 "Chicago police said no one was injured. (Reuters)")
A man in Chicago fired at US Border Patrol agents during an immigration enforcement operation on Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed. Chicago police, however, said no one was injured.
According to DHS, the suspect, who was driving a black Jeep, escaped the scene and remains at large. Chicago police said officers responded to reports of gunfire and secured the area, confirming in a statement that “there are no reports of anyone struck by gunfire.”
The incident took place in the Little Village neighbourhood, where protests have been ongoing against immigration raids by federal authorities. A Reuters witness reported seeing police detain a man following an argument between residents after one such raid.
DHS said “agitators” threw a paint can and bricks at Border Patrol vehicles during the operations, adding that assaults on federal agents have risen in recent months. “Over the past two months, we’ve seen an increase in assaults and obstruction targeting federal law enforcement,” the agency said in a statement on X.
Protests escalate amid ongoing immigration crackdown
Immigration raids have continued across Chicago and its surrounding suburbs, including one earlier this week at a daycare centre. The operations have sparked widespread protests and occasional clashes with law enforcement.
On Friday, more than a dozen suburban mothers were arrested outside an immigration detention centre in Broadview, a suburb west of Chicago that has become a focal point for anger over former President Donald Trump’s “Operation Midway Blitz”.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe enforcement campaign began in September, targeting individuals the government described as dangerous criminals living in the US illegally. However, DHS has confirmed that the more than 3,000 arrests made so far include both US citizens and people with no criminal records.