BELMONT CRAGIN — State and local leaders on Wednesday called for the immediate release of Ruben Torres Maldonado, saying the arrest by federal agents of the longtime Chicago resident was unlawful and part of a “weaponized” crackdown on immigrant communities across the city.

At a Wednesday morning press conference in Belmont Cragin, state Rep. Delia C. Ramirez said Torres Maldonado’s case, and the trauma it’s caused his family, underscores how federal immigration enforcement has turned into “a terror force” targeting Black and Brown families in Chicago’s neighborhoods.

“We are very clear that the greatest threats to public safety in our communities — it’s called ICE, it’s called CBP,” Ramirez said. “ICE is operating as a terror force using a fascist administration to separate families and

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