ICE Arrests Reported at Chicago Home Depot Locations Amid Targeted Immigration Enforcement
CHICAGO (WLS) — It was a hectic day Thursday with reports of ICE arrests taking place throughout the city, including at two Home Depot stores. Immigration advocates said agents are increasingly targeting big box hardware stores where day laborers set up looking for work.
It is not clear how many people were picked up during the raid at a Home Depot on the Southwest Side. A security guard reported that agents were grabbing people both inside and outside the parking lot. Among those detained was a local street vendor whose family shared her story.
The vendor, Laura Murillo, came to the United States more than 20 years ago from Mexico. For over a decade, she has been selling tamales near the targeted Home Depot store. ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch.
At approximately 7:52 a.m., cellphone video taken by a Citizen app user showed a large number of immigration enforcement agents descending on the parking lot of the Home Depot at 47th and Western in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.
“ICE targeting hardware stores, so like Home Depots, like Menards,” said Brandon Lee with ICIRR. “That is a trend that we’re seeing going back to last week.”
Among those taken was Murillo, who had set up just outside near the BP gas station. Jaime Perez, her fiancé, shared details about her situation.
Local Tamale Vendor’s Story
Originally from Tamaulipas, Mexico, Murillo is undocumented. She has two teenage daughters, both U.S. citizens.
“She owns her own tamale business out of south Chicago. She has maybe like 20 employees,” Perez said. “She has an 18-year-old daughter at Roosevelt University and a 16-year-old daughter at Washington High School with special needs.”
Perez explained that he was on a video call with Murillo as she was being arrested.
“She kept saying ‘You’re hurting me, you’re hurting me,'” Perez said. “And they just seized the phone from her. The guy that was arresting her said, ‘Do you want the keys?’ and I said, ‘No, I want her. We’re engaged.’ Then he just shut the phone off.”
Family Left in Distress
The household now feels empty yet filled with heartache after the matriarch, a mother of four, was taken into custody by immigration enforcement officers.
“We were afraid for her,” said Murillo’s daughter, “Nelly.” She asked not to show her face during the interview with ABC7.
“We told her, ‘Please don’t go out there, mama. Stay home.’ But she’s like, ‘If I don’t go out there, who’s going to put food on the table?’” Nelly said.
She described how ICE agents took her mother’s wallet, car keys, and all personal belongings, leaving the van she drives unlocked and unattended.
Nelly also shared concerns about her youngest sister, who has autism and relies heavily on their mother’s care.
“She can’t speak,” Nelly said. “She doesn’t clean herself. My mother does everything for her.”
Details on the Enforcement Operation
The exact number of others arrested at the Home Depot remains unclear. However, members of the Southwest Side Rapid Response Team were onsite shortly after the raid.
Jian’an, part of the Southwest Side Response Group, described the scene:
“I crossed the street and saw six cars filled with ICE agents. They were in military gear, wearing tactical helmets and carrying large guns. That’s at least 20 agents. For what?”
In a related development on Thursday, a Border Patrol boat was spotted for the first time on the Chicago River downtown. Border Patrol Chief Michel Banks was also in Chicago, posting video of himself on the ground with agents. He stated, “The mission here is as vital as anywhere else on the line. We will not allow criminal aliens to take root in our communities.”
Current Status and Next Steps
As for Laura Murillo, her fiancé said she called him from the Broadview processing center, where she is currently being held. Her eldest daughter is in the process of hiring an attorney to assist the family.
