ICE violated rights of a US citizen and 21 others during arrests, Chicago activists allege

CHICAGO (AP) — Federal immigration agents violated the rights of 22 people, including a U.S. citizen, in immigration enforcement arrests during the first weeks of President Donald Trump’s second term, Chicago activists and attorneys alleged Monday.

The arrests allegedly violate a 2022 agreement between Chicago groups and the federal government detailing how U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement officers can make “ collateral arrests,” where agents detain others besides those being targeted. The agreement, following a lawsuit over 2018 immigration sweeps, covers Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Wisconsin, which are under the ICE office in Chicago.

“Every time you hear from this administration about how they're rounding up gang members, terrorists, the worst of the worst, you need to take a dose of reality," said Mark Fleming, an attorney with the National Immigrant Justice Center, said at a news conference. "You need to dig deeper to understand who exactly they are arresting.”

The NIJC detailed alleged violations in a federal complaint filed last week on behalf of advocacy groups in Chicago. Among other things, the agreement says ICE agents can make a warrantless arrest only when they have evidence that an individual is likely to escape.

The groups are seeking the release of two people who remain detained, sanctions against arresting officers and more transparency in how the agency conducts its operations, among other things.

ICE declined comment Monday, citing pending litigation.

Aggressive immigration enforcement has been central to the Trump administration's agenda, particularly in places such as Chicago that are often called sanctuary cities because they limit cooperation between federal immigration agents and local police. To send a message, the Trump administration gathered top immigration officials in Chicago in January to kick off an enforcement operation with cameras rolling live.

But there have been limited details on how the arrests are taking place and what practices are being used.

While the 2022 settlement applied only to six states, the new federal complaint could have nationwide implications. For instance, advocates in other states could join the effort .

Of those arrested, one was deported, 19 were released on bond and one was a U.S. citizen who was released after being handcuffed for hours. Most in the complaint do not have criminal records aside from one person with a driving under the influence charge, according to attorneys.

Those detained include Abel Orozco Ortega, a 47-year-old man who was arrested Jan. 26 while returning to his suburban Chicago home after getting tamales for his family. According to the complaint, ICE was actually looking for one of his sons in his 20s who has the same name. Ortega, who is in the U.S. illegally, remains detained in Indiana.

Family members said Monday that Ortega has no criminal record. His wife has breast cancer, they said, and, they have struggled to make mortgage payments without him.

“We’re all human, we deserve to be treated as such,” his son Eduardo Ortega, a U.S. citizen, said at a news conference.

Twelve of the arrests came from a Feb. 7 immigration sweep at a Mexican restaurant in Liberty, Missouri, where armed agents questioned employees for hours before the lunch rush. The complaint alleges agents did not have probable cause that the individuals were likely to flee before a warrant could be issued.

The federal government has until early April to respond in court. The current agreement expires in May.

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This story has been corrected to reflect that one person was deported instead of two.

Mark Fleming, Associate Director of Litigation at National Immigrant Justice Center and Lawyer, speaks about the unlawful arrests of 22 individual's during a press conference to announce a court action to prevent unlawful arrests the at the offices of the National Immigrant Justice Center Monday, March 17, 2025, in Chicago. (Anthony Vazquez/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

Fred Tsao, senior policy counsel, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, speaks about the unlawful arrests in the community during a press conference to announce a court action to prevent unlawful arrests the at the offices of the National Immigrant Justice Center Monday, March 17, 2025, in Chicago. (Anthony Vazquez/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

Yolanda Orozco speaks about the arrest of her husband, Abel Orozco, during a press conference to announce a court action to prevent unlawful arrests the at the offices of the National Immigrant Justice Center Monday, March 17, 2025, in Chicago. (Anthony Vazquez/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

Eduardo Orozco discusses the arrest of his father, Abel Orozco, during a press conference to announce a court action to prevent unlawful arrests the at the offices of the National Immigrant Justice Center Monday, March 17, 2025, in Chicago. (Anthony Vazquez/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

