Illinois officials and U.S. lawmakers pressed federal authorities on Monday for more information after Immigration and Customs Enforcement said one of its agents fatally shot a Chicago-area man last week during an enforcement operation.
The Department of Homeland Security said the shooting occurred after 38-year-old Silverio Villegas-González allegedly resisted arrest, drove his car at ICE officers and dragged an officer who was injured. DHS said the agent fired because he feared for his life. Gov. J.B. Pritzker and other Illinois leaders said the agency has provided few specifics and urged a fuller release of information about the incident, including the condition of the officer involved and the circumstances that led to the traffic stop.
In a statement, Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, said ICE officers were carrying out an "enforcement operation" targeting Villegas-González and described him as a "criminal illegal alien" with a history of reckless driving. Villegas-González's attorney, Manuel Cardenas, told CBS News his client had only minor traffic infractions and no criminal record, and that he was working and complying with the law. A GoFundMe page and a statement from the Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago said Villegas-González was a father from Michoacán who worked as a cook and had been dropping his children off at school shortly before the encounter.
The incident, which occurred Friday, prompted calls for transparency from state and local elected officials. "We need more information. We’ve asked ICE for all of the information around it. They have given very little," Pritzker said at a Monday press event. Rep. Jesús "Chuy" García (D-Ill.) urged the release of video of the incident to clarify how the traffic stop became fatal. Officials said the officers involved were not wearing body cameras.
Surveillance footage published by local outlets shows a silver compact car surrounded by two agents and then driving away from a traffic stop. A Chicago-area resident who witnessed part of the incident told the Chicago Sun-Times he saw a vehicle collide with a semi-trailer but did not see an agent being dragged. CNN, citing a DHS spokesperson, reported the ICE officer had been discharged from the hospital after suffering what the agency described as severe back injuries, lacerations to his hand and tears to his knee.
McLaughlin said ICE and other law enforcement agencies conduct reviews when a firearm is discharged and that ICE will carry out an independent review of the critical incident after the appropriate investigative agency completes its work. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that a local FBI office is leading the inquiry.
The shooting occurred as the Trump administration has sent a surge of ICE agents to Chicago as part of a broader deportation effort, drawing scrutiny from city and state leaders who have questioned the federal presence and enforcement tactics. Local officials have previously criticized such operations as creating fear within immigrant communities and straining relations between residents and law enforcement.
Illinois officials and advocates said they want a full accounting of the facts, including medical information about the injured officer and any available footage or records from the operation, to determine whether the force used was appropriate. DHS officials have said ICE agents are trained to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve dangerous situations and that reviews follow any discharge of a firearm.
The fatal shooting appears to be the first by an ICE agent since the start of the current presidential term, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, a development that further intensified scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement activity in the city. The Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago notified family members and provided consular assistance, officials said, while a fundraiser established for funeral expenses described Villegas-González as a devoted family man.
As federal investigations proceed, state and municipal leaders said they will continue to press for information and transparency. Pritzker said the public deserves answers about what led to the stop, the precise sequence of events, and whether the actions taken were consistent with training and policy. DHS has not released additional detailed information beyond its initial summary statement.