The arrest of illegal immigrants who dropped students at a Chicago school earlier this week sparked local rage and rally, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) revealed that the suspect is a violent gang member with a long rap sheet.
Francisco Andredo Verella, 37, a Mexican citizen, was selected for ICE near a school in Southside Chicago on Wednesday, hosting a rally where activists and local leaders condemned the move. A video obtained by Fox News shows two agents handcuffing Andrade-Berrera near the school.
In response to the arrest, two nearby schools have activated the “Community Wellness Protocol” and notified parents that additional social work support is available to help students deal with the “stressing and upset” nature of the event.
Chicago officials walk the repeated claims by the government that they repeat schools where the ice was attacked, revealing what actually happened
The arrest of an illegal immigrant who dropped students at a Chicago school earlier this week sparked protests, but ICE later revealed that the suspect is a violent gang member with a long rap sheet. (ICE/WFLD/FOX News)
asked Alderman Byron Sigkolopez of Chicago during a rally outside Chicago Public Schools.
Chicago Teachers Union's Hirario Dominguez also blasted detention and launched Tillard against President Donald Trump.
“His children saw their daddy being handcuffed by agents carrying out the orders of the tyrant president,” Dominguez said.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent will be attending a pre-enforcement meeting held in Chicago, Illinois on January 26, 2025. (Bloomberg via Christopher Dilt/Getty Images)
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However, before the full facts of the lawsuit began, an explosion broke out, and the ice told Fox News that Andrade-Berrera was a member of a violent street gang who was criminally convicted of drug trafficking, gang loving and damage to property.
He was removed from the US twice in 2005 and 2013. He has at least four children, according to previous reports.
The two students in the vehicle were taken to school after their arrest, but the agents refused to enter either Victoria Soto High School or Jovita Aidar Elementary School. It is unknown if the student is his child.
Andredo Verella pleaded guilty in 2023 to purchasing about five ounces of cocaine that Chicago federal prosecutors said were going to sell by federal prosecutors in Chicago, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
He was sentenced to three years of supervised release and was given two weeks of credit spent in custody.
Andrade-Berrera described herself as her husband and “father of four beautiful children.” In a letter to the judge, he worked as a chef and dreamed of opening his own restaurant, according to the outlet.
“I have worked so hard to support my family over the last few years to make sure they are living a good life,” he wrote. “If I can go back in time, I will do so without hesitation.”
His wife told the judge he was a dedicated father, telling her that she and her children “need him with us” and that her biggest fear is that he “leave us and leave us.”
The incident follows a similar situation a month ago when Chicago public schools mistakenly reported ice agents attempting to enter another school in the area.
See: Protesters furious at the ice on Chicago ground
Tom Weitzel, a former police chief in Riverside, Illinois, said local Democrats were trying to politicize the arrests and make Ice a boogeyman.
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“They're going to bring out something that benefits their agenda, or benefit the story, or benefit the political agenda, so they're not just going around the country to drive people off the sidewalks or leave schools.
“In the US, there was no one case where ice went to school and forced anyone out of school. That's completely wrong.”
