Border Patrol agents were involved in a Tuesday car chase that ended with two arrests and the firing of tear gas at dozens of protesters in a Chicago neighborhood amid protests against the Trump administration. action On crime.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), federal agents pursued two men who struck a Border Patrol vehicle before fleeing the scene.
“Once the vehicle was stopped, the suspects, who are both illegal aliens, attempted to flee on foot,” DHS said in a statement to The Hill affiliate network NewsNation. “As Border Patrol arrested people and attempted to secure the scene, a crowd began to form and eventually became hostile and ultimately crowd control measures were used.”
Chicago Police arrived on the scene at approximately 11:07 p.m. to respond to a report of a car accident.
Local police said protesters were waving flags and began throwing objects at federal agents when tear gas was fired into the crowd. DHS said that thirteen Chicago police officers were affected by tear gas while attempting to “de-escalate” the situation.
“This incident is not isolated and reflects a growing and dangerous trend of illegal aliens violently resisting arrest and agitators and criminals running cars into our law enforcement officers,” DHS said in its statement.
“The fact that this attack was carried out by two illegal immigrants highlights the need for federal law enforcement to continue their work enforcing our country’s laws…,” it said.
The incident comes just a week after 27 local police officers tear gas was sprayed While assisting federal agents in crowd control.
A few days later, WGN-TV employee Debbie Brockman arrested While documenting a protest by a federal agent who knelt on his back.
A local pastor was also praying for federal agents hit with pepper balls And last month there was a push by law enforcement, which was recorded in a video that recently went viral.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) has expressed outrage at the treatment of local residents who are “expressing themselves by holding up signs.”
“I’ve never seen it like this in the United States,” Pritzker said Tuesday. The Associated Press,
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling has urged federal agents to improve communication with local authorities to ensure law enforcement at all levels is safe.
“Communication is key here,” Snelling said during a news conference last week.
“Communication does not mean cooperation,” he said.
Local residents and media organizations have worked together to file a joint lawsuit against the Trump administration over its treatment of Chicago residents, as the White House has stepped up its immigration enforcement in the area.
