A Forest Park cemetery worker who was pepper-sprayed by ICE agents and rushed to Rush Oak Park Hospital last October has filed a federal claim for compensation and joined a nationwide ACLU lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security.

Darren Eichler and fellow Concordia Cemetery worker Daniel Greer, both U.S. citizens, filed claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act in March 2026, according to complaints first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times on July 29. They join 54 other individuals nationwide filing similar claims through the ACLU.

The Oct. 7 incident

The confrontation began when four cemetery workers spotted ICE agents pursuing a man in the adjacent Des Plaines River on Oct. 7, 2025, according to the Forest Park Review. The workers told agents to leave and stop harassing people.

When the workers refused to let ICE onto the grounds, agents demanded entry. Eichler told WGN9 in October 2025 that "immigration officers bolt-cut the lock, pepper-sprayed and tackled them to the ground."

All four workers were detained in zip ties for hours. Three were transported to a Homeland Security Investigations facility in Lombard.

Eichler taken to Rush Oak Park Hospital

Eichler was not among those taken to Lombard. He began complaining of chest pains and shortness of breath while restrained and demanded to be taken to a hospital multiple times, according to the Forest Park Review. Agents transported him to Rush Oak Park Hospital about an hour later.

Greer suffered chemical burns on his face but was never offered medical help, according to the Sun-Times report.

The FTCA allows individuals to seek financial compensation for wrongdoing by federal employees. Eichler and Greer's claims are part of a broader ACLU effort that alleges widespread misconduct during Operation Midway Blitz, a DHS enforcement operation launched in September 2025 targeting the Chicago area. A multi-newsroom investigation found federal agents used chemical irritants nearly 50 times during the operation.

The incident drew immediate condemnation. Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins held a press conference on Oct. 13, 2025, calling the arrest of the cemetery workers "egregious."

Weeks later, on Nov. 6, 2025, Oak Park's village board unanimously passed an "ICE Free Zone" ordinance banning immigration agents from using village property for staging or processing.

No court date or timeline for resolution of the ACLU claims has been announced.