Share and Follow
In Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, alongside other communities, protests erupted on Wednesday in response to a tragic incident involving a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. The officer reportedly shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis, Minnesota, sparking outrage and calls for justice.
Recent months have witnessed a series of contentious encounters involving federal agents during an immigration crackdown in the Chicago area. These include a deadly shooting in Franklin Park and another incident in Brighton Park, where a woman was injured. The Department of Justice eventually dropped charges against those involved in the Brighton Park case.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
Baltazar Enriquez, President of the Little Village Community Council, expressed deep sorrow and anger in a statement on Wednesday. He condemned the Minneapolis shooting, highlighting the victim as an innocent U.S. citizen. “Today, the Little Village Community Council, with community members, faith leaders, and allies, stands united in mourning and in protest,” Enriquez stated. “We are here to honor the life lost and to support all families affected by unjust enforcement practices. We urge the people of Chicago to unite, demand justice, and ensure a society where no one’s existence, migration status, or ethnicity becomes a death sentence.”
In addition to Little Village, gatherings were organized in other parts of the city, including Evanston and Winnemac Park on Chicago’s North Side, as communities came together to express their collective grief and demand change.
The shooting in Minneapolis, part of the Trump administration’s intensified immigration enforcement efforts, was described by federal authorities as self-defense. However, this justification was sharply criticized by the city’s mayor, who labeled the action as “reckless” and unnecessary, further fueling the debate over federal immigration practices.
The woman was shot in front of a family member during a traffic stop in a residential neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis, just a few blocks from some of the oldest immigrant markets and about a mile from where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020. Her killing quickly drew a crowd of hundreds of angry protesters.
SEE ALSO | ICE agent describes his injuries as ‘nothing major’ after deadly Franklin Park shooting: VIDEO
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, while visiting Texas, described the incident as an “act of domestic terrorism” carried out against ICE officers by a woman who “attempted to run them over and rammed them with her vehicle. An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively, shot, to protect himself and the people around him.”
But Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey blasted that characterization as “garbage” and criticized the federal deployment of more than 2,000 officers to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul as part of the immigration crackdown.
“What they are doing is not to provide safety in America. What they are doing is causing chaos and distrust,” Frey said, calling on the immigration agents to leave. “They’re ripping families apart. They’re sowing chaos on our streets, and in this case, quite literally killing people.”
“They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video myself, I wanna tell everybody directly, that is bull****,” the mayor said.
SEE ALSO | DOJ drops charges against woman shot by CBP agent in Chicago after being accused of ramming car
DHS posted the following statement on the Minneapolis shooting:
“Today, ICE officers in Minneapolis were conducting targeted operations when rioters began blocking ICE officers and one of these violent rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them-an act of domestic terrorism. An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots. He used his training and saved his own life and that of his fellow officers. The alleged perpetrator was hit and is deceased. The ICE officers who were hurt are expected to make full recoveries. This is the direct consequence of constant attacks and demonization of our officers by sanctuary politicians who fuel and encourage rampant assaults on our law enforcement who are facing 1,300% increase in assaults against them and an 8,000% increase in death threats. This is an evolving situation, and we will give the public more information as soon as it becomes available.”
Illinois U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly posted the following statement:
“I am impeaching Secretary Kristi Noem, who is an incompetent leader and a disgrace to our democracy.
“She wreaked havoc in the Chicagoland area and has brought her reign of terror to Minneapolis. One of her rogue ICE agents shot and killed an innocent woman today. It must come to an end.”
Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin issued the following statement:
“As I’ve said time and time again, the Trump Administration’s militarized immigration raids are dangerous political theater meant to spread fear and advance an anti-immigrant agenda. And now, a surge in immigration enforcement activity has led to the fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis. This loss of life is tragic, heartbreaking, and enraging, but I encourage all protestors to remain peaceful.
“A full investigation must be completed so the truth can be revealed. Video of the incident starkly contradicts DHS’s narrative, and the fact that DHS has jumped to characterize this shooting in ‘self-defense’ is rushed, at best, and a lie, at worst.
“In a November hearing challenging the treatment of press and protestors by federal immigration agents, U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis said that their ‘use of force shocks the conscience’ and ‘this conduct shows no sign of stopping.’ And now their use of force has led to another shooting and another death. This must come to an end.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2026 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
