A United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officer shot and killed a man while attempting to arrest him on Friday in suburban Chicago, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is now asking for a “full, factual accounting of what’s happened” to “ensure transparency and accountability.”
“I am aware of the troubling incident that has unfolded in Franklin Park,” Pritzker said on X.
DHS said on Friday morning in Franklin Park, Illinois, ICE officers conducted a vehicle stop to arrest Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez. The agency said Villegas-Gonzalez “refused to follow law enforcement commands and drove his car at law enforcement officers.” One of the officers was hit by that car, and “dragged a significant distance,” DHS said, and fired his weapon.
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“The officer sustained multiple injuries and is in stable condition,” according to DHS.
“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,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said.
The Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago confirmed Villegas-Gonzalez was a 38-year-old Mexican national from the state of Michoacán, and requested information about the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
“The Government of Mexico will continue to assist the family in every way necessary and will closely monitor the investigation process related to the incident,” Villegas-Gonzalez said.
One of Villegas-Gonzalez’s neighbors told the Chicago Sun-Times that he was a family man. The neighbor added Villegas-Gonzales was probably scared when confronted by ICE officers, as he is not fluent in English. Court records obtained by the Sun-Times show he has four cases since 2010, all for traffic violations. In 2019, Villegas-Gonzalez was cited for operating an uninsured vehicle, though this case was thrown out. He also has citations for speeding and driving with an expired license, as well as another for operating an uninsured vehicle.
Manuel Antonio Cardenas, an attorney who represented Villegas-Gonzalez in the traffic cases, called for a full probe into the shooting in an interview with USA Today.
“His charges were all driving related; they were not violent crimes,” Cardenas said. “There should be a full investigation. The tactics that are being used by ICE are leading to situations that can result in the loss of life and injury to people.”
CBS News Chicago reported that Villegas-Gonzalez’s girlfriend, Blanca Mora, believes ICE is lying about the shooting, and said she just wants the truth to come out.
Erendira Rendón, chief program officer at The Resurrection Project, called what happened a “horrific incident” that “shows us the real danger that militarized enforcement creates in our neighborhoods,” Block Club Chicago wrote.
“A community member is dead, and an officer was injured,” Rendón said in a statement, per the outlet. “These are outcomes that serve no public safety purpose and leave entire communities traumatized. Safe neighborhoods depend on trust, not fear. When federal agents conduct unaccountable operations in our communities, everyone becomes less safe.”
ICE announced an immigration crackdown in Chicago earlier this month that it said will target criminals in “sanctuary Illinois” in an operation called “Midway Blitz.”
Pritzker, as well as Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, said federal immigration authorities did not coordinate with the state and city on this.
It’s currently unclear how long the operation will last.
“We remain opposed to any potential militarized immigration enforcement without due process because of ICE’s track record of detaining and deporting American citizens and violating the human rights of hundreds of detainees,” Johnson said on X.
Meanwhile, an ICE spokesperson, in a statement to CBS News, said “We will continue our law enforcement and public safety mission, undeterred, as we surge ICE resources in the city.”
