Teacher claims ICE agents used tear gas near Chicago elementary school

Teacher claims ICE agents used tear gas near Chicago elementary school

Mayor Brandon Johnson and school officials are responding after a teacher reported seeing ICE agents deploy chemical irritants outside a Chicago elementary school.

CHICAGO - Mayor Brandon Johnson and school officials are responding after a teacher reported seeing ICE agents deploy chemical irritants outside a Chicago elementary school.

What we know:

The teacher, a member of the Chicago Teachers Union, said the incident happened Friday as she stepped out for lunch at Funston Elementary School on Armitage Avenue in the Logan Square neighborhood.

She said she noticed a white vehicle "full of ICE agents" and blew her whistle to alert others. 

Moments later, a person on a scooter approached the agents and nearby cars began honking. The teacher said one agent became frustrated and began throwing tear gas canisters toward the crowd.

"Nobody wants ICE here. Just regular people are figuring out how to be there for one another… there's an outpouring of people who understand the assignment," she said. 

"We are not in this position of strength if it were not for our rapid responders… I have a great deal of gratitude for the organizing that is happening on the ground," Johnson said.

What's next:

Some students were ushered inside, and recess was held indoors for the rest of the day.

At dismissal, rapid response team volunteers and neighborhood residents surrounded the school — some wearing bicycle helmets, gas masks and red whistles — prepared to alert families if ICE agents returned.