ICE agents are now allegedly using Zohran Mamdani‘s name to harass individuals of Indian origin. A man of Indian origin employed by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) was questioned about his immigration status while on duty. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the incident occurred while the worker, a U.S. citizen, was working on a construction project near Park Ridge, Illinois.
According to the allegation, which cited Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s office, he was confronted by three masked ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officers who inquired about Zohran Mamdani, the newly elected mayor of New York City, in addition to his immigration status. Mamdani became the first Muslim mayor of New York City, the first person of South Asian descent, and the first person born in Africa after defeating Republican Curtis Sliwa and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
This rhetoric from Mamdani is pro ICE, not anti ICE. By telling ICE agents that they will be held accountable “if you violate the law” he is legitimizing their job and telling them they are okay to continue kidnapping & brutalizing people within the confines of the law. https://t.co/qvuA46z7nl
— FPW_ProtectTransKids (@rw_pw) November 8, 2025
Condemning the ICE agents’ raid, Pritzker said that the incident has raised concerns about “questioning US citizens apparently based on the color of their skin,” the report added.
In a statement obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, Pritzker said, “I am appalled they would stop and question a state employee working hard on the job to help improve our state’s roads and infrastructure. Our state employees should be able to go to work and do their jobs without masked agents targeting them for no legitimate reason.”
Following the incident, residents of Park Ridge-Niles School District 64, including teachers and children, were also ordered to stay inside.
District superintendent Ben Collins said that “he was aware of reports regarding ICE agents in Park Ridge neighborhoods near some of the district’s schools.” The report also stated that the Department of Homeland Security has denied rumors that ICE agents are on patrol in Illinois’ Park Ridge neighborhood.
#FPWorld: An Indian-origin employee of the Illinois Department of Transportation was questioned by three masked agents about his immigration status while working on a road project. The agents also asked if he knew New York’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani.https://t.co/LzhWiSCyX1
— Firstpost (@firstpost) November 9, 2025
Protests and claims of rights violations have been triggered by Donald Trump‘s aggressive immigration raids in the United States. Trump was questioned on CBS’s “60 Minutes” broadcast on whether ICE agents had “gone too far.” To this, he said: “I think they haven’t gone far enough.”
Donald Trump continued by saying that immigration operations had been “held back” by “liberal judges” selected by Democratic presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama. As an essential element of his re-election campaign, Donald Trump has advocated for a big wave of deportations since taking office again.
Increased ICE raids have spurred protests around the nation, especially in Democratic-led cities where Trump’s administration has initiated “surges” of agents.
