agents started tapping on the doors, asking, ‘What are you guys so afraid of?’ The group was also presumably waiting for people of color in the laundromat to come out, possibly so they could be profiled or even arrested.
However, to everyone’s relief, the ICE agents simply didn’t bust through the laundromat’s door, and after waiting a while, they just gave up on the laundromat customers and left. This has led to many speculations online, and a person who reuploaded the video to another social media has noticed a pattern where ICE agents can’t seem to “legally” invade or search through private establishments.
Reddit user MobileWisdom has pointed out that another similar incident occurred where a woman being chased by an ICE agent ran into State Farm, and the latter followed but got kicked out of the building. Hence, some have assumed this to be an effective countermeasure against ICE, “So, it seems like they cannot enter private property without permission … kind of like vampires,” according to the Reddit user.
People online don’t feel safe, regardless
It’s not clear what ICE can and cannot do during their patrols in cities, as federal policies and state laws vary, but several months ago, many US citizens likely felt that ICE wouldn’t escalate matters further and encroach on certain basic rights. Now, however, it’s a different story. So while ICE might not be able to search through private establishments at will (at least in Chicago), who knows when that will change. Hence, many people online expressed worry.
“This is so scary..” says a TikTok commenter, where another person replied with “That’s horrible bro why are they doing this and I hate those ice agents that be antagonizing. Trying to get people scared.” Apparently, ICE and Border Patrol will still be in Chicago for two weeks, and after that, they’ll move on to either another city or state.
People have praised the laundromat hero who kept the doors closed for ICE while also criticizing ICE for turning to arrests they deem as easy, even though many of the Spanish-speaking people in the laundromat are likely not illegals. “These don’t look like criminals to me. They’re literally just washing their clothes,” claims a TikTok comment.
