Border Patrol calls for help, Chicago PD does not respond

U.S. Border Patrol agents shot a woman on Chicago’s Southwest Side Saturday, in what marks the second federal‑agent shooting in the city since a stepped‑up immigration enforcement operation began last month. 

The incident occurred in the Brighton Park area late in the morning. A crowd of around 100 people assembled afterward, and tensions escalated into clashes between protesters and federal agents. Pepper balls and tear gas were used, and the confrontations continued into the afternoon. Meanwhile, the White House announced it would deploy 300 National Guard troops to Illinois despite opposition from Governor J.B. Pritzker. 

Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said the agents had been “rammed by 10 cars” and effectively boxed in, and that defensive force was used after discovering the woman was armed with a semi-automatic weapon.  She also said no law enforcement officers were seriously hurt and that the woman drove herself to the hospital for treatment. 

However, local news outlets have not independently confirmed the full federal account. According to Chicago Fire Department sources, the woman was found near 35th Street and California Avenue, taken in “fair condition” to Mount Sinai Hospital, treated, and released. 

Court filings say that during the standoff, two Chicago residents—Marimar Martinez and Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz—rammed a Border Patrol vehicle and boxed it in, prompting the agent to fire about five shots. Martinez was struck and later taken to a hospital from a nearby repair shop; Ruiz was arrested at a nearby gas station. Both are now charged with assaulting, impeding, and interfering with a federal officer. 

Local police said they were called to document the shooting and maintain safety and traffic control, but emphasized they were not involved in the federal investigation. In fact, records suggest that when Border Patrol agents requested support, police units were ordered not to intervene during the height of the confrontations. 

Alderman Julia Ramirez (12th Ward) criticized the federal response, calling it “pure escalation” and accusing ICE and Border Patrol agents of provoking violence. Some residents shared accounts of agent vehicles forcibly striking civilians’ vehicles, detaining individuals, and deploying gas canisters into residential areas. One protester said, “We’re Americans. Why can’t we live in peace?” The mother of a man detained by agents at the incident expressed disbelief, stating he was a U.S. citizen and claiming he was seized without cause. 

In response to heightened enforcement actions in Chicago, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois said prosecutors would work closely with FBI command posts and act swiftly against individuals who assault or obstruct federal law enforcement. The White House also defended the use of federal forces, stating there is no place for violence or obstruction of justice, and citing the need to protect federal property and agents. 

This shooting event comes on the heels of an earlier federal agent-involved fatal shooting of a Mexican immigrant in a Chicago suburb, which also drew scrutiny and demands for transparency.

Source: WBEZ CHICAGO