Crime & Law
ICE Agent Fatally Shoots Man During Immigration Operation in Suburban Franklin Park
FBI investigators on the scene of a fatal ICE shooting in Frankin Park on Sept. 12, 2025. (WTTW News)
A federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot a man who allegedly attempted to flee and seriously wounded the agent during an enforcement operation in suburban Franklin Park on Friday morning, the agency announced.
According to ICE, the operation was targeting a “criminal illegal alien,” whom they said resisted arrest and dragged an ICE agent a “significant distance” with his car before being fatally shot. The agent survived and was said to be in stable condition.
“We are praying for the speedy recovery of our law enforcement officer. He followed his training, used appropriate force, and properly enforced the law to protect the public and law enforcement,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “Viral social media videos and activists encouraging illegal aliens to resist law enforcement not only spread misinformation, but also undermine public safety, as well as the safety of our officers and those being apprehended.”
Franklin Park is located about 20 miles from downtown Chicago. The northwest suburb is directly south of Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
According to the agency, officers targeted Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, whom they claimed had a history of “reckless driving," though the agency did not specify what exact crimes he has been charged or convicted of. He allegedly refused to follow the agents’ commands and drove his car at law enforcement, striking one agent.
ICE said that agent was “fearing for his own life,” and fired shots, killing Villegas-Gonzalez.
FBI investigators on the scene of a fatal ICE shooting in Frankin Park on Sept. 12, 2025. (WTTW News)
Friday’s shooting comes days after DHS launched “Operation Midway Blitz,” a new immigration enforcement operation across Chicago and Illinois that the department says will “honor” Katie Abraham, a 20-year-old student at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who was killed in a January car crash.
In a joint statement, Democratic U.S. Reps. Jesús “Chuy” García and Delia Ramirez and Illinois state Rep. Norma Hernandez said they’ve been in contact with Franklin Park officials following the shooting, which they said led to lockdowns of local schools and “even more widespread fear in our community.”
“We reject violence in all its forms,” they said in the statement. “We also reject the statements issued by DHS and ICE that recklessly blame local activists for this tragic situation.”
They said they warned that ICE’s “aggressive tactics and disregard for due process” were a “violent escalation.”
“This is precisely what the Trump administration sought when they declared the invasion of Chicago,” they said in the statement. “We urge our community to remain peaceful; we also urge DHS and ICE to stop their inflammatory rhetoric and actions, and to be transparent about this incident, including through the release of relevant warrants and body camera footage.”
Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday said he was aware of the “troubling incident that has unfolded in Franklin Park.”
“This is a developing situation and the people of Illinois deserve a full, factual accounting of what’s happened today to ensure transparency and accountability,” he said in a social media post.
U.S. Rep Brad Schneider, an Illinois Democrat, said he’s “monitoring the reports of the fatal shooting” and put blame on Trump’s strategy of “intimidation and chaos” through the “Midway Blitz” operation, which he said has created “a climate of anxiety and fear, something that is bad for everyone.”
“This climate of fear increases the likelihood of circumstances that threaten our community’s safety and the safety of our public safety officials, too,” he said in a social media post.
