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CHICAGO — A candidate for the U.S. Congress and current state representative reported an unsettling encounter with Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents on Chicago’s Northwest Side. According to his statement, they surrounded and harassed him while he was in his vehicle on Tuesday.
State Representative Hoan Huynh, a Democrat hailing from Chicago and currently vying for a seat in the 9th District, was reportedly in his car around 11:30 a.m. at the intersection of Montrose and Kimball Avenues in Albany Park. This information was shared via a press release from his campaign.
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The reason for Huynh’s presence in the area was related to reports of potential U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities, as mentioned in the release.
Huynh explained that he received a tip-off about agents detaining individuals on the streets, prompting him to visit the scene to inform residents about their legal rights.
The statement further detailed that six armed CBP agents blocked both the front and rear of Huynh’s vehicle and then approached him, creating a tense situation.
Huynh’s campaign said the agents blocked him and staffers from following an unmarked car with ICE agents inside.
Huynh was eventually able to leave.
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Huynh shared cellphone video of the incident.
“This was federal agents using violent intimidation trying to silence us,” Rep. Huynh said.
Huynh is a Vietnamese refugee who came to America as a child when his family was granted asylum after collaborating with American troops during the Vietnam War, the release said.
Neither ICE nor CBP have responded to requests for comment.
Farther north, a Rogers Park school says a vendor employee was detained Tuesday afternoon by federal agents.
The action drew parents to stand outside Decatur Classical School on Sacramento Avenue.
The school sent a letter to parents, saying this happened outside the school, and no students were present at the time.
Afternoon PE classes were moved inside as a result.
In the letter, the school says mental health professionals are available for students, and that “As a reminder, our school and CPS WILL NOT coordinate with federal representatives, and we WILL NOT allow ICE agents or any other federal representatives access to our school unless they produce a criminal judicial warrant.”
