CHICAGO CITY HALL - A Chicago alderperson whose arrest by ICE agents at a Chicago hospital made news across the country is now suing the federal government for damages.
Humboldt Park alderperson Jessie Fuentes filed a $100,000 claim on Tuesday over the actions of ICE agents who put her in handcuffs during an encounter on October 3 at Humboldt Health Hospital, 1044 N. Francisco.
"I could get not a single dollar," Fuentes (26th Ward) told WBBM Newsradio at City Hall. "That's not what we're taking this journey for. Taking them to court and getting this on the record is a tool that we must utilize. We must fight them back in all the ways that we have."
Fuentes said federal agents were seeking to detain a person inside the hospital, and they arrested her when she asked them if they had a judicial warrant.
"Federal agents should not come to our city and believe that they're above the law," Fuentes said. "What we are seeing are Constitutional violations at every turn."
Video of the arrest has been shared thousands of times on social media.
She says she's physically recovered from that incident: "I'm lucky enough to have a great team around me and a great community that works hard every single day."
A hearing date has not been scheduled.