CHICAGO, USA | October 5, 2025 (Reuters / Citizen Digital) — A woman was shot and injured by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Chicago on Saturday after a standoff between immigration officers and protesters turned violent on the city’s southwest side.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the woman—an American citizen whose name has not been released—was armed with a semi-automatic weapon when she and a group of protesters rammed cars into vehicles used by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The DHS said no law enforcement officers were seriously injured. The woman drove herself to a nearby hospital after being shot. Her current condition has not yet been disclosed.
The confrontation took place in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood, where large crowds have gathered in recent days to oppose federal immigration raids and deportations. Witnesses said officers fired pepper spray and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters after several hours of clashes.
Images from the scene showed tear gas clouds filling the streets as demonstrators shouted at heavily armed officers. Some protesters reportedly tried to block ICE vehicles from leaving detention centers with detainees.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that additional special operations units had been deployed to help stabilize the situation in Chicago.
Meanwhile, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, accused President Donald Trump’s Republican administration of escalating tensions by demanding the state deploy its 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.
Despite his objection, the White House authorized 300 National Guard troops to help protect federal officers and government property, according to White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson.
The Chicago unrest follows several days of nationwide protests against the federal government’s immigration crackdown. Demonstrations have also taken place in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon, with protesters accusing federal agents of using excessive force.
In Portland, a federal judge on Saturday temporarily blocked Trump from sending 200 Oregon National Guard troops to assist local authorities, citing concerns over the militarization of law enforcement.
In the Chicago suburb of Broadview, hundreds of protesters clashed with police on Friday outside an ICE detention facility. Officers reportedly used chemical munitions and physical force to remove demonstrators sitting on the ground to block vehicles carrying detainees.
Federal officials said the incident involving the shooting is under investigation, and more details will be released once the woman’s condition and identity are confirmed.
Civil rights groups and local leaders have called for restraint and accountability, warning that the growing confrontations between immigration authorities and protesters could fuel further unrest.
“This violence is a symptom of deep divisions in how America handles immigration,” said a Chicago community organizer. “We need dialogue, not militarized responses.”
