Armed Attack On ICE Agents Unfolds In Chicago; Pritzker Rails Against Trump
In the latest attack on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, officers in Chicago were targeted in an apparently coordinated strike on Saturday morning.
According to Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin, officers were “rammed by vehicles and boxed in by 10 cars” and agents were forced to exit their vehicles on foot.
“One of the drivers who rammed the law enforcement vehicle was armed with a semi-automatic weapon,” McLaughlin explained. “Law enforcement was forced to deploy their weapons and fire defensive shots at an armed U.S. citizen who drove herself to the hospital to get care for wounds.”
McLaughlin said “no law enforcement officers were seriously injured” in the attack, while noting that the Chicago Police Department refused to assist ICE in securing the area.
“[Democrat Gov. JB] Pritzker’s Chicago Police Department is leaving the shooting scene and refuses to assist us in securing the area,” she posted to X. “There is a growing crowd and we are deploying special operations to control the scene.”
The armed woman in question was already on Border Patrol’s radar after she recently doxxed agents and posted online, “Hey to all my gang let’s f*** those mother f***ers up, don’t let them take anyone,” according to the assistant secretary.
Illinois is a sanctuary state for undocumented immigrants, and Chicago, specifically, has often refused to cooperate with federal law enforcement on immigration matters. Gov. Pritzker has repeatedly criticized President Donald Trump for efforts to more aggressively enforce immigration laws in his state.
Just days before Saturday’s attack, ICE agents were reportedly blocked by protesters and one man allegedly tossed a tear gas canister toward officers.
“ICE drone footage shows anti-ICE protestors obstructing the duties of our officers and agents during Operation Midway Blitz last week in Chicago,” ICE said on X. “While personnel tried to protect federal property, one agitator who made headlines last week because of his superhero apparel can be seen picking up a tear gas canister and throwing it toward our officers. He was arrested and charged.”
Pritzker did not directly comment on the recent attacks on ICE in that immediate post, instead opting to renew his criticism of the Trump administration’s plans to deploy the National Guard and other federal assets to Chicago.
“This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” the governor wrote on X. “It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.”
“In the coming hours, the Trump Administration intends to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard,” Pritzker argued. “They will pull hardworking Americans out of their regular jobs and away from their families all to participate in a manufactured performance — not a serious effort to protect public safety. For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control.”
Federal officials say the arrests and intensified operations in Chicago are part of the administration’s broader crackdown on illegal immigration and efforts to enforce federal law in jurisdictions that have limited cooperation with ICE. Local officials and advocates, meanwhile, have accused federal agents of escalating tensions and inflaming protests with aggressive tactics.