Federal immigration agents fanned out across Chicago and its North Shore suburbs on Halloween, chasing suspects through front yards, driving S.U.V.s onto sidewalks and using chemical agents during confrontations with furious residents.
Several people, including at least one woman who said that she was a U.S. citizen, were arrested after appearing to interfere with immigration operations. In Evanston, a suburb north of Chicago, Border Patrol agents detained at least one additional person after a car rear-ended the agents’ vehicle on Friday, according to the Evanston police.
Evanston police officers responded to the scene as dozens of people shouted and jeered at the agents while demanding that the people detained be released.
In Albany Park, on Chicago’s Northwest Side, Border Patrol agents on Friday morning arrested at least two people who had physically confronted them, witnesses said.
The chaotic day of arrests came more than seven weeks into President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration in Chicago. Earlier this week, Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois made a plea to the Trump administration: Leave Halloween alone.
“Illinois families deserve to spend Halloween weekend without fear,” Mr. Pritzker, a Democrat, wrote in a letter to federal officials. “No child should be forced to inhale tear gas or other chemical agents while trick-or-treating in their own neighborhood.”
Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security secretary, said on Thursday that the operation would not be temporarily halted. On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to questions about the episodes in Evanston and Albany Park.
Families across Chicago have been bracing for Halloween, fearful that immigration agents would target and arrest people on the streets during trick-or-treating. Neighborhoods set up watch groups for Friday evening, with volunteers to be stationed on corners with whistles, ready to alert neighbors if immigration agents were seen.
Evanston was especially roiled by the presence of Border Patrol agents on Friday.
Bystanders said that a motorist had been following federal agents along a major street when the agents stopped short, causing the car to crash into it.
Videos shared with the The New York Times show the agents tackling the driver, a woman, to the ground.
Allie Harned, a social worker at Chute Middle School a block away, said she heard the crash and came running.
“When I came upon her, they were tearing her out of the car,” Ms. Harned said. “She was on the ground. Her shoes fell off.”
After bystanders began yelling and blowing whistles, the agents detained at least one person in the group, according to the Evanston police.
One officer briefly pulled a weapon and aimed it at the crowd, one of the videos shows. Ms. Harned said she screamed and ran. It was uncertain exactly what type of weapon the officer was holding.
The incident happened near the middle school and an elementary school, just a few hours before children were set to go door to door for holiday candy. Nearby schools locked down because of the heightened federal activity, keeping students inside for recess.
At a news conference held in front of Chute Middle School later in the day, children peered out of open windows to listen to local officials denounce the federal government’s actions.
“Just today, ICE agents have assaulted Evanston residents, beaten people up, grabbed them, abducted them, taken people off the street,” said Daniel Biss, the Democratic mayor of Evanston, who is also running for Congress. “It is an outrage,” he added.
Gregory Bovino, a senior Border Patrol official who has been leading the immigration crackdown in Chicago, was admonished by a federal judge earlier this week for his agency’s use of force and tear gas in recent weeks.
The judge ordered Mr. Bovino to appear in her courtroom each weeknight to answer questions about that day’s enforcement activities and agents’ compliance with restrictions that the judge imposed. But the federal government objected, and an appellate court on Friday blocked the requirement for Mr. Bovino to make those daily appearances.
Mitch Smith contributed reporting from Chicago.
Katie Thomas is an investigative health care reporter at The Times.
Julie Bosman is the Chicago bureau chief for The Times, writing and reporting stories from around the Midwest.
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