U.S. Border Patrol officers shot an armed woman in Chicago on Saturday, confirmed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, while Illinois’ governor mentioned the Trump administration’s intention to federalize and deploy hundreds of National Guard members to the state.
The woman was shot following a confrontation between numerous protesters and federal immigration agents in Chicago’s southwest area. During the incident, where the woman was part of a group that used cars to ram into vehicles belonging to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), no law enforcement officers sustained severe injuries, as stated by a Department of Homeland Security representative.
Identified as a U.S. citizen, the woman drove herself to the hospital after the altercation. Details regarding her condition were not immediately available. ICE agents resorted to using pepper spray and rubber bullets during the clashes with protesters.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced the dispatch of additional “special operations” to manage the situation in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood.
Demonstrators have been met with force by heavily armed ICE agents, including physical confrontations, chemical munitions, and rubber bullets, as they tried to obstruct ICE vehicles transporting detainees to the facility, creating scenes reminiscent of a combat zone.
Protesters have criticized what they perceive as aggressive policing tactics in Democratic-led cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon.
Furthermore, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker disclosed that the state’s National Guard had received notification from the Pentagon that 300 members would be activated. While no specifics were provided on the deployment location or timing, President Donald Trump had previously threatened to send troops to Chicago.
Pritzker condemned the demand from the Trump administration to deploy military troops within Illinois, emphasizing that such actions were unacceptable and contrary to American values.
The escalation of federal law enforcement presence in Illinois mirrors similar moves in other regions. Trump had previously deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., while support from Tennessee National Guard troops was expected for Memphis police.
In California, Governor Gavin Newsom successfully contested the deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles through legal action, securing a temporary injunction from a federal court. Despite the Trump administration appealing the ruling, a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals expressed confidence in the government’s likelihood of success.
Meanwhile, in Oregon, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to send troops to Portland, a decision welcomed by Governor Tina Kotek, who emphasized the importance of upholding justice.