Illinois leaders are sounding the alarm over a lack of transparency regarding the fatal shooting of a Chicago-area man by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer last week.
“We need more information. We’ve asked ICE for all of the information around it. They have given very little,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said in a Monday press event.
Following the shooting of 38-year-old Silverio Villegas-González on Friday, the Department of Homeland Security released a statement describing the incident that offered few specifics.
In the release, DHS alleged that Villegas-González resisted arrest, drove his car at ICE officers, and dragged an officer who was injured in the process. That agent fatally shot Villegas-González out of fear for his own life, the agency said.
“He followed his training, used appropriate force, and properly enforced the law to protect the public and law enforcement,” Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary of public affairs, said in a statement.
DHS noted that officers were carrying out an “enforcement operation” targeting Villegas-González, describing him as a “criminal illegal alien” with a history of reckless driving. Villegas-González’s attorney, Manuel Cardenas, told CBS News that he has a record of minor traffic infractions but no criminal record.
“He was undocumented but he was complying with every single law. He was working,” Cardenas said.
The use of force against Villegas-González appears to be the first fatal shooting by an ICE agent since the start of Trump’s second term, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. It occurred as the Trump administration has sent a surge of ICE agents to Chicago as part of its mass deportation push, and forces scrutiny of their presence in the city and their enforcement tactics.
Pritzker said Monday that there are still outstanding questions about the circumstances of the traffic stop and shooting as well as the condition of the ICE agent and what their injuries were.
“It’s important for us to know that as well as, what were the circumstances that were leading them to pursue this person in the way that they did?” he said, adding that the agency had been reluctant to disclose more information.
“We now see that ICE is unwilling to share the details of what has happened,” Pritzker said.
According to a CNN report, which cited a DHS spokesperson, the ICE officer has been discharged from the hospital after suffering “severe back injuries, lacerations to his hand and tears to his knee.”
Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.) urged the release of video of the incident to better understand how the traffic stop turned fatal. The officers involved weren’t wearing body cameras, however.
“We want to know everything about what occurred and for all evidence to be put forward publicly so the public can make its own conclusions, but this was totally preventable, unnecessary and most tragic,” Garcia said, according to ABC 7.
Surveillance video published by CBS News shows a silver compact car surrounded by two agents driving away from a traffic stop. Sergio, a resident of the area, told the Chicago Sun-Times he witnessed a vehicle collide with a semi-trailer, but that he didn’t see an agent being dragged at that time.
“ICE law enforcement officers are trained to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve dangerous situations to prioritize the safety of the public and our officers,” McLaughlin said in a statement, adding that ICE as well as other law enforcement agencies conduct reviews when a firearm is discharged.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that a local FBI office is leading the inquiry.
“Following a review of the incident by the appropriate investigative agency, ICE will conduct an independent review of the critical incident,” McLaughlin said.
Villegas-González was a father from Michoacan, Mexico, who worked as a cook, according to a GoFundMe post set up to help his family with funeral expenses, and a statement from the Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago. He was dropping his children off at school shortly before the traffic stop, per the GoFundMe post.
“He was someone who always extended a helping hand, shared his smile freely, and showed up for those he loved — no matter the circumstances,” the GoFundMe reads.