A Sunday morning stop on Howard Street in Evanston left a local man on the pavement with reported injuries after federal agents said they thought he looked like someone they wanted. Police later said the agents released him once they learned he was a U.S. citizen and not the person they were after.
According to NBC News, Evanston officers were called around 9:49 a.m. after a resident reported two men arguing and someone saying a person was going to be taken into custody. The location was the 1700 block of Howard Street, near Dodge Avenue, along the city’s line with Chicago.
When officers arrived, they found an adult male on the ground and other people trying to help him. The man told police he had injuries to his head, neck, and teeth. Officers requested an ambulance, the department said.
Police said agents later confirmed they had the wrong person
Witnesses told officers the men involved appeared to be Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Police then spoke with a person in plain clothes who was wearing a vest marked “POLICE” with federal markings.
That person told officers he was a federal agent working a fugitive case. He said the team had tried to identify a man who resembled the person they were seeking.
According to the agent’s account to Evanston police, the man would not give identification, was held for fingerprinting, and resisted detention. Agents later said they determined he was not their target and that he was a U.S. citizen. He was released.
An officer noted blood on the agent’s hands. The agent said he was hurt while trying to put handcuffs on the man and turned down medical care, police said.
The Department of Homeland Security said ICE was carrying out a targeted enforcement operation in Evanston on September 20 when agents came across someone who resembled their target. A spokesperson said the agents identified themselves as law enforcement right away.
“The individual was given lawful commands but was not cooperative and refused to identify himself,” the spokesperson said.
Miguel Angel Olivares said he was taking a break near El Pueblito Mexican Grill when he noticed vehicles and a confrontation. He said it first looked like a police stop until he heard the man repeating that he was a U.S. citizen. He then started recording.
Olivares said, “They were being rough with him; they had him pinned against the floor, and it looked like one of the agents hit him in the face.” Video reviewed by news outlets showed the man on the street near a curb behind a black SUV, with two agents in ICE-style vests over him.
The man can be heard shouting, “I’m a f—— U.S. citizen.” The incident highlights ongoing tensions between ICE agents and individuals asserting their citizenship, such as when a New Jersey man asked agents to check his ID before they detained him anyway.
Olivares said that after the agents left, “When we saw him, he had his jaw swollen and he had a little blood on his shirt.”He also said, “He was shooken up. He wasn’t really able to talk much. All he said was that he was a US citizen, that he doesn’t know why they targeted him.”
Evanston police said they are investigating, reviewing body-camera footage, and speaking with witnesses. The names of the man and the agents have not been made public.
Published: Sep 23, 2026 04:15 pm