An Indian-American employee of the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) was stopped and questioned by three masked agents at a highway construction site earlier this week, in an incident that has sparked outrage from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and drawn national attention to what officials describe as racially motivated targeting of public workers.
The unidentified state employee, a US citizen of Indian origin, was performing his duties on the Busse Highway resurfacing project in Park Ridge, Illinois, when the masked men approached him, demanded to see his identification, and began questioning him about his immigration status and whether he had any connection to Zohran Mamdani, the newly elected Indian-origin mayor of New York City, according to The Chicago Sun-Times.
Eyewitnesses at the scene said the agents appeared to operate under federal authority but did not display any agency insignia or badges. They reportedly arrived in an unmarked SUV, briefly detained the worker for questioning, and left after several minutes without offering an explanation. The agents’ line of questioning—focused on both immigration and political connections—has raised alarm among civil rights groups and state officials.
Governor JB Pritzker sharply condemned the encounter, describing it as part of a “dangerous pattern of intimidation and racial profiling” being carried out under the Trump administration’s Homeland Security apparatus. The Governor added that he has requested an immediate investigation into the identities and legal authority of the masked agents. “If they were federal officials, they must explain under what law they acted. If not, this is an even more disturbing case of impersonation and harassment,” he said.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a response late Saturday, claiming that no personnel from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) were involved in the incident. The agency stopped short of clarifying whether the men belonged to another federal task force or a private security entity operating under contract.
The uncertainty has caused unease across the Park Ridge community. On Friday, Park Ridge–Niles School District 64 temporarily suspended outdoor activities and advised students and staff to remain indoors after rumors spread that ICE agents were patrolling neighborhoods near local schools. Superintendent Ben Collins confirmed that he had received “credible reports” of federal activity in residential areas but said no arrests occurred near district buildings.
The IDOT employee’s detention came during a surge in federal immigration operations across the Chicago metropolitan area. Earlier in the same week, US Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino reportedly led a convoy through parts of Chicago’s Southwest Side, making unannounced stops to question residents about their immigration status. Several community groups described the operation as “show-of-force policing” designed to intimidate immigrant-heavy neighborhoods.
Adding to public concern, on Thursday, federal agents entered a daycare center — Rayito de Sol Spanish Immersion Early Learning Centre — in Chicago’s North Centre neighborhood, detaining a Colombian teacher, Diana Patricia Santillana Galeano, in front of staff and children. In cellphone footage that later surfaced online, Santillana Galeano can be heard telling officers, “Yo tengo papeles” (“I have papers”), asserting her legal immigration status.
The agents, witnesses say, searched classrooms without a warrant before taking the teacher into custody. DHS has not commented on the legality of the raid, though local lawmakers have demanded answers.
Civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois, condemned the series of incidents as “a coordinated escalation of unconstitutional enforcement activity.” The organization called on state authorities to establish legal protections preventing federal agencies from questioning residents or state employees without cause.
Illinois has historically positioned itself as a sanctuary state, with legislation limiting local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The state’s laws require all law enforcement agencies to respect due process and prohibit racial profiling during identification checks.
For now, the identity of the masked men who questioned the IDOT worker remains unknown, as does their motive. Governor Pritzker’s office has pledged to cooperate with the Illinois Attorney General and Homeland Security’s Inspector General to determine whether the agents acted under federal orders or were operating outside their legal jurisdiction.
“This was not a routine inquiry — this was intimidation,” a senior Illinois official told The Chicago Tribune. “It’s deeply troubling that an American citizen, on duty for the state, can be stopped by masked men asking him about a mayor in New York. That’s not law enforcement. That’s harassment.”
