A viral video showing federal immigration agents chasing a cyclist through downtown Chicago has reignited discussions about US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The clip, months old, shows a man on an electric bike verbally challenging agents, claiming he wasn’t a US citizen, before ultimately escaping into the urban crowd. He made no physical threats or contact.
This resurfaced footage comes amidst widespread protests following a fatal ICE-related shooting in Minneapolis on January 7. During an operation, ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three and a known critic of deportation policies. Authorities assert Good drove her vehicle towards agents and briefly dragged one, prompting the shooting. The Department of Homeland Security labeled her a “domestic terrorist,” a claim strongly disputed by critics, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who demanded an independent investigation.
Immediately after the shooting, protests erupted across major US cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Sacramento. Thousands rallied against what they call ICE’s “abuses” and the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts. In Minneapolis, demonstrators even established an “autonomous zone,” blocking roads and declaring it a “no-go” area for law enforcement, reminiscent of Seattle’s 2020 CHAZ.
Meanwhile, conservative voices suggest these protests are “astroturfed,” meaning they are funded by outside influences like George Soros and Neville Roy Singham, who has alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Former President Trump has vowed to launch RICO investigations into such funding, promising “big problems” for organizers. The events highlight a deeply divided nation wrestling with immigration policy and enforcement.
