Video of agents hauling a citizen form car adds to outrage in Chicago
By: Michael Loria
USA Today
CHICAGO - A woman on her way to work got into a traffic accident that turned into an ordeal where masked federal agents holding weapons dragged her out of her care and detained her without telling her why, the woman's family says.
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The video of masked men detaining Dayanne Figueroa, a U.S. citizen and paralegal, after a traffic accident in Chicago is the latest to make the rounds in the city where federal agents have faced scrutiny over aggressive tactics.
..... Figueroa's account of the incident comes as the Supreme Court weights whether to slow President Donald Trump to deploy the National Guard to the city. The White House says a rebellion is potentially underway and troops are needed in Illinois to help carry out Trump's immigration enforcement crackdown, known as Operation Midway blitz.
..... Chicago-area Democratic leaders view the Republican president's efforts to deploy the military as a power grab. Many city residents and others in surrounding areas view federal agents already deployed to the city as an occupying force.
..... Reached on the phone by USA Today, the Figueroa family declined to immediately speak, citing potential upcoming litigation. Dayanne Figueroa released a statement Online.
..... "I was in shock and terrified," she said of the moment when she was dragged from her care and pinned to the asphalt. "Agents crashed into me. I was not involved in any protest or related activity and I intend to seek justice for how I was treated.
..... Figueroa's encounter with agents come on October 10 [2025] and was covered by the Chicago Tribune on November 3. [2025]
..... The woman's account of her detainment comes just days after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters at a news conference in Gary, Indiana, that no U.S. citizen has been detained in connection with the blitz crackdown.
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Homeland Security officials did not immediately respond to request for comment on the incident or on Noem's comet.
..... Video published on YouTube by the Figueroa family shows immigration agents detaining a man on a city street while a handful of passersby protest the arrest.
..... Federal agents put the man in a minivan and begin driving away. Agneta in a second vehicle attempt to follow and swing back into traffic, appearing to collide with Figueroa's car.
.... Agents stop their vehicles, get out with weapons drawn and surround Figueroa's car.
..... "You guys hit her, what's wrong with y'all," the mane filming says.
..... Agents wrestle Figueroa from the vehicle and detain her on the ground.
..... Court filings, videos and news reports show Figueroa isn't the only U.S. citizen to wind up being detained by immigration agents carrying out the White House blitz.
..... Chicago Alderperson Jessie Fuentes is attempting to bring a lawsuit against federal agents after they briefly detained the city official on October 3, [2025] according to court documents shared with USA today.