(NewsNation) — Customs and Border Protection officials said Latin Kings street gang leaders have issued a “shoot on sight” order targeting agents involved in immigration operations in Chicago, NewsNation has learned.
“Officer/agents are reminded to maintain heightened situational awareness and exercise extreme caution when conducting enforcement activities,” the agency’s internal warning said.
News of the alert comes after shots were reportedly fired at federal agents during an immigration enforcement operation in the city’s Little Village neighborhood on Saturday. The Department of Homeland Security says a group of people also threw a paint can and bricks at a Border Patrol vehicle.
A DHS spokesperson wouldn’t comment on the reported Latin Kings threat but said, “Our law enforcement is now facing an 8,000% increase in death threats against them while they risk their lives every single day to remove the worst of the worst.”
“Nearly every day, we have seen violence, assaults, or smears against our officers in Chicago, including yesterday when agents vehicles were rammed multiple times and shots fired at them.”
Tension remains high two months into Operation Midway Blitz. Residents who oppose the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown have protested and even followed and confronted heavily armed agents.
Judge Sara Ellis recently issued an extensive injunction restricting agents’ use of force after saying a top Border Patrol official repeatedly lied about threats posed by protesters.
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