ICE Raids Black Apartment Complex in Chicago: Fears of Racial Profiling and Echoes of 1933 Germany

ICE Raids Black Apartment Complex in Chicago: Fears of Racial Profiling and Echoes of 1933 Germany

Chicago, IL — An early morning raid by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a South Shore apartment complex has sparked outrage after reports surfaced that most residents targeted were Black U.S. citizens — not undocumented immigrants.

Residents described agents flooding the building’s hallways, banging on doors, and demanding identification. Many tenants were questioned or detained despite presenting proof of citizenship or legal residency.

“It felt like they were coming for all of us just because we were Black,” said Mariah Jenkins, a longtime resident of the complex. “They weren’t looking for anyone specific. They just wanted to intimidate us.”

A Community Under Siege

According to ICE, the raid was part of a “routine operation” targeting undocumented immigrants. Yet, the overwhelming majority of those living in the South Shore apartments are African American citizens. Local advocates argue this incident illustrates a long pattern of racial profiling.

“The government claims these raids are about immigration enforcement,” said activist and attorney Damon Brooks. “But when you go into a predominantly Black building and treat everyone as a suspect, you’re not enforcing immigration law — you’re criminalizing Blackness itself.”

Community leaders point out that many of those interrogated had been born and raised in Chicago. The fear now is not only about immigration enforcement, but about whether citizenship protects Black people from being treated as disposable in their own country.

Intra-Black Tensions Fuel Division

Adding to the controversy is the role of certain voices within the Black community itself. A high-profile figure in the Foundational Black American (FBA) movement had previously encouraged ICE crackdowns, claiming such actions would primarily target “non-FBA immigrants” from Africa and the Caribbean.

But the raid reveals a dangerous irony: the very policies some FBA leaders endorsed are now harming Black Americans themselves.

“This is how divide-and-conquer works,” said cultural historian Dr. Karen Ellis. “When one segment of the Black community calls for state power to be used against another, it only gives cover for the state to expand that power against all of us.”

Parallels to 1933 Germany

Historians warn that the imagery of Black citizens being interrogated in their homes carries chilling echoes of 1930s Germany.

In 1933, Adolf Hitler’s regime began by targeting Jewish refugees and immigrants, accusing them of diluting German society. But within months, German-born Jews — who had lived in the country for generations — faced the same raids, surveillance, and restrictions.

“The lesson from Germany is that citizenship papers won’t save you if you’re part of the population the state decides is undesirable,” Ellis explained. “For Black Americans, this raid is a stark reminder that Blackness itself is treated as foreign.”

The sight of federal agents swarming a Black apartment building in Chicago mirrors the early tactics of authoritarian regimes: mass raids, indiscriminate intimidation, and the cultivation of fear within minority communities.

Calls for Accountability

Local alderpersons are demanding an investigation into the raid. Civil rights groups, including the ACLU of Illinois, are calling for greater oversight of ICE operations in Chicago.

“This should alarm every American,” said Brooks. “If the state can storm into your home and demand your papers simply because of the color of your skin, then we are repeating some of the darkest chapters of world history.”

For residents of South Shore, the raid was more than a law enforcement action. It was a reminder that Black people in America continue to live under surveillance, suspicion, and systemic exclusion — regardless of citizenship.

“This is 1933 Germany all over again,” said Jenkins. “They pick one group, then expand. Today it’s immigrants. Tomorrow, it’s all of us.”

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