\n Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents mistakenly detained a US citizen in a Chicago suburb Sunday morning, leaving him on the ground with various injuries, according to local authorities.\n <\/p>\n
\n The man was found on the ground by police in Evanston, Illinois, after officers were dispatched around 9:49 a.m. over reports of two men arguing, Evanston Police Department said in a statement.\n <\/p>\n
\n Several bystanders were helping the man, police said, and an ambulance was called after he reported injuries to his head, neck and teeth. Witnesses told officers they believed ICE agents were attempting to detain the man, who police identified only as an Evanston resident.\n <\/p>\n
\n The incident marks the latest instance of a US citizen swept up in the Trump administration\u2019s sweeping immigration crackdown, which has seen federal agents use highly visible, aggressive tactics that have sparked nationwide protests, legal battles, and political backlash.\n <\/p>\n
\n One year after \u201cOperation Midway Blitz\u201d \u2013 the immigration crackdown by ICE officers in Chicago and surrounding areas \u2013 legal challenges against the agents\u2019 aggressive tactics are still underway.\n <\/p>\n
\n While responding to the scene in Evanston, one officer encountered two SUVs near an intersection and spoke with an individual in one of the vehicles, who identified himself as a federal agent conducting a \u201cfugitive investigation,\u201d police said. The person was wearing plain clothes and a vest marked \u201cPOLICE\u201d with federal law enforcement markings, according to police.\n <\/p>\n
\n The individual told the officer that agents had attempted to identify a person who resembled someone they were seeking, but the person refused to provide identification and \u201cresisted detention,\u201d Evanston police said.\n <\/p>\n
\n The agents later determined the man was not the person they were seeking and learned that he was a US citizen, after which he was released, police said.\n <\/p>\n
\n The Department of Homeland Security told CNN that ICE agents conducting a targeted enforcement operation encountered a person who resembled their target and \u201cimmediately identified themselves as law enforcement.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cThe individual was given lawful commands but was not cooperative and refused to identify himself,\u201d a DHS spokesperson told CNN. \u201cICE officers relied on their training and later left the scene without further incident once the individual finally identified himself.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n Evanston police said it is investigating the incident, and that officers are preserving available body camera footage and interviewing witnesses.\n <\/p>\n
\n Surveillance video obtained by CNN appears to show two agents and the man in an upright struggle before federal officials pull him to the ground.\n <\/p>\n
\n It\u2019s unclear what happens after the man is brought to the ground, as the individuals move out of the camera\u2019s view.\n <\/p>\n
\n Moments later, at least three drivers pull into the nearby parking lot and exit their vehicles, joining other bystanders, some recording.\n <\/p>\n
\n Evanston police said its officer noticed blood on hands of the agent in the SUV, which the federal official said resulted from an injury he received while trying to detain the man. The agent declined medical treatment.\n <\/p>\n
\n Evanston\u2019s police chief met with the man at a local hospital, and an evidence technician photographed and documented his injuries.\n <\/p>\n
\n DHS said the man refused assistance from ICE agents, but did not address the man\u2019s injuries in its statement.\n <\/p>\n
\n At the time of the incident, five federal agents were operating in separate vehicles to search the area for their target, the agent in the SUV told the Evanston officer.\n <\/p>\n