Illinois opens probe into claim landlord tipped off federal agents before Chicago raid

Illinois officials said they have opened an investigation into whether the management of a South Shore apartment building in Chicago contacted federal immigration agents before a Sept. 30 raid that led to at least 37 arrests. State documents say building managers tipped off federal officials in September that Venezuelan "unauthorized occupants" who had threatened other tenants were living in the building.

During the raid, agents, some of whom rappelled from a Black Hawk helicopter, removed dozens of Black and Hispanic tenants, restrained many outdoors and left the 130-unit building in disarray, the filing said; most of those arrested were Venezuelan nationals. The state said it will investigate whether the tip was an illegal attempt to "intimidate and coerce the building’s Black and Hispanic tenants, as well as the Venezuelan immigrants, into leaving the building." Residents and officials have described years of disputes over maintenance, safety hazards and crime; the building’s owners have said they spent $2 million on repairs, security and evictions since 2020 but struggled to keep out squatters and criminals.

The probe will be led by the Illinois Department of Human Rights and was opened against Strength in Management LLC, 7500 Shore A LLC and Trinity Flood, the state said; none of the companies responded to requests for comment.

Key Topics

Politics, Trinity Flood, Illinois Human Rights, South Shore, Operation Midway Blitz