Man Who Fired At Border Patrol Agents In Chicago Arrested: Homeland Security

CHICAGO — Federal authorities say they have arrested a man who fired shots at U.S. Border Patrol agents Saturday in Chicago.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in a social media post Monday, described the man as a “criminal illegal alien from Mexico” with previous convictions for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, felony possession of a weapon and illegal entry.

“He is currently marked as a violator of the Laken Riley Act, pending charges related to assaulting officers,” the department said.

The gunfire occurred during immigration enforcement operations near 26th Street and Kedzie Avenue in the Little Village neighborhood, where the man fired from a black Jeep and fled, according to the department.

Officials said several others also threw a paint can and bricks at Border Patrol vehicles.

“This incident is not isolated and reflects a growing and dangerous trend of violence and obstruction,” the department said. “Over the past two months, we’ve seen an increase in assaults and obstruction targeting federal law enforcement during operations.”

Saturday marked a day of chaotic encounters in an operation that has seen more than 3,200 arrests of people suspected of violating immigration laws in the Chicago area.

Not far from the scene of the gunfire, a suburban father and his 1-year-old daughter were pepper-sprayed at close range in a Sam’s Club parking lot Saturday in Cicero, according to video taken by the family and their account.

Homeland Security flatly rejected the family’s narrative.

“There was no crowd control or pepper spray deployed in a Sam’s Club parking lot,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Monday in a statement sent to the Associated Press.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.