In Bolingbrook, Illinois, concerned residents gathered with candles at the local police station on Tuesday evening following the arrest of a man in the station’s lobby by federal agents earlier that day.

“We are here to support every member of our community,” one attendee expressed, emphasizing the collective resolve of those present.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

The arrest, which occurred around 7:45 a.m., involved Christian Ramirez’s cousin, who was approached while warming up his truck outside his home on Hywood Lane in Bolingbrook.

Ramirez recounted his cousin’s distress, stating, “He was really shaken up. He didn’t know what was happening. These men approached him while he was in his vehicle. He couldn’t tell if they were ICE agents or bounty hunters because they never identified themselves, and they acted aggressively, trying to get him out of the car.”

According to Bolingbrook police, federal agents informed them that a targeted immigration enforcement operation was underway without the involvement of local law enforcement. During the incident, a 40-year-old man reportedly ignored orders to leave his vehicle, instead driving through grass and intentionally crashing into an agent’s vehicle in an attempt to escape.

Ramirez says his cousin called him from the road.

“I said, ‘Go to the police station. Get out of the car. Walk inside, and tell them what’s happening, that you have this group of guys that are trying to get you out of your vehicle, that you don’t know who they are,’” Ramirez said.

Ramirez says he stayed on the phone as his cousin entered the lobby. Police say officers were dispatched to meet him, but by the time they arrived, federal agents had arrested him.

Democratic Illinois state Rep. Dagmara Avelar, who represents the southwest suburbs, is now calling for the release of the police lobby video.

“What happens today is deeply troubling, and I am waiting to hear more about what actually happened in the lobby of the police department,” Avelar said.

Bolingbrook police said their involvement was filing a report of criminal damage to property for the alleged intentional crash on Hywood Lane.

Illinois’ TRUST Act prohibits local police from aiding in federal immigration enforcement.

However, ABC7 Chief Legal Analyst Gil Soffer with Katten Law said, “It doesn’t require police to interfere with the operations of ICE. It just requires them not to assist ICE, and that’s the difference between giving information, turning somebody over, and blocking access.”

Ramirez says his cousin, who ABC7 is not naming because it is unclear if he has been charged, is undocumented but has lived here for a quarter of a century and works in construction. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately provide a statement about the incident to ABC7.