Illinois state Rep. Hoan Huynh accuses Border Patrol agents of pointing gun at him in Albany Park
Illinois State Rep. Hoan Huynh (D-Chicago) has accused Customs and Border Protection agents of pointing a gun at him and his staff on Tuesday in the Albany Park neighborhood.
Huynh, who is running for Congress, shared video of the encounter. He said, around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, he and his staff were going door-to-door in the neighborhood, informing local businesses of their rights if immigration agents come to their property.
"We wanted to let them know that they have the right to remain silent, they have the right to an attorney when they're interacting with ICE agents, and that's what we've been doing as part of the rapid response network with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights," Huynh said in an interview on CNN. "We are within our rights to make sure that we can tell our neighbors about their rights."
During that effort, Huynh and his staff were notified of federal immigration agents' presence near Montrose and Kimball avenues.
Huynh said he and his staff began honking and yelling to warn neighbors about the agents, when six Customs and Border Protection agents blocked their vehicle, and one of the agents approached the car with a gun drawn.
"He pointed a gun directly at my face without any warning whatsoever, and then told us to identify ourselves," Huynh said on CNN.
In video shared by Huynh, the representative can be heard identifying himself.
"I'm State Representative Hoan Huynh. I'm State Representative Hoan Huynh," he said repeatedly.
"These guys are telling us to stop following," a staffer said. "They're U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. There's three agents behind us. Why is my window down? Somehow they're able to open my windows."
The video does not show agents pointing a gun, but Huynh said his staff did not begin filming until after that moment. Huynh, who came to the U.S. as a refugee from Vietnam, also claimed the agents tried to bash open his car's windows before his staff started filming.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said Huynh was stopped not once, but twice, for following agents and trying to interfere with federal operations.
"He was given a warning the first time he was stopped, and he ignored that warning forcing agents to get out of their car a second time to assess if he was a threat. This behavior is unbecoming of a public servant and is just another example of sanctuary politicians putting our officers at risk," said DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin.
In an interview with CNN, Huynh called the Homeland Security account of the incident "an absolute lie."
"If they were being truthful, they should release the body cameras," he said. "We want to see that there's transparency in this process."