A 15-year-old United States citizen was detained by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents on Chicago’s East Side on Tuesday afternoon and held for five hours in a federal facility garage, according to the family's attorney."This is not law enforcement; this is the playbook of authoritarian regimes," attorney Antonio M. Romanucci, founding partner of Romanucci & Blandin, said in a statement shared with Newsweek.A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson told Newsweek in a statement: "Any claims that CBP ‘kidnapped’ a U.S. citizen and held him in a warehouse are categorically FALSE. These are more disgusting smears peddled by the media and billboard law firms."Why It MattersAmid the administration's widespread deportation program, several U.S. citizens have been questioned or detained by immigration agents, drawing increased scrutiny of the agency’s practices and targeting criteria. Multiple federal agencies—including Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the DEA, the FBI, and the ATF are being marshaled together to conduct coordinated immigration enforcement operations as the administration pushes toward its goal of deporting millions of migrants without legal status.Chicago has been thrust to the forefront in the national conversation surrounding immigration enforcement as federal authorities escalate operations under the Trump administration’s Operation Midway Blitz. The initiative has increased ICE activity across the city, including arrests and targeted actions in neighborhoods with large immigrant populations. Critics say the operations have heightened fear among residents, strained community relations, and raised concerns about racial profiling, while federal officials maintain the measures are necessary to enforce immigration laws and detain individuals with criminal records....What To KnowThe teenager, who is Hispanic and African American, was taken from a street around 12:30 p.m. CST, family lawyers said. They have not released his name, citing his status as a minor.Attorneys from the firm Romanucci & Blandin said he was held for approximately five hours without being formally charged, allowed to contact his family, or granted access to legal counsel.The teenager was restrained with zip ties and handcuffs and transported to a federal law enforcement facility not affiliated with CBP or ICE, according to the law firm. They also said his mother was not informed of his whereabouts during the detention.Family attorneys secured the boy's release yesterday evening. No charges have been filed against the boy, the firm said.“Here are the facts: immediately following illegal aliens ramming law enforcement with their vehicle, which resulted in the arrest of two illegal aliens from Venezuela, a violent mob began [to] surround law enforcement," the DHS spokesperson told Newsweek."Among them, a U.S. citizen teenager threw eggs and hit a CBP Officer in the head. Agents observed him gathering rocks after objects had already been thrown at law enforcement officers. The individual was arrested for the assault and taken to the FBI Field Office in Chicago where he freely admitted without questioning to throwing eggs at agents. His attorney met with him at the field office, and he was released without charges."What People Are SayingAttorney Antonio M. Romanucci said in a statement shared with Newsweek: "This is how people disappear in autocracies—grabbed off streets, held in unmarked locations, no calls to family, no stated charges, no due process."A DHS spokesperson told Newsweek: "Our officers are facing a surge in assaults against them—without pay during the Democrats’ shutdown—as they put their lives on the line to arrest murderers, rapists, and gang members. Secretary [Kristi] Noem’s message to the rioters is clear: you will not stop us or slow us down. CBP and our federal law enforcement partners will continue to enforce the law. And if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”What Happens NextThe firm, which secured the teenager’s release, is conducting a civil investigation into the matter.