After a Halloween disrupted by arrests by federal immigration agents in Evanston, several hundred people packed a community center parking lot for a vigil Saturday afternoon.

The vigil follows the arrests of five people without legal status in the area on Friday, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Nearby schools were placed on soft lockdown during the operation.

“Twenty-four hours ago, this neighborhood was under attack,” Mayor Daniel Biss said at the vigil. “And Evanston showed up.”

Biss said the Evanston Police Department, because of a new policy , is now investigating the incident. Under the policy the city will investigate federal immigration enforcement activity and take legal action or refer violations of local and state laws to state agencies.

Biss was among local

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