Tackles, Gunfire and Projectiles Signal ICE Tactics Growing Violent

(CHICAGO, ILLINOIS) As 2025 enters its final months, community groups and local reporters in several U.S. cities say they are seeing a sharp rise in ICE tactics that involve tackles, projectiles, and even gunfire, with the most visible flashpoints on Chicago’s Southwest Side. Multiple eyewitness accounts and videos describe armed teams, tactical vehicles, and sudden arrests in public spaces. Advocates say the pattern is clear: more force, more fear, and more operations that sweep up immigrants and U.S. citizens alike.

In Chicago in October 2025, a large joint action by ICE and CBP unfolded in residential blocks. Witnesses say agents fired about five shots at a car; one person was hit by bullets, and the vehicle then crashed into civilian cars. A U.S. citizen was detained and remains in custody, according to those tracking the case. Observers also reported repeated use of pepper spray and tear gas, smoke bombs thrown at unarmed people, and helicopters circling low over homes. Tactical trucks rolled down narrow streets usually filled with families and school traffic.

Videos from the same period show daytime arrests near schools in other cities. In some clips, agents pull people from cars without showing warrants; in others, tear gas spreads through busy pedestrian areas close to school grounds. One Maryland recording shows officers tackling a man at a crowded intersection, a handgun falling to the pavement, and an officer pointing that weapon at bystanders. Journalists filming these scenes say agents detained them, cuffed them, and in some cases released them without charges.

Local hotlines and rapid response teams report a flood of calls. Volunteers describe late-night messages from parents worried about kids stuck inside during street operations. Others ask for legal help after what they call warrantless arrests in parks, on sidewalks, and in entire apartment buildings. In several accounts, agents detained every resident they found, including children who are U.S. citizens.

Escalation Claims and Community Impact

Advocates say the pattern of violence has grown in recent weeks. They point to alleged racial profiling, officers refusing to present warrants, and chokeholds used on Black community members during street stops. Some reports describe local officials handcuffed and threatened when they tried to observe or ask questions.

The human toll, they argue, goes beyond those taken into custody:

• Kids now fear walking past corners where gunfire rang out.
• Shopkeepers close early when tactical convoys appear.
• Parents swap text alerts—avoid this block, stay off that street, do not open the door.

Key elements reported by community members and observers:

• Use of firearms and live ammunition in neighborhoods
• Vehicle ramming and high-speed chases
• Tear gas, pepper spray, and smoke bombs deployed in public spaces
• Arrests without warrants, including of U.S. citizens
• Physical force, including tackles and chokeholds
• Detentions of journalists and community leaders
• Militarized presence with tactical vehicles and helicopters

“When helicopters hover over our block at night, my kids don’t sleep,” one Chicago mother told a local volunteer group, according to reports shared with media allies.

Civil liberties experts and reporters say more video has not slowed the use of force; it has brought more public attention. Because many incidents now appear on phones within minutes, community groups can compare scenes across different cities and dates. Analysis by VisaVerge.com suggests these feeds have made it easier to track changes in ICE tactics—notably a shift toward larger teams, heavier gear, and arrests near schools—over short time spans.

Some city leaders warn that the current approach could open the door to more militarization, including calls for National Guard support in certain areas. Advocates fear a cycle where each large operation sparks pushback, which then becomes the reason for even bigger deployments. They argue this pressures immigrant families to move, hide, or stop sending kids to school—a chain reaction that harms the broader community.

Official Response and Legal Questions

The Department of Homeland Security and ICE say agents use a “minimum amount of force,” and that arrests are proper when people resist or block officers. Officials stress that they target individuals with legal grounds for arrest. This is the core of the federal response to the complaints and videos now circulating.

However, recordings and eyewitness stories often show:

• Wide sweeps in public spaces
• Confusion about warrants
• Arrests that include U.S. citizens

This discrepancy between official statements and street reports remains at the heart of the public debate.

Community lawyers and local leaders raise practical legal questions that frequently go unanswered during operations:

1. If agents refuse to show a warrant, what are people allowed to do or say?
2. If officers deploy tear gas near a school, which agency reviews that decision?
3. If a journalist is cuffed and released without charges, how can they file a complaint that gets a real review?

For formal policy references, official information is available on the Department of Homeland Security website, which posts agency guidance and directives for public review. Readers seeking federal materials on enforcement can visit the DHS policy resources posted at Department of Homeland Security. While DHS says officers follow agency rules, on-the-ground claims—pepper spray in residential blocks, tackles in intersections, and shots fired at moving cars—continue to drive public concern.

Local Reactions, Press Safety, and Community Harm

In Chicago, the recent shooting and crash jolted local groups already tracking street stops and daytime arrests near schools. The detained U.S. citizen remains a focus for organizers, who say the case shows how fast a neighborhood operation can pull in people with legal status. Volunteers also say they are getting more calls from bystanders shaken by nearby blasts or gunfire, even when no arrests occur on their block.

Reporters covering these events say tighter press safety rules are needed. Some outlets now:

• Send two-person teams when filming federal actions
• Keep legal contacts on call during operations
• Mark press gear more clearly (though marked gear has not prevented detentions in every case)

Federal officials defend the operations, arguing that people often resist, that crowds make arrests harder, and that force becomes necessary when officers face threats. Yet footage showing a handgun falling from an officer’s grasp mid-tackle, or smoke rising near a school crosswalk, is difficult for many residents to accept as a measured response.

Advocates link these moments to broader harm:

• Parents scared to seek medical care
• Workers afraid to commute
• Kids missing class after late-night raids
• Neighbors staying indoors for days after sightings of armored vehicles or overnight building sweeps

What Organizers and Officials Are Saying Now

As the year closes, the gap between official language and street reports remains wide. The focus is less on new laws than on conduct—what tactics are used, when, and on whom. Videos and eyewitness accounts depict crowded sidewalks, flashing lights, and ICE tactics that include smoke bombs in residential settings and arrests without visible warrants. DHS continues to say force is minimal and justified. Community groups counter that the scale of harm proves otherwise.

Organizers urge residents to:

• Document what they see (video, photos, notes)
• Call hotlines and rapid response teams when operations occur
• Seek legal help promptly if detained or if family members are detained

Federal agencies say their enforcement work will continue under established rules. Both sides agree on one point: the next video could arrive at any moment, and with it, another hard debate about force, safety, and the line between immigration enforcement and everyday life in American neighborhoods.