Chicago block party featured piñata shaped like ICE officer

A local chamber of commerce event hosted in Chicago is facing backlash for letting children take turns smashing a piñata designed to look like an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer (ICE).

The East Side Community Day, hosted earlier this month, gathered 25 local businesses together to host a block party when an activist group brought the piñata, CBS Chicago reported Tuesday. 

Anthony Martinez, a member of the Chicago chapter of pro-Chicano activist group Los Brown Berets, told the outlet that his organization bought a Batman piñata and changed its appearance to depict a white man wearing sunglasses and ICE apparel.{mosads}

Martinez insisted that the candy smash was not intended to be negative toward law enforcement. He said the group was “making a statement” about the Trump administration’s immigration policies. 

“Taking children from their parents, separating them,” Martinez said, adding that proceeds from the activities will go toward helping migrants seeking asylum.

That was not the only display that caused controversy at the community event, CBS Chicago reported.

There was also a painted image of President Trump that allowed children a chance to throw balls into his mouth.

Marvin Covington of the East Side Chamber of Commerce told the outlet that he was not notified about  political piñata ahead of time.

“It affected the event, and that’s OK,” Covington said.

The Hill has reached out to the organization for comment.

President Trump earlier this month ordered a series of highly publicized raids targeting more than 2,100 immigrant family members with deportation orders. However, only 35 people were taken into custody during the July 13 weekend. 

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) had promised that the raids would be met with “fierce resistance from Chicagoans who have been organizing tirelessly in their communities, and with an unshakable resolve to stand with, and never against, our immigrant neighbors.” 

She moved to permanently block ICE officials from accessing the city’s police databases.