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Evelyn: 18-year-old U.S. citizen held down by ICE officer's knee on her neck

Evelyn, an 18-year-old U.S. citizen, was thrown to the ground and knelt on by an ICE officer on October 10 while screaming she was a citizen; DHS falsely denied the video showed her.

Oct 15, 2025Chicago, IL

Evelyn: 18-year-old U.S. citizen held down by ICE officer's knee on her neck
Photo via Instagram

Evelyn, an 18-year-old U.S. citizen, was pulled from a car and detained by ICE agents on October 10, 2025, in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Video showed an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officer throw her to the ground and kneel on her neck and upper back as she screamed that she was a citizen and not resisting. According to her aunt, Evelyn and two friends had been following and honking at agents' vehicles to warn neighbors of ICE activity before being chased and detained. She and her friends were held for hours in the Hoffman Estates Police Department parking lot without explanation before being released without charges; Evelyn was later taken away in an ambulance. Her parents, Jazmin and Gerardo, said officers ignored their daughter's pleas of citizenship, with Gerardo saying 'I couldn't protect my child.' Evelyn told the Chicago Tribune, 'I don't like the way they're treating everybody... it's not about race or ethnicity — we're all humans.' A DHS spokesperson falsely claimed the video showed a year-old, unrelated Chicago burglary arrest, a claim PolitiFact rated False after confirming the footage depicted the October 10 incident. The family is considering legal action.

“They were telling them they were U.S. citizens, and they didn't care. It was very scary to see that video,”
— Jazmin, Evelyn's mother
“While we were there, we were asking when they were going to be released, and what were going to be the charges, trying to figure out some kind of information because they weren't giving us any information,”
— Gerardo, Evelyn's father

Timeline

Oct 15, 2025—PolitiFact rates DHS's claim False, confirming video depicted the October 10 Hoffman Estates incident
Oct 10, 2025—Evelyn detained by ICE agents in Hoffman Estates; video shows agent kneeling on her neck as she screams she is a U.S. citizen
Oct 10, 2025—Evelyn and two friends held for hours at Hoffman Estates Police Department parking lot, then released without charges; Evelyn taken by ambulance
Oct 10, 2025—DHS spokesperson falsely claims video shows unrelated year-old Chicago burglary arrest, denying ICE involvement
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