The arrest of the manager of a Laugh Factory comedy club in Chicago by ICE agents over the weekend has prompted an outpouring of donations on GoFundMe from friends, family, and patrons.

Nathan Griffin, who was born in the United States, was arrested on Friday morning in the Lake View East section of the city for allegedly attempting to interfere with an immigration operation.

In the wake of his arrest, loved ones began a crowdfunding campaign for Griffin.

“After being arrested and hidden throughout the system, he finally resurfaced about 4 hours after his detainment in FBI custody awaiting a hearing for a federal assault charge which could carry 8 years in prison if convicted,” his brother-in-law, Tom Pinney, wrote on the GoFundMe page.

At the time of writing, the page has raised $21,000.

According to the Chicago Police Department, when officers responded to the call at the scene, they encountered Griffin and his mother in a physical altercation with federal agents. The report mentioned that the brawl had attracted a crowd, with videos of the incident spreading on social media. The CPD did not make any arrests at the scene.

A witness, Will Kolic, told NBC Chicago that he witnessed ICE agents pull up and grab a Hispanic man. “Other people came and started screaming stop it,” Kolic added. That’s around the time that the agents grabbed Griffin and took him away. Video of the incident shows Griffin’s mother, Elaine Plybon, being held on the ground by ICE agents.

A spokesperson for Border Patrol said that Griffin was turned over to the FBI after being accused of attempting to “impede and obstruct federal officers.”

According to the NBC Chicago report, a sign outside of the Laugh Factory club in the wake of Griffin’s arrest read: “Private Area No Trespassing You Do Not Have Consent To Enter For Civil Immigration Enforcement Purposes.”

In the video, Plybon – who was tussled briefly by agents as she tried to stop her son’s arrest – can be heard asking, “Why are you doing this? Where are you taking him?” as bystanders shouted at the officers.

In a video posted to her Instagram, Plybon said her voice was still strained and her hand was hurting after the altercation.

“I was in Chicago visiting my son and he was kidnapped by Border Patrol in front of my eyes,” she said.

“When I think about going out the door in the morning, I don’t want to … because I do not want to encounter the SUV, the screams, the crying, and the horrific things that I saw before I was pulled into the fray when somebody tried to kidnap my son.”

The Independent has contacted both the Laugh Factory and Homeland Security for comment.