skip to contentAdvertisementOn 12 September, an ICE officer fatally shot Silverio Villegas González, a Mexican immigrant, during an arrest attempt in the suburbs.By: Express Web Desk September 20, 2025 10:18 PM IST First published on: Sep 20, 2025 at 10:15 PM IST ShareWhatsapptwitterFacebookU.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement special response team officers shoot nonlethal chemical projectiles at protesters from the roof of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Ill. (AP)US immigration officers have widened arrests across Chicago and its suburbs under “Operation Midway Blitz”, while denying claims that they are using heavy-handed tactics.Ten officers gathered in a car park at 3:30 a.m., checked radios and safety plans, then set off to find a man wanted for immigration violations, the Associated Press reported, who joined Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on a pre-dawn operation in suburban Chicago this week.‘Successful operation’Officers first stopped another driver who matched the description but was not their target. He was later taken into custody after officers confirmed he was in the United States illegally. Shortly after sunrise, ICE located and arrested the man they were looking for. Both men, ICE said, had criminal records.Marcos Charles, the acting head of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, called the arrests a “successful operation”. He told AP, “There was no safety issues on the part of our officers, nor the individuals that we arrested. And it went smoothly.”‘ICE does not belong here’Local activists say operations in other cities have seen windows smashed and arrests outside homes and restaurants. They argue that ICE is provoking confrontation.Alderman Andre Vasquez, who chairs the Chicago City Council’s immigrant and refugee rights committee, told AP: “We’re not here to cause chaos. The president is.” He added: “ICE does not belong here.”Charles said his officers use “appropriate” force and blamed activists for encouraging people to resist. “There has been an uptick in people that are not compliant,” he said.On 12 September, an ICE officer fatally shot Silverio Villegas González, a Mexican immigrant, during an arrest attempt in the suburbs. The Department of Homeland Security said González drove at officers and dragged one of them with his car, prompting the officer to open fire.Charles told AP he could not comment because of an open investigation, but said he visited the officer in hospital and believed the use of force was justified. The officer was not wearing a body camera.Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has demanded “a full, factual accounting”. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned the death, saying Mexico wanted a thorough investigation.Advocates have criticised ICE for using stun guns, wearing masks and not identifying themselves. In one case this week, a US citizen in Des Plaines was detained with his father and shocked three times with a stun gun, according to his lawyer.‘It was time to hit Chicago’Charles said the operation had led to nearly 550 arrests, with more than half being targeted suspects. “We’re not going out to Home Depot parking lots,” he said, rejecting claims of random arrests.Over 200 officers have been brought in from other parts of the country. Charles said: “It was time to hit Chicago.”AdvertisementAdvertisementLoading Taboola...