BRIGHTON PARK — Two weeks after her father was arrested by federal immigration officers, 17-year-old Lesli Valladares stood with tears streaming from her eyes as she faced more than 100 people gathered to support her family Saturday on the Southwest Side.
“My dad is not a criminal,” the Solorio Academy High School student said, her voice breaking for a moment before she briefly lowered her megaphone as an uproar of applause tore through the crowd rallying in Kelly Park, 2725 W. 41st St.
“He’s a beloved father who everyday came home to me and my mother … and now I don’t know if he’s coming back. I don’t know what to tell him but that he will come back one day and give us a hug,” she said.
On Oct. 16, Fausto Valladares Alvarez was taken by federal agents while working his tamale stand near the intersection of 52nd Street and Pulaski Road in West Elsdon. Tamale vendors have been repeatedly targeted by federal officers over the two months of immigration enforcement in the Chicago area under Operation Midway Blitz…