E-Paper
ICE officer fatally shoots a man during an immigration raid in Chicago amid Donald Trump's ‘Operation Midway Blitz’
According to Department of Homeland Security, ICE officers were conducting a vehicle stop to arrest Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez when he drove his car at them.
A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed an immigrant man in a Chicago suburb on Friday as officers attempted to detain him during a vehicle stop amid the Donald Trump administration’s ‘Operation Midway Blitz’.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, ICE officers were conducting a vehicle stop to arrest Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez when he drove his car at law enforcement officers. An ICE officer fired at Villegas-Gonzalez after being dragged by his vehicle.
The DHS statement did not name the officer involved in the incident but said that he was injured and in stable condition. It said the officer used "appropriate force" and that Villegas-Gonzalez had a history of reckless driving.
The deceased’s family hasn't issued a statement on the matter yet. Lilian Jimenez, a state representative for Illinois' 4th district in Chicago, criticised ICE for the death.
"This endangers all of our community for ICE to operate in this manner. Now we have seen the ultimate, horrific circumstances that we were all worried about. They have taken away the life of our community member,” Reuters quoted Jimenez as saying.
According to the DHS statement, the incident happened in Chicago. But Jimenez and Illinois governor JB Pritzker contradicted the federal department and said it happened in the Franklin Park suburb of the city.
"The people of Illinois deserve a full, factual accounting of what's happened today to ensure transparency and accountability," Pritzker said on X.
Operation Midway Blitz
The Donald Trump administration launched an immigration enforcement action in Chicago and other parts of Illinois on Monday called "Operation Midway Blitz."
Trump, a Republican, in recent weeks signalled he could send National Guard troops and federal officers to Democratic-led Chicago to combat crime and illegal immigration. The operation has so far more closely resembled Trump-era immigration enforcement operations than troop deployments he authorised in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., in recent months.
Trump's threats have been met with protests across Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.
The President said on Friday he would send National Guard troops to Memphis, Tennessee.
