Federal Agents Raid Chicago Apartment Complex with Building Owner's OK, Court Records Reveal
The Trump administration's highly publicized raid on a South Shore apartment complex in September was carried out with the permission of the building's owner and manager, according to new court filings. The raid, which saw 37 people detained overnight, has been widely criticized as a botched operation that targeted Venezuelan immigrants living in the complex.
The original justification for the raid, claimed by federal officials, was that the building was a magnet for criminals, including members of the Tren de Aragua gang, which President Trump has designated as a terrorist organization. However, court records have revealed that the real reason behind the raid was to target people who were "unlawfully occupying apartments in the building" - effectively, Venezuelan immigrants living in the complex.
The raid, part of Operation Midway Blitz, was carried out with military-style precision, involving helicopters and flashbang grenades. Residents reported seeing men, women, and children being pulled from their apartments and zip-tied, some even naked. While some U.S. citizens were detained for hours, others were left undisturbed by the agents.
The building's owner, Trinity Flood, and property manager, Corey Oliver, had given verbal and written consent to search the building, but court records have shown that they only targeted units not legally rented or leased at the time. The Illinois Department of Human Rights has launched an investigation into Flood, her company, and Oliver's property management firm, amid claims that the targets of the investigation had alerted federal authorities about the Venezuelan immigrants living in the complex in an attempt to "intimidate and coerce" the building's Black and Hispanic tenants.
Days after the raid, a crumpled map was found on the floor with labels for each unit, including some marked as both "tenant" and "firearms." The surrounding neighborhood has seen a decline in crime in recent years, with few people charged with crimes occurring inside the building. Despite this, the federal government claimed that the raid targeted people believed to be involved in drug trafficking, weapons crimes, and immigration violations.
However, court records have revealed that only two of those detained had prior criminal convictions - one for soliciting prostitution, while the other had no history of crime whatsoever. Neither report mentions any gang affiliation, raising questions about what the federal agents knew about the building and its residents before the raid.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has yet to comment on the matter, despite requests for clarification. The raid remains a contentious example of the Trump administration's aggressive immigration policies, which have been criticized as discriminatory and disproportionate towards certain communities.
The Trump administration's highly publicized raid on a South Shore apartment complex in September was carried out with the permission of the building's owner and manager, according to new court filings. The raid, which saw 37 people detained overnight, has been widely criticized as a botched operation that targeted Venezuelan immigrants living in the complex.
The original justification for the raid, claimed by federal officials, was that the building was a magnet for criminals, including members of the Tren de Aragua gang, which President Trump has designated as a terrorist organization. However, court records have revealed that the real reason behind the raid was to target people who were "unlawfully occupying apartments in the building" - effectively, Venezuelan immigrants living in the complex.
The raid, part of Operation Midway Blitz, was carried out with military-style precision, involving helicopters and flashbang grenades. Residents reported seeing men, women, and children being pulled from their apartments and zip-tied, some even naked. While some U.S. citizens were detained for hours, others were left undisturbed by the agents.
The building's owner, Trinity Flood, and property manager, Corey Oliver, had given verbal and written consent to search the building, but court records have shown that they only targeted units not legally rented or leased at the time. The Illinois Department of Human Rights has launched an investigation into Flood, her company, and Oliver's property management firm, amid claims that the targets of the investigation had alerted federal authorities about the Venezuelan immigrants living in the complex in an attempt to "intimidate and coerce" the building's Black and Hispanic tenants.
Days after the raid, a crumpled map was found on the floor with labels for each unit, including some marked as both "tenant" and "firearms." The surrounding neighborhood has seen a decline in crime in recent years, with few people charged with crimes occurring inside the building. Despite this, the federal government claimed that the raid targeted people believed to be involved in drug trafficking, weapons crimes, and immigration violations.
However, court records have revealed that only two of those detained had prior criminal convictions - one for soliciting prostitution, while the other had no history of crime whatsoever. Neither report mentions any gang affiliation, raising questions about what the federal agents knew about the building and its residents before the raid.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has yet to comment on the matter, despite requests for clarification. The raid remains a contentious example of the Trump administration's aggressive immigration policies, which have been criticized as discriminatory and disproportionate towards certain communities.
... I think it's crazy that the building owner gave permission for the search, but at the same time, I'm all for investigating suspicious activity 
. But, on the other hand, it seems like the agents went way too far and caused a huge mess 
. And what's up with the fact that only two people had prior convictions? Shouldn't that be enough to warrant an investigation? 
Meanwhile, I'm also wondering if the building owner was trying to play both sides by targeting Venezuelan immigrants who were "unlawfully occupying" apartments... yeah, no thanks, can't trust anyone's motives 
.
. Like, come on, they raided an apartment complex without actually checking if the people living there were doing anything wrong... just because the building's owner said it was okay 
. And don't even get me started on how the two people detained had prior convictions... seems like an overreaction to me 
.
And what's really disturbing is that there are reports of people being zip-tied and left naked - that's some pretty heavy-handed tactics for anyone, let alone a government operation. 
It's also concerning to see how the investigation seems to be focusing on the building owner and property manager, while the real questions should be about why this raid happened in the first place. 
[Image of a person looking shocked with their mouth open] 
Who knew? 
. and the weird thing is that there was supposed to be a reason for it all but its been revealed that they were just targeting venezuelan immigrants who were "unlawfully occupying apartments" - like what even is that? 
.
some of these ppl were even naked when they got taken away... how does that even happen? 
only two of them had any sorta issue, but still who gets zip-tied and thrown out in the middle of the night? 
i mean the building owner gave permission but still it's not right 
they're targeting innocent ppl just because of where they come from or their skin color 
and we're supposed to be a land of freedom not fear 
. Can we at least hope that the Illinois Department of Human Rights gets to the bottom of this and makes sure justice is served? 
.
. The feds swoop in thinking they're gonna take down some big-time crime lords but it turns out they were just chasing after Venezuelan immigrants trying to live their best lives 
. But for real though, the fact that the building owner gave consent but only targeted units not rented by tenants is like, totally shady 
We need to stand up for these Venezuelan immigrants who are being targeted and demand justice. This raid is a total example of how the system is rigged against certain communities, and it's time for some serious change! 
And the fact that the owner and manager gave their "consent" but only targeted non-legal tenants? No wonder they were so chill about it afterwards... seems like a pretty solid plan to get rid of some unwanted guests, huh? 
. Two people with prior convictions out of 37 detained? That's like, what even is that? And the lack of transparency about what they knew beforehand is just infuriating.
but i dont get why its being made into such a big deal i guess its just another example of trump's immigration policies being super shady