ICE Agent Shoots Man Dead in Franklin Park
ICE Agent Fatally Shoots Man After School Drop-Off in Franklin Park
FRANKLIN PARK, Illinois – A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot 38-year-old Silverio Villegas Gonzalez on September 12, just minutes after he dropped off his two children at Passow Elementary School and a nearby daycare.
According to federal officials, the shooting occurred during a vehicle stop as agents attempted to arrest Villegas Gonzalez, who they said was in the country illegally. ICE claims he ignored commands, drove toward the officers, and struck one of them with his car, prompting the agent to open fire.
Villegas Gonzalez’s car crashed into a delivery truck following the gunfire. Bodycam footage obtained by Reuters shows the truck driver, Josue Hernandez-Rodriguez, telling police, “He was trying to escape from them.”
While the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said the agent feared for his life, bodycam video paints a more complicated picture. The armed officer, wearing a bulletproof vest and jeans, described his injuries as “nothing major,” pointing to cuts on his knee, hand, and elbow.
Video from Franklin Park police shows medics attempting to revive Villegas Gonzalez, who lay shirtless and bleeding heavily on the pavement before being taken away by ambulance. He was pronounced dead hours later. Meanwhile, the ICE agents declined treatment, with one telling officers, “I think we’re good, man. I’m just shook up.”
Surveillance footage reviewed by News shows two ICE agents leaning into Villegas Gonzalez’s car before it reversed and drove away. One agent then disappeared from view as the vehicle pulled off.
The shooting is part of the Trump administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz,” a recent surge in immigration enforcement in the Chicago area, which officials say is aimed at countering local “sanctuary” policies.
Villegas Gonzalez, originally from Irimbo in Mexico’s Michoacan state, had lived in the U.S. for 18 years and worked as a cook in Chicago, according to his brother Jorge. He had custody of his two children, one of whom was at Passow Elementary at the time of the shooting.
The incident has sparked calls for accountability. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum have both demanded investigations into the actions of ICE agents.
“We don’t know all the circumstances because ICE won’t give it to us,” Pritzker told reporters.
It remains unclear whether DHS will conduct an internal review. Franklin Park Police Chief Michael Witz was captured on bodycam saying his department would not investigate federal officers.
“Whether there’s any meaningful oversight at DHS of ICE agents at this point is a very troubling question,” said Lucas Guttentag, a Stanford law professor and immigration expert.
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