A U.S. citizen was wrongfully detained during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid in Illinois, sparking outrage after the incident appeared in a promotional video shared by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Early Morning Raid Turns Wrong for Texas-Born Man
The man, identified as 37-year-old Joe Botello, was born in Texas. He described the terrifying moment armed agents stormed his home in Elgin, a suburb of Chicago. The raid happened early in the morning as part of “Operation Midway Blitz,” a large enforcement effort targeting undocumented migrants.
Botello said officers broke down the door and placed him and his roommates in handcuffs without giving any explanation. “I’m just blessed that I’m still alive,” he told the Chicago Tribune. Shockingly, one officer even asked him how he spoke English so well, to which he replied that he was American.
After showing his ID, Botello was released. But he admitted he was left shaken and fearful, adding, “I recommend that everyone always have their documentation—passport if they can, and any type of ID that would identify them. Stay safe.”
CBS News reported that another U.S. citizen was also wrongly detained during the same raid, while four other people were taken into custody.
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Kristi Noem, who has been nicknamed “ICE Barbie” for her habit of joining law enforcement operations in full gear, posted the video of the raid on social media. The footage showed several men being detained, including Botello, but made no mention of the wrongful arrests.
Noem praised the operation online, writing, “President Trump has been clear: if politicians will not put the safety of their citizens first, this administration will. I was on the ground in Chicago today to make clear we are not backing down. Our work is only beginning.”
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), however, denied that any U.S. citizen had been “arrested.” Instead, a spokesperson told the Daily Beast that people were “briefly held for their and officers’ safety while the operation in the house was under way. This is standard protocol.”
Critics argue that Noem’s video blurred the line between actual enforcement and political theater. Botello’s story highlighted how dangerous mistakes can happen when raids are carried out in communities with little warning.
Fear in Local Communities as Raids Expand
“Operation Midway Blitz” was launched across the Chicago area in honor of 20-year-old Katie Abraham, who was killed in a drunk-driving hit-and-run earlier this year. The driver accused in that case is a Guatemalan man who was living in the U.S. illegally. DHS framed the raids as part of a broader crackdown on undocumented migrants with criminal charges.
But for many residents in Illinois, the raids have instead created fear. State Senator Cristina Castro, who represents Illinois’ 22nd District, said families were already uneasy before the operation. “I think it’s unnerving. It’s unsettling.
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People are afraid,” she told the Tribune. “They’ve been afraid even to celebrate Mexican Independence Day weekend. But this is just going to put more fear in hard-working people who really just are here to have a better life.”
For Botello, the experience was deeply personal and frightening. He said he never expected something like this to happen to him in his own home. “I’m still a little bit in shock. I’m just glad that I’m OK,” he said.
The wrongful detention of a U.S. citizen, captured on video and then promoted online, has drawn sharp criticism of how ICE raids are being conducted and how mistakes are being presented to the public.
