A US citizen was detained by federal agents in Evanston, Illinois, on Sunday, September 20, after agents mistakenly identified him as someone they were seeking, according to Evanston police.
The official police release says the incident occurred near Howard Street and Dodge Avenue, and officers initially found the man in the 1700 block of Howard Street.
Federal agents detained a US citizen in Evanston, Illinois, on Sunday, September 20, according to the Evanston Police Department. DHS later told CNN that ICE agents were conducting a targeted enforcement operation in the area. Police said the man later reported injuries to his head, neck, and teeth.
Police said officers were called to the Chicago suburb at about 9.49 a.m. After an unidentified caller reported hearing two men arguing and someone saying an individual would be taken into custody.
When officers arrived, they found the man on the ground while several bystanders were trying to help him.
The man told officers he was injured, prompting police to request an ambulance. Witnesses told officers they believed federal immigration agents had attempted to take him into custody.
What Happened During the Federal Agents' Detention?
For context, an Evanston police officer responding to the incident later located two SUVs near an intersection. The officer spoke with a man who identified himself as a federal agent conducting a 'fugitive investigation,' according to police.
According to police, the agent was wearing plain clothes and a vest marked 'POLICE' with federal law enforcement markings.
Police said the agents later determined that the man was not the person they were seeking and learned that he was a US citizen. He was subsequently released.
The circumstances surrounding the physical confrontation remain disputed.
Evanston police said a federal agent told officers that the man had resisted during the attempted detention. The officer also noticed blood on the agent's hands. The agent reportedly said he had suffered the injury while trying to detain the man and declined medical treatment.
Police said five federal agents were operating in separate vehicles while searching for the person they were seeking.
The Evanston Police Department later contacted the man at a local hospital. Police said an evidence technician photographed and documented his reported injuries as part of the investigation.
What Did DHS Say About the Encounter?
The Department of Homeland Security emphasised a different aspect of the encounter.
A DHS spokesperson told CNN that ICE agents were conducting a targeted enforcement operation when they encountered someone who resembled their target. The spokesperson said agents 'immediately identified themselves as law enforcement' and gave the man what DHS described as lawful commands.
'The individual was given lawful commands but was not cooperative and refused to identify himself,' the spokesperson said.
Updated:Ice left him in the street after they beat him up.They realized he wasn’t the person they were looking for.
— jerrynmn1 (@jerrynmn12) September 22, 2026
The man is a U.S. Citizen.”On witness video showed Ice pinning a Black man down in Evanston Illinois.The man had injuries to head, neck,teeth,taken to hospital. pic.twitter.com/F2e318HcGT
DHS said ICE officers relied on their training and left the scene after the man eventually identified himself. The department also said the man refused assistance from ICE agents, but its statement did not address the injuries reported by the man.
The accounts differ over what happened during the struggle, and the available footage does not show every moment of the encounter.
CNN reported that surveillance footage shows two agents and the man in an upright struggle before the agents pull him to the ground. The footage does not show what happens after they move out of camera range. The people involved then move out of the camera's view, leaving a gap in the footage.
Several bystanders subsequently arrived in the area, with some recording the scene.
A federal agent later told Evanston police that the agents left the area after protesters began gathering because they feared they could be attacked.
What Happens Next in the Evanston Police Investigation?
The Evanston Police Department said its investigation remains ongoing. Officers are preserving available body-camera footage and interviewing witnesses as they work to establish what happened during the detention.
Evanston Police has previously said it does not coordinate with ICE or US Customs and Border Protection, citing the city's Welcoming City Ordinance and the Illinois TRUST Act.
Police said the man was detained after federal agents encountered someone they believed resembled the person they were seeking. He was later identified as a US citizen and released.
The precise sequence of the confrontation, including how the man's injuries occurred, remains under investigation.
