ICE agent kills man during arrest attempt in Chicago suburb

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents shot and killed a man during an attempted arrest in a Chicago suburb on Friday, September 13.

The incident sparked strong criticism from local officials and increased tensions over a recently announced immigration enforcement operation.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated in a statement that the ICE officers were carrying out a vehicle stop to apprehend 38-year-old Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, who the agency identified as a Mexican national illegally present in the U.S. and with a record of reckless driving.

According to DHS, Villegas-Gonzalez defied orders, drove his car at the police and hit one of the agents, dragging him a long distance. Feeling his life to be in danger, the officer then discharged his firearm.

The injured policeman was admitted in the hospital in stable condition with severe injuries. Villegas-Gonzalez was declared dead in a local hospital. The FBI confirmed that its agents were present who were helping in the investigation.

Illinois Democrats condemned the shooting and linked it to the Trump administration's immigration enforcement surge named “Operation Midway Blitz,” announced earlier this week.

US representatives Jesús "Chuy" García and Delia Ramirez, along with State Rep. Lilian Jimenez, issued a joint statement saying, “We warned that ICE’s aggressive tactics and disregard for due process were a violent escalation. This endangers all of our community.”

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin justified the actions of the officer, saying that he exercised reasonable force and that it was activists who promoted illegal aliens to evade law enforcement who caused the spread of such misinformation and the erosion of security.

The event took place against the backdrop of an ongoing wave of protests at the ICE centers in the Chicago region and after President Trump has recently shared posts on social media threatening to further step up deportations, which has put the local law enforcement act in a highly provocative context in the ongoing immigration policy debate.