Border Patrol Shooting in Brighton Park Sparks Outrage, National Guard Deployment to Illinois

A U.S. Border Patrol agent shot a woman Saturday in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood, igniting widespread protests and prompting the White House to announce the deployment of 300 National Guard troops to Illinois, despite objections from Gov. JB Pritzker.

The incident, which occurred around 10:30 a.m. Saturday, marks the second shooting involving federal agents in Chicago since the Trump administration initiated an aggressive immigration enforcement operation in the area last month. Following the shooting, an angry crowd of approximately 100 protesters gathered, clashing with federal agents who deployed pepper balls and tear gas in skirmishes that lasted through the afternoon.

According to Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, the shooting erupted after patrolling agents were “rammed by 10 cars” and “boxed in.” She stated that agents fired “defensive shots” upon discovering the woman, who was driving one of the vehicles, “was armed with a semi-automatic weapon.” However, the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ have not independently verified the federal account.

While McLaughlin reported “no law enforcement officers were seriously injured” and the wounded woman “drove herself to the hospital,” Chicago Fire Department officials stated she was found near South 35th Street and California Avenue and transported to Mount Sinai Hospital in fair condition, where she was treated and discharged. Local officials, including Ald. Julia Ramirez of the 12th Ward, criticized the federal agents’ actions, citing “pure escalation” and community sentiment that agents were “provoking and wanting to incite violence.”

Chicago police records show that Border Patrol agents requested assistance, reporting they were “surrounded by a large crowd,” but police officials did not immediately respond with aid. Officers later arrived to document the incident and manage traffic, clarifying they were not involved in the shooting’s investigation, which federal authorities are handling. The protests, which saw chants of “ICE go home” and some objects thrown, persisted until federal agents departed around 4 p.m. Several protesters were detained, including Rabbi Michael Ben Yosef, who was arrested at a separate protest later that evening at an ICE facility in Broadview.

The shooting and subsequent unrest unfold against a backdrop of heightened tensions due to the Trump administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz,” which has led to multiple arrests. U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Andrew Boutros reaffirmed his office’s commitment to protecting federal agents and property, with an FBI-led command post monitoring developments. This incident also follows the fatal shooting of Silverio Villegas González by ICE agents in Franklin Park just weeks prior.

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