Female Individual Injured by Gunfire by Federal Agents in Windy City During Immigration Action
A female was injured by gunfire by US border patrol agents in the city of Chicago amid an aggressive immigration and heavily armed mission that has sparked outrage from local civic groups and been opposed by local Democrats.
Agency Explanation on the Incident
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security stated to the press that the shooting occurred after officers on duty perceived a threat from oncoming cars and that the use of firearms was considered “defensive”.
The exact circumstances of the event and the health of the individual who was shot remain unclear.
Earlier Event and Government Actions
This shooting follows a recent incident in which federal immigration agents shot and killed a individual from Mexico in a nearby area after he reportedly attempted to flee a vehicle inspection and struck an agent with his car.
Chicago is one of a slew of US cities where the administration has sent or threatened to deploy the national guard to support with immigration crackdown – or, in some cases, to respond to inflated claims about public safety.
Governor’s Response
On Saturday, the Illinois governor, from the Democratic party, announced that the federal government plans to federalize military personnel in the state, against the governor’s firm opposition.
“This morning, the government gave me an ultimatum: deploy state forces, or we will,” the governor said in a statement. “This is completely unacceptable and against American values to demand a state leader to send armed forces within our own borders and without consent.”
He added: “This will take citizens out of their daily work and away from their loved ones all to participate in a staged effort – not a serious effort to protect public safety. For the administration, this has never been about security. This is about authority.”
Ongoing Tensions
Government representatives recently visited a facility in the Chicago area, which has become the site of escalations by federal agents against demonstrators and journalists.
The federal administration focused on the city with federal law enforcement starting in August, falsely claiming there had been a rise in crime in the city in recent years.
Following that, there have been accounts of more intense enforcement actions in local areas, including helicopters flying above apartment raids and arrests of community leaders and political figures who protest against the enforcement measures.
