Tensions flared in Chicago on Saturday after U.S. Border Patrol agents shot an armed woman during a heated confrontation between protesters and immigration officers, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The incident occurred in the city’s Brighton Park neighborhood, where scores of demonstrators had gathered to protest the growing federal presence. DHS officials reported that the woman, a U.S. citizen whose name has not been released, was part of a group that rammed vehicles into those used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). She was reportedly armed with a semi-automatic gun and later drove herself to the hospital. Her condition remains unknown.
No law enforcement officers sustained serious injuries during the clash, though ICE agents deployed pepper spray and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on X (formerly Twitter) that additional “special operations” units were being sent to restore order.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker strongly condemned federal intervention, revealing that President Donald Trump had given him an ultimatum to deploy the state’s National Guard. “It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will,” Pritzker said in a statement.
The White House confirmed that Trump authorized 300 National Guard troops to protect federal personnel and assets in the city.
The shooting followed a week of escalating protests, including a Friday night confrontation outside an ICE facility in Broadview, where demonstrators attempted to block detainee transport vehicles. Armed ICE agents reportedly used chemical munitions and physical force to disperse the crowd.
Similar protests and allegations of heavy-handed policing have erupted in other Democratic-led cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon. A federal judge temporarily blocked Trump’s attempt to send 200 Oregon National Guard troops to Portland on Saturday, signaling growing national unrest over federal law enforcement tactics.
