Border Patrol agent pointed gun at bystanders, another punched handcuffed detainee in Evanston, Illinois

On October 31, 2025, around 12:15 p.m., U.S. Border Patrol agent Timothy Donahue pointed his service weapon at unarmed bystanders in Evanston, Illinois, and threatened to shoot them, while fellow agent Thomas Parsons punched a handcuffed man on the ground, following a vehicle crash near Oakton Street and Asbury Avenue. Witnesses said the agents, part of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection team operating under Operation Midway Blitz, had been driving erratically to evade residents who were tailing them to warn the neighborhood of their presence, ran a red light, then braked suddenly, causing a following car to rear-end their vehicle. Agents forcibly pulled the driver of that car from his vehicle and pepper-sprayed onlookers, including members of a neighborhood watch patrol who approached the scene.

Three U.S. citizens were detained during the confrontation: Marcello Africano, who was subdued and punched by Parsons and charged with assaulting and resisting federal officers, and bystanders Nancy Polanco and Jennifer Moriarty, who were released without charges. Body-worn camera footage released by the Evanston Police Department under a Freedom of Information Act request showed Africano told agents he needed medical help within an hour of the crash but received no aid during the roughly five hours he was held in federal custody, despite repeated requests. Evanston Fire Department paramedics treated bystanders exposed to pepper spray at the scene.

FOIA-released crash reports identified Donahue, based in Arizona, and Parsons by name; a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson characterized the surrounding crowd as "aggressive" and did not respond to questions about the agents' use of force. The City of Evanston referred the incident to the Illinois Attorney General's office and the National Immigrant Justice Center for further investigation.

Updates

2026-04-30 — Illinois commission found agent abuses were "greenlit by Washington" [5]

The Illinois Accountability Commission, after a six-month review of Operation Midway Blitz incidents including the Evanston confrontation, reported to Gov. JB Pritzker that it had identified policy directives from Trump administration officials that permitted and encouraged agent misconduct, and recommended the case be referred for potential prosecution to the Cook County state's attorney's office.