A man allegedly opened fire on US Border Patrol agents during a federal immigration raid in Chicago on Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed, as tensions continued to rise amid a series of aggressive enforcement operations across the city. Authorities said no one was injured in the incident, though the suspect — believed to be driving a black Jeep — remains at large.
According to an initial DHS statement, the shooting occurred during an ongoing immigration enforcement sweep in the Little Village neighborhood, a predominantly Latino area that has been at the center of protests against recent federal raids. DHS described the episode as “an act of violence targeting federal law enforcement,” while also acknowledging that local hostility toward the raids has intensified in recent weeks.
The Chicago Police Department (CPD) confirmed that its officers responded to reports of shots fired around 3 p.m. local time. “No officers or agents were struck by gunfire, and no injuries have been reported,” the department said, adding that police are reviewing nearby surveillance footage and canvassing the area for witnesses.
A Reuters journalist present at the scene said tensions flared between residents and federal officers after one of the immigration operations, with one man being detained following an altercation with law enforcement. Protesters reportedly shouted at the agents to leave the neighborhood, accusing them of targeting “hardworking families and legal residents.”
DHS, in a separate post on X (formerly Twitter), claimed that several “agitators” threw a paint can and bricks at Border Patrol vehicles during the confrontation. “Over the past two months, we’ve seen an increase in assaults and obstruction targeting federal law enforcement in the Chicago area,” the agency said, warning that those found attacking officers or damaging federal property would face prosecution under federal law.
The federal raids, part of what officials are calling “Operation Midway Blitz,” have been underway since September. The Trump administration has described the operation as an “enhanced public safety initiative” meant to identify and remove violent offenders living in the US illegally. However, local activists and immigrant rights groups say the sweeps have also ensnared US citizens and non-criminal residents, sparking widespread protests.
Earlier this week, agents conducted a raid at a daycare center in North Centre, detaining a teacher who claimed to have legal residency documents. The operation drew sharp criticism from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, both of whom accused the administration of using “fear-based tactics” and vowed to oppose federal overreach into local jurisdictions.
On Friday, more than a dozen suburban mothers were arrested outside the Broadview immigration detention facility, west of Chicago, during a sit-in demonstration against the raids. The Broadview facility has become a symbol of resistance for pro-immigrant groups, who accuse federal agents of conducting “indiscriminate roundups.”
Since the beginning of the operation, DHS claims to have made over 3,000 arrests, though internal reports suggest that hundreds of those detained were US citizens or individuals with no criminal records.
Civil rights organizations, including the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), condemned Saturday’s shooting incident but blamed the federal crackdown for creating what they called a “climate of fear and confrontation.” The group said the raids have turned Chicago neighborhoods into “war zones,” eroding trust between residents and law enforcement.
As of Saturday night, federal and local police were conducting a joint manhunt for the Jeep driver suspected of firing at agents. DHS has not released a description of the suspect or confirmed whether the shooting was connected to the protests taking place nearby.
Officials have not ruled out the possibility that the shooter acted independently, but the incident underscores the volatile atmosphere surrounding immigration enforcement in Chicago, where tensions between residents and federal officers continue to escalate with each new operation.
