Armed U.S. border patrol agents engaged in a brief chase of a cyclist in downtown Chicago on Sunday. The incident occurred during an immigration enforcement operation in the city. The cyclist had been taunting the agents about his lack of U.S. citizenship while they patrolled the area.

Independent journalist Christopher Sweat filmed the exchange, which was later shared by local media. In the video, a group of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents is seen walking through downtown. A voice in the background repeatedly states, "I’m not a U.S. citizen." The cyclist, riding an e-bike with a cooler bag attached, can be seen heckling the agents. He shouts, "Hey! I’m not a U.S. citizen. Come on," before riding away and appearing to drop an item from his pocket.

As the agents laugh at the cyclist's remarks, one points out, "He dropped his phone." The cyclist circles back to retrieve it, but as he hops off his bike, agents sprint toward him, with one shouting, "Get him." Despite their efforts, the cyclist manages to escape across the street and rides away.

Sweat noted in a shorter video clip that there was "no physical or threatening contact" before the chase. Witness Patrick Gilmore described the scene, saying, "It just felt like we were in an actual movie."

The border agents were in Chicago as part of a crackdown on illegal immigration initiated by the Trump administration and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This operation, known as Operation Midway Blitz, began in September and aims to target what DHS describes as "criminal illegal aliens" who have moved to Illinois due to state sanctuary policies.

Approximately two weeks into the operation, DHS reported that 550 individuals had been detained. However, Senator Dick Durbin stated that fewer than 30 percent of those detained had a criminal background, indicating that many had no criminal history. He criticized the narrative surrounding immigration enforcement, saying, "The president can rant about rapists and murderers and terrorists and criminally insane people coming in as immigrants, but those who are being arrested don’t have any indication of that behavior."

Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have expressed concerns about the presence of armed agents in the city. Pritzker described it as a "show of intimidation, instilling fear in our communities and hurting our businesses." Johnson referred to the operation as "another brazen provocation from the Trump administration."

While Trump has previously threatened to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago, he has not yet acted on that promise. The DHS and CBP have been contacted for updates on the operation and the incident involving the cyclist.