Mark Fleming, Associate Director of Litigation at National Immigrant Justice Center and Lawyer, speaks about the unlawful arrests of 22 individual's during a press conference to announce a court action to prevent unlawful arrests the at the offices of the National Immigrant Justice Center Monday, March 17, 2025, in Chicago. (Anthony Vazquez/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

Yolanda Orozc wipes away a tear as she speaks about the arrest of her husband, Abel Orozco, during a press conference to announce a court action to prevent unlawful arrests the at the offices of the National Immigrant Justice Center Monday, March 17, 2025, in Chicago. (Anthony Vazquez/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

From left to right, Eduardo Orozco, Yolanda Orozco, son and wife of Abel Orozco, stand alongside Mark Fleming, Associate Director of Litigation at National Immigrant Justice Center and Lawyer, as they listen to comments during a press conference to announce a court action to prevent unlawful arrests the at the offices of the National Immigrant Justice Center Monday, March 17, 2025, in Chicago. (Anthony Vazquez/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

TOKYO (AP) — Chicago Cubs fans take pride in being underdogs, a role that ended briefly when they won the World Series in 2016 to end a 107-year drought between championships.

They were right at home in Tokyo facing the Los Angeles Dodgers and megastar Shohei Ohtani in a two-game series to open the Major League Baseball regular season. Chicago dropped the first game 4-1, then allowed a homer by Ohtani in a 6-3 defeat in the second game.

Dodgers fans easily outnumbered Cubs fans 10 to 1 at the Tokyo Dome. On the sheer interest level, Ohtani was probably 60-70% of the draw in the sellouts, with the Cubs and Dodgers splitting the rest.

“That’s what’s great about the Cubs, we're always the come-from-behind team,” said Zach Valavanis, a Cubs fan entering a theme bar in the Tokyo Dome complex, filled with Cubs logos and memorabilia — and dozens of other Chicago fans.

“I feel like that’s been the case forever,” Valavanis added, citing the come-from-behind effort to win the 2016 World Series.

Cubs batting practice was well attended. But the Dodgers batting practice was a spectacle with hundreds of photographers, reporters and video journalists staking out Ohtani and his two Japanese teammates — pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.

The Cubs have two Japanese players — pitchers Shota Imanaga and designated hitter Seiya Suzuki — who didn't go unnoticed. But they're not Dodgers.

“What did they (the Dodgers) spend — three, four, five billion dollars,” said Zach's brother Alex Valavanis, both wearing white Cubs jerseys. “I don’t think they can keep up that pace, but we’ll see.”

Cubs manager Craig Counsell kept it simple. He said being a very high-profile afterthought comes with the territory.

“We’re playing the world champions, you expect that from that perspective,” he said. “We’re playing against the most famous player in the world. So you expect it from that perspective as well.”

“When you’re the world champs, you get to enjoy the spoils of that — and that’s fair to me,” he added.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts kept his explanation even simpler.

“I think in totality, there’s still a few ballclubs that share that same lore of history," he said. “But baseball, a lot of it is cyclical, and so our hope is we can continue to ride this high tide as the Dodgers.

“I just think it’s more skewed because of Shohei. And nothing against the other Japanese players,” Roberts added. "But Shohei is just such a beast of this whole equation.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb

A Chicago Cubs fan makes her way to her seat before an MLB Tokyo Series baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Fans of the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers walk around the Tokyo Dome ahead of an MLB Tokyo Series baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs, in Tokyo, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

Fans of the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers walk around the Tokyo Dome ahed of an MLB Tokyo Series baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs, in Tokyo, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

Chicago Cubs' fans walk around the Tokyo Dome ahed of an MLB Tokyo Series baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs, in Tokyo, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

Fans hold up a Japanese national flag during team intorductions before an MLB Tokyo Series baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs in Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Fans of the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers walk around the Tokyo Dome ahed of an MLB Tokyo Series baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs, in Tokyo, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

Fans of the Chicago Cubs take selfie at the Tokyo Dome ahead of an MLB Tokyo Series baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs, in Tokyo, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)