For several months, the Trump administration defended its strong-armed midnight raid on a Chicago apartment complex, claiming it had intelligence that the violent Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, had taken control of the building. However, officials did not provide evidence to substantiate this claim. Recent documents reveal a different motivation behind the raid: allegations of immigrant squatting in the complex. The landlord had authorized federal officials, focused on immigrants in Chicago, to search the building.
Arrest records for two of the 37 immigrants detained during the raid offer clearer insight into the aggressive operation that night, involving agents descending from a helicopter, breaking down doors, and detaining U.S. citizens and immigrants with zip ties. The records show agents had the “owner/manager’s verbal and written consent” to enter and search the complex. Reports indicate agents acted on intelligence suggesting illegal aliens occupied the apartments unlawfully, targeting units not legally rented or leased.
Mark Fleming, an attorney with the National Immigrant Justice Center and co-counsel in a lawsuit against the government, accused officials of fabricating the gang involvement story. He stated, “This was about immigrants purportedly occupying apartments unlawfully, which differs radically from their narrative.” The Department of Homeland Security records lack mention of Tren de Aragua, despite officials repeatedly citing the gang’s presence as the raid’s justification. Immigrants were paraded in front of cameras as part of a broader government narrative against terrorism, but no evidence was provided to back the claim that two of those arrested were gang members.
Documents obtained by ProPublica confirm immigration-related allegations motivated the federal raid. Previous reports by ProPublica based on interviews and records indicated little evidence to support the government’s claims. Despite the raid taking place months earlier, federal prosecutors have not filed criminal charges against those apprehended. Over the past months, ProPublica interviewed 15 of the detained immigrants, none of whom acknowledged gang membership, though they admitted to some criminal activity in the building, including a Venezuelan man’s murder last summer.
The arrest records were submitted as part of ongoing litigation regarding whether the government violated a 2022 consent decree, which limits warrantless arrests during its deportation campaign in Chicago. The decree remains in place amid continued government challenges. Government attorneys previously acknowledged that hundreds of immigrants detained last year might have been improperly arrested. The Department of Homeland Security has been providing arrest records following a court order, with attorneys advocating for the release or removal of restrictions for those immigrants still detained or released.
In a newly filed motion, immigrant rights attorneys argued that the government unjustifiably labeled immigrants as flight risks to justify warrantless arrests. Factors such as “willful disregard for others’ personal property” and “attempt to flee from law enforcement” were baseless, contradicted by arrest narratives, they claimed. Further review could reveal additional violations of the consent decree, attorneys suggest, focusing on cases of those remaining in the U.S. Many immigrants detained during the South Shore raid either faced deportation or relinquished efforts to stay.
The property owner, Trinity Flood, and her management company, Strength in Management, did not respond to comments. Flood and Corey Oliver, the management company’s owner, declined interview requests and denied involvement. A DHS spokesperson, responding with repeated earlier statements, asserted the raid’s legality, citing alleged arrests of Foreign Terrorist Organization members.
There have always been suspicions that authorities received tips from Flood and her property manager to remove squatters from a building frequently failing city inspections in prior years. State officials launched a housing discrimination investigation, alleging Flood and Strength in Management illegally used federal agents against the Black and Hispanic tenants, perpetuating stereotypes and using gang member accusations against law-abiding Venezuelan tenants. Within hours of the raid, management company workers discarded tenants’ belongings, clearing apartments, according to the complaint.
Venezuelan immigrants expressed anger over the facilitation of federal agents by the building’s owner and manager. Jean Carlos Antonio Colmenares Pérez said, “We were paying our rent, doing things the right way.” Detained for over two months, he was deported in December. His cousin, Daniel José Henríquez Rojas, detained similarly and later deported, shared how agents treated them as criminals. Federal agents also detained his wife and young son, later relocating them to a Texas facility. Now back in Venezuela, the family reflects on their separation.
Johandry José Andrade Jiménez, who moved into the South Shore complex shortly before the raid, was deported in December. His wife, released with an ankle monitor, struggles to support their children alone. The complex housed many African American and Venezuelan tenants. While some ceased rent due to poor conditions, others believed they were paying rent to the management, but the cash was pocketed by other tenants posing as managers. ProPublica spoke to a U.S. citizen who mentioned moving in Venezuelan families and charging them rent.
Facing a foreclosure lawsuit, Flood’s company reportedly invested in repairs and legal fees for evictions. Prior to the raid, court-ordered evictions had been obtained. Despite this, the building continued to deteriorate. Oliver testified hiring security staff briefly, without success. In November, another company assumed management, requiring remaining residents to vacate.
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