Suburban Cemetery Workers Attacked by ICE Agents Join Nationwide Effort to Demand Accountability

CHICAGO — Two United States citizens attacked by federal officers while at work caring for the grounds of a suburban Forest Park cemetery last year have filed claims against the federal government. The filings are part of a coordinated nationwide effort by the ACLU and affiliates in 17 states and Washington, D.C. In all, 54 separate claims have been filed.

Since the beginning of President Trump’s second term, federal law enforcement agents have terrorized communities and people in their custody with a blatant disregard for the law. The consequences have been deadly. Conditions in ICE facilities are so inhumane that the rate of deaths in ICE custody has more than doubled since Trump’s term began, reaching its highest level in over a decade. Recent reporting revealed that, after the White House pushed to increase arrest rates, ICE officials detained more than 10,000 people in five days. Only days later, ICE agents in unmarked vehicles shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Texas while he was on his way to work. The following week, a federal agent shot and killed Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Maine.

The Illinois actions are on behalf of Darren Eichler and Daniel Greer. On October 7, 2025, Eichler and Greer were at work along the Des Plaines River when they noticed a man in the water. Along with their colleagues, Eichler and Greer called out to the man to check on his health. Almost immediately, they were met with voices from on the other side of the water (voices that were unseen behind some brush) who told them to mind their own business, or they would be charged with a crime. Suspecting that the voices belonged to federal officers, Eichler and Greer joined told the officers to leave the area and stop harassing people.

Within minutes, a group of approximately seven officers crossed the river over a pedestrian bridge and approached the gated area where Eichler and Greer were working. The federal officers – masked and heavily-armed –demanded the workers unlock a gate that shielded off a private area where they were working. Additional masked, armed federal agents arrived in vehicles through the cemetery’s driveway and mustered outside the locked, gated private area. The workers refused to open the gate, saying they would need supervisory approval. Without waiting, a federal officer retrieved a set of bolt clippers from a vehicle and cut the lock.

The agents burst through the now open gate, spraying Eichler and Greer with mace and throwing them to the ground. Eichler immediately experienced intense pain – including chest palpitations – and had difficulty breathing. He repeatedly requested medical attention, a request that was ignored by federal officers for more than an hour. When he was finally taken to Rush Oak Park Hospital, Eichler was kept in handcuffs and was accompanied by federal officers – including by the one that used chemical agents – who refused to give him any privacy.

When the federal officers finally left the hospital – without any charges against Eichler – they failed to remove his handcuffs until a thoughtful nurse chased after them and called them back to remove the restraints. The federal officers did not return Eichler’s phone, wallet and other personal belongings until the next day – some of which he was never able to retrieve.

“My story is not just about what happened to me,” said Darren Eichler in a statement accompanying release of the charges. “It’s about the kind of country we choose to be. No one should lose their dignity the moment they come face to face with those who hold power.”

After Greer was sprayed with the chemical agent, he was pushed to the ground and his hands were zip-tied behind his back. He then was forced to sit in an uncomfortable position before his legs were shackled and he was tossed into a van and taken to a DHS facility. Agents never read his rights, never told him why he was detained and offered no medical assistance as the chemical agents burned his face.
After being held in a cell at the DHS center, he and other colleagues were released without any charges and no explanation as to why they had been treated so cruelly.

“As the agents escalated their attack on us, I kept thinking that they would stop and recognize their behavior was not right,” said Danny Greer. “At every step, they escalated violence and treated us like dirt.”

Across the country, ACLU affiliates are fighting back against the Trump administration’s illegal conduct by filing claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), one of the few legal tools available to seek financial compensation for wrongdoing by federal government employees. Through this coordinated effort, ACLU affiliates are representing dozens of people and families who are seeking justice for the harm they experienced at the hands of federal immigration agents.

“No one – not even ICE officers under this Administration – has the right to recklessly and violently careen through our neighborhoods and act with impunity toward people – no matter their immigration status,” said Alexandra Block, Director of the Criminal Legal System and Policing Project at the ACLU of Illinois who represents Eichler and Green. “These filings– in this matter and across the country – are an important step toward accountability and justice for all those victimized by the permission structure created by this White House and their enablers.”