Illegal Immigrant Shot And Killed After Wounding ICE Agent In Chicago
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer was seriously injured Friday in Chicago after being struck and dragged by an illegal immigrant who attempted to flee federal authorities. The suspect, identified as 48-year-old Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, was shot by the officer and later pronounced dead.
ICE said a team of agents was conducting “targeted law enforcement activity” in Franklin Park when Villegas-Gonzalez refused to stop his vehicle. Instead, he accelerated, struck an officer, and dragged him a “significant distance” as he tried to escape. Fearing for his life, the officer fired on the suspect. Both the agent and Villegas-Gonzalez were taken to a local hospital, where the suspect was pronounced dead. The ICE agent remains in stable condition.
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the officer acted appropriately: “We are praying for the speedy recovery of our law enforcement officer. He followed his training, used appropriate force, and properly enforced the law to protect the public and law enforcement.”
The Department of Homeland Security condemned activists who encourage illegal immigrants to resist federal authorities. “Viral social media videos and activists encouraging illegal aliens to resist law enforcement not only spread misinformation, but also undermine public safety, the safety of our officers and those being apprehended,” DHS said.
The violent encounter comes just days after President Donald Trump launched Operation Midway Blitz, a federal crackdown on criminal illegal aliens in Chicago. Trump has repeatedly blasted Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s sanctuary policies, saying they’ve turned the state into a magnet for violent offenders.
“Target the criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois because they knew Governor Pritzker and his sanctuary policies would protect them and allow them to roam free on American streets,” Trump said earlier this week.
The operation has already sparked backlash from left-wing activists, with protesters staging sit-ins at ICE facilities to obstruct immigration enforcement. On Friday, federal agents had to forcibly remove demonstrators at a Chicago ICE processing center.
Trump has warned that the National Guard could soon be deployed to assist federal agents, both to bolster immigration enforcement and to curb violent crime. He dismissed criticism from Democrats accusing him of militarizing the city.
“We’re not going to war. We’re going to clean up our cities,” Trump said. “We’re going to clean them up so they don’t kill five people every weekend. That’s not war, that’s common sense.”
Democrats, meanwhile, have lashed out at Trump’s initiative. Pritzker labeled the president a “wannabe dictator,” while Chicago Democrats claimed immigration enforcement was an abuse of federal power.
But for ICE officers on the ground, Friday’s shooting was a stark reminder of the dangers they face daily while carrying out their mission.