Aurora police actions questioned after 3 students were arrested during anti-ICE school protest

State Sen. Karina Villa has accused the Aurora Police Department of “police brutality” in a clash Monday between officers and teens that led to the arrest of three East Aurora High School students during a walkout protesting federal immigration tactics.

Videos of a skirmish between officers and protesters have some residents questioning the police’s tactics, though a department spokesman said intervention became necessary after the initially peaceful protest escalated.

Aurora police say three East Aurora High School students were taken into custody Monday. All three were charged with improper walking in the roadway, obstructing, and resisting a peace officer. One was also charged with aggravated battery to a police officer, according to a news release from the Aurora Police Department.

According to police, they were attempting to detain two individuals when a third student intervened and “punched an officer in the head.” The officer was transported to a local hospital for medical attention, police said.

The incidents stemmed from a Monday protest that involved around 1,500 students from area high schools walking toward the downtown area and City Hall.

Videos captured at the scene by protesters appear to show a police officer tackling one of the students to the ground after a running start. The student is then held down by multiple officers, and another student appears to throw a punch while trying to get the officers off the student.

Another video taken by a protester appears to show one officer kneeling on the back of a student.

“The videos circulating of minors being restrained and handled like criminals in front of their peers are deeply disturbing and unacceptable,” Villa said in a statement. “Police officers are responsible for protecting every member of our community, especially children.”

Reached for comment regarding the videos, Aurora police said the incident will be thoroughly reviewed. Officials said the department remains committed to “transparency (and) accountability.”

Jim Levicki, the public information officer for the Aurora Police Department, said the videos “represent only a brief excerpt from a nearly two-hour-long incident.”

“While the walkout initially began as a peaceful protest, which we fully respect and recognize as a protected form of expression,” Levicki said, “the situation later escalated in ways that created public safety concerns.”

Around 11:50 a.m. Monday, the police department deployed officers throughout the city for the student walkouts, authorities said.

Department officials said they worked with school administrators to “encourage students to remain in class or return to campus” and “provided repeated verbal direction intended to keep participants out of traffic and reduce the potential for conflicts or unsafe conditions.”

According to police, some of the protesters began “disregarding officers’ directions by entering traffic lanes, blocking vehicles, and walking into oncoming traffic.”

The police department said “fights broke out within the group” and “water bottles were thrown at police vehicles.” The police also say that reckless driving activity emerged where the students had gathered.

Levicki said “enforcement actions were determined to be necessary to restore safety and prevent further harm.”

The arrests came after officers “made contact with two individuals whose actions were contributing to the unsafe conditions,” according to the police department. When officers attempted to detain the individuals, “resistance occurred and both were taken into custody,” police said.

Authorities said the officer who sustained a punch from the intervening student suffered a laceration.

“While we recognize and support every individual’s right to protest, the Aurora Police Department reminds those exercising these rights that they must still comply with the laws in place to keep everyone safe and to allow for peaceful, meaningful dialogue,” the police department posted online. “Actions that place others in danger are not acceptable.”

Some of the protesters and local immigrant groups have taken issue with the department’s actions.

“Our kids have the right to protest without attacks,” said Cristobal Cavazos of Immigrant Solidarity DuPage.

Cavazos called for the police chief and officers involved to be fired. The immigrant advocacy group held a protest Tuesday evening in front of the Aurora police station.

Several residents posted on the Aurora Police Department’s Facebook page, questioning the department’s justification for the crackdown.

Villa, a West Chicago Democrat, said that the students’ right to protest was met with “force and violence by the institution entrusted with their safety.”

Villa said she stands with the residents demanding accountability and for the charges against the students harmed to be dropped. She called for a transparent investigation.

Villa said she is working with state officials, including the Illinois attorney general’s office, and local leaders to ensure the incident is addressed.