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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is calling for more “transparency” after an ICE officer was seriously injured during an encounter with an undocumented immigrant outside Chicago.
The suspect was shot and killed after allegedly dragging the officer for a significant distance with his car.
ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan pushed back on Pritzker’s comments, accusing Democrats of siding with illegal migrants over law enforcement.
“They obviously continue to take the sides of these criminal illegal aliens who put our people in harm’s way,” said Sheahan Tuesday on “Fox & Friends.”
“Not just officers, it’s the people of Chicago, people of these communities that these Democrats and Governor Pritzker continue to choose to protect.”
The Department of Homeland Security identified the suspect as Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez and said he resisted arrest and attempted to flee during a traffic stop. Sheahan said Villegas-Gonzalez, who entered the United States at an unknown date, had a record of reckless driving and a final order of removal.
When officers tried to detain him, he allegedly drove toward them, striking and dragging one agent. The officer then opened fire. Villegas-Gonzalez was taken to a hospital where he later died.
Sheahan said the ICE agent was put “in critical condition,” but has since returned home.
On Monday, Pritzker said he has requested more details about how the failed arrest unfolded, but has received few details.
“We need more information. We’ve asked ICE for all of the information around it. They have given very little,” he said.
“ICE is unwilling to provide the transparency that I think the American public and the public here deserves.”
Sheahan rejected the governor’s scrutiny.
“It is under investigation and we’re [going to] continue to make sure we are transparent. The claims that we’re not is just false,” she said.
The dispute comes as ICE expands “Operation Midway Blitz” across Chicago and Illinois. The effort is aimed at arresting illegal immigrants with criminal histories.
However, Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have strongly resisted the operation.
Earlier this month, Johnson wrote on X: “Chicago doesn’t want to see reckless, unconstitutional, militarized immigration enforcement in our city.”
Sheahan has noted that anti-ICE rhetoric makes officers’ jobs more dangerous.
“We’re already at over a thousand percent increase year over year of the dangers that our officers are in because of the rhetoric that we’re seeing online, the dangers of what elected officials continue to say,” she said.
Despite the pushback, Sheahan said ICE will continue its mission with the backing from the White House.
“Law enforcement officers overwhelmingly want to work with ICE to keep their [communities] safe,” she said.
“And with the leadership of President Donald Trump and Secretary Kristi Noem, we’ll continue to do this throughout the country.”
