15-Year-Old U.S. Citizen Detained By Federal Agents After East Side Protest
Oct 15, 2025·Location: Chicago, IL

A 15-year-old U.S. citizen was detained by Customs and Border Patrol agents on Chicago's East Side after federal agents deployed tear gas at a crash scene. According to his attorneys, the teen was slammed to the ground, zip-tied, and held in a garage for five hours without being booked, read his rights, or allowed to contact his mother. DHS stated the teen was arrested for allegedly throwing an egg at an agent, taken to an FBI field office where he admitted to the action, and released without charges. A 16-year-old U.S. citizen born and raised in Chicago was arrested and body-slammed by federal immigration agents during the East Side operation. His mother, Juanita Garnica, reported receiving a call that her son had been beaten, body-slammed, and taken into custody, but was not informed of his whereabouts or status. He was among multiple people arrested during the federal operation and subsequent protest.
Sources
- Teenage US citizen detained by Border Patrol in Chicago
Newsweek·Oct 15, 2025·archived copy
- 4 US citizens arrested during ICE crackdown on NYC's Canal Street, congressman says
- Federal agents detain several people during operation on Canal Street in NYC
NBC News·Oct 22, 2025·archived copy
- blockclubchicago.org
- Feds, attorneys spar over 15-year-old detained by U.S. immigration officers
nbcchicago.com·Oct 15, 2025·archived copy
- Alderman: Federal immigration agents detained Chicago student, a citizen, for several hours
chalkbeat.org·Oct 23, 2025·archived copy
- Agents tackle US citizen after East Side operation leads to crash, spills into Walgreens: VIDEO
abc7chicago.com·Oct 14, 2025·archived copy
- What we know about the federal immigration raid in Chinatown
Gothamist·Oct 22, 2025·archived copy
- Federal agents detain immigrants in lower Manhattan
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