VOI World/ Desk
An Indian-origin employee of the Illinois Department of Transportation was stopped by masked agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a construction site in Park Ridge and was questioned about his immigration status and his knowledge of Zohran Mamdani, the newly-elected mayor of New York City.
The incident took place days after Mamdani’s historic win, and while the worker is an American citizen, the encounter sparked concerns of racial profiling.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker condemned the event, accusing the Department of Homeland Security of targeting U.S. citizens based on appearance and questioning the legitimacy of the stop.
Experts say the episode amplifies broader anxieties about immigration enforcement under the Donald Trump administration and its impact on Indian-American communities across the U.S.
