"You Know Mamdani?": Indian-Origin Worker Grilled By ICE Agents In US

An Indian-origin man, working with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), was grilled about his immigration status on duty.

The incident took place when the man, who is a US citizen, was working on a construction project near the Park Ridge area in Illinois, according to The Chicago Times.

He was approached by three masked ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents who not only questioned his immigration status but also asked about Zohran Mamdani, NYC's new mayoral elect, the report quoted Illinois Governor JB Pritzker's office as saying. Mamdani defeated former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, writing his name in the history books as NYC's first Muslim mayor, the first of South Asian heritage and the first born in Africa.

Condemning the ICE agents' raid, Pritzker said that the incident has raised concern about "questioning US citizens apparently based on the colour of their skin," the report added.

In a statement, obtained by the Chicago 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."

Locals, including students and teachers living in Park Ridge-Niles School District 64, were also asked to stay indoors after the incident was reported.

District superintendent Ben Collins said that "he was aware of reports regarding ICE agents in Park Ridge neighbourhoods near some of the district's schools."

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security has denied reports of ICE agents patrolling the Park Ridge area in Illinois, the report added.

Donald Trump's aggressive US immigration raids have sparked protests and allegations of rights violations. Speaking to CBS's "60 Minutes" program, Trump was asked if ICE agents have "gone too far." To this, he said: "I think they haven't gone far enough."

Donald Trump went on to add that "liberal judges" appointed by Barack Obama and Joe Biden, the Democratic presidents, had "held back" immigration operations.

NEW: President Trump is asked if ICE raids have “gone too far” and fires back with a fierce, scorching response:

“No, I think they haven't gone far enough because we've been held back by the judges, by the liberal judges that were put in by Biden and by Obama.”

“You have to… pic.twitter.com/1gQtBD1iaz

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) November 2, 2025

Donald Trump, after returning to the Oval Office, has pushed for a massive wave of deportations, a hallmark of his re-election campaign.

Protests sparked by increased ICE raids have caused unrest across the country, particularly in Democratic-led cities where Trump's administration has launched "surges" of agents.