Latino leaders condemn ICE over incidents in Chicago, including driver’s fatal shooting

CHICAGO AP Latino leaders expressed dismay Saturday over latest immigration enforcement operations in Chicago that resulted in a fatal shooting during a traffic stop the arrest of an immigrant at a barbershop and a tense standoff between protesters and agents at an immigration processing facility An Immigration Customs and Enforcement officer fatally shot a man who tried to evade arrest Friday by driving his car at officers and dragging one of them officers explained The man Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez was pronounced dead at a hospital On the same day Willian Gimenez was pulled over while driving in Chicago s Little Village neighborhood and detained by ICE agents Kevin Herrera Gimenez s attorney commented he believes it was retaliation for his involvement in a lawsuit against Chicago leaders Home Depot and an off-duty police officer for their actions toward immigrant workers Herrera commented Gimenez has a work permit and is going through the process of pursuing an asylum claim In a comment Saturday immigration officers mentioned Gimenez was arrested for being in the country illegally No one is above the law Gimenez Gonzalez is an illegal alien with charges for criminal trespassing and a history of not showing up to court including when he failed to appear in immigration court in April of last year after which an immigration judge ordered him removed from the country the comment explained During a morning news conference outside an ICE facility in the Chicago suburb of Broadview Rep Chuy Garcia a Democrat mentioned the incidents are troubling These incidents make us all ask if ICE can kill one of our neighbors in broad daylight if they can arrest someone for joining a lawsuit or entirely for being Latino what s to stop them from getting any one of us Garcia commented A planned -hour protest Friday outside the facility included several clashes between participants and officers wearing face coverings helmets and later gas masks The facility has seen regular demonstrations in response to increased immigration enforcement Rep Delia Ramirez also a Democrat explained she will demand a thorough scrutiny of the traffic stop that led to Villegas-Gonzalez s fatal shooting and called for population unity The Department of Homeland Protection s campaign labeled Operation Midway Blitz targets so-called sanctuary laws in the state This ICE operation will target the criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois because they knew Governor Pritzker and his sanctuary policies would protect them and allow them to roam free on American streets DHS mentioned in a declaration Democratic Gov JB Pritzker has been one of the largest part vocal opponents of the Trump administration s immigration operations in Chicago The contemporary incidents have also raised fears in immigrant-heavy neighborhoods about celebrations for Mexican Independence Day on Sept