Shocking video from Chicago’s Old Irving Park neighborhood shows what looks less like law enforcement and more like a scene from a police state: Border Patrol agents in tactical gear dragging a 67-year-old U.S. citizen from his car, slamming him to the pavement, and kneeling on his back while children in Halloween costumes scream nearby.
The man, a longtime runner and member of the local DWRunning club, was simply driving home from a team run when the chaos unfolded. According to his club, the agents allegedly broke six of his ribs and caused internal bleeding.
“One of our athletes was on his way home from a team long run yesterday and as he turned onto his block, found that Border Control had the road blocked,” the club said in a statement posted to Instagram. “The agents threatened to break his window if he didn’t move his car. Before he could act, they pulled him out of his car, knelt on his back, and subdued him, though he never resisted. They broke six of his ribs and caused internal bleeding.”
The group didn’t name the man, but their statement hit hard at what they called a terrifying pattern of abuse. “This really is happening in our country with frightening frequency. It’s terrifying and it has to stop. We must keep sharing these stories, calling out these injustices and standing up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.”
Neighbors said the raid tore through what should have been a peaceful Saturday morning. Children were lining up for a Halloween parade. Parents were outside with coffee cups, some still in pajamas. Then, without warning, federal agents flooded the street.
Witnesses told reporters that agents tackled residents who weren’t resisting, deployed tear gas without warning, and wore no visible identification numbers.
According to court filings, attorneys said “masked CBP agents entered the 3700 block of Kildare in Old Irving Park and ruined what should have been an ordinary Saturday morning.” One filing describes agents knocking down a man “approximately 70 years old” while others screamed for them to stop.
Even those who support law enforcement were stunned. “According to Brian Kolp, an attorney who ‘supports law enforcement and represents them,’ residents were not doing anything threatening or violent,” the filing said. “While leaving the scene after making their arrests, and without any audible warning, agents deployed tear gas. One of the canisters caught on fire.”
Video clips shared online and by ABC News show agents tackling several people — including U.S. citizens — outside homes decked out with Halloween decorations. In one clip, a man identified as Carlos Rodriguez shouts at the officers, “You’re scaring our children to death.” He later told reporters, “Unbelievable. Never thought this would happen in my neighborhood – scaring our children to death, thinking this is a cool thing to do.”
In response to the growing backlash, Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, issued a statement defending the operation but not addressing the assault on the 67-year-old man.
“On October 25, 2025, Border Patrol conducted an operation that resulted in the arrest of a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, who has previously been arrested for assault,” she said. McLaughlin added that “Border Patrol agents were surrounded and boxed in by a group of agitators,” and that “to safely clear the area after multiple warnings and the crowd continuing to advance on them, Border Patrol had to deploy crowd control measures.”
Her statement went on: “Our officers are facing a 1000% increase in assaults against them as they put their lives on the line to arrest murderers, rapists, abusers, and gang members. Secretary Noem’s message to the rioters is clear: you will not stop us or slow us down.”
But court documents suggest those “agitators” were neighbors — parents, runners, and kids. Attorneys say the agents’ actions may have violated a federal restraining order requiring all federal officers in Chicago to wear body cameras and avoid using “riot control measures” in residential neighborhoods.
Judge Sara Ellis, who issued the order, has reportedly summoned Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino — the man overseeing “Operation Midway Blitz” — to court daily this week. Bovino has defended his team’s tactics, saying “there are no sanctuaries in Chicago or anywhere else in the United States,” and that agents were responding to “rioters.”
Meanwhile, DWRunning said their injured teammate is recovering but shaken. “The outpouring of messages and support the past 24 hours has been overwhelming and heartwarming,” the club said. “It’s given us some hope that light can shine through the dark. For those concerned about our athlete, thank you. He is doing as well as can be expected.”
For residents of Old Irving Park, the message from that morning still hangs heavy in the air: federal agents stormed their neighborhood, injured an elderly man, and left behind a trail of fear and confusion — all on a street lined with pumpkins and plastic ghosts.
If this is what “law and order” looks like, it’s hard to tell who’s being protected anymore.
Watch the clip below:
No matter the person or what they’ve done, this is excessive force.
Now add the context: A 67-year-old unarmed man. Driving home after a run in Chicago. Didn’t move his car fast enough for ICE, on his own street… so they ripped him out, threw him to the ground, and kneeled on… pic.twitter.com/3sDYfEJZOP
— Jesus Freakin Congress (@TheJFreakinC) October 28, 2025
