A manhunt is underway after federal immigration agents were targeted in four violent attacks Saturday while conducting enforcement operations in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, where rioters opened fire, hurled debris and rammed vehicles in what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) called an unprecedented assault on law enforcement.
According to DHS, agents were boxed into a street and alley while making an arrest when a man driving a black Jeep opened fire and fled.
As the confrontation escalated, agents deployed a flash-bang device while crowds threw bricks and paint cans from rooftops. Chicago police helped evacuate the area, and while no one was injured, several vehicles were damaged.
Officials said the violence spread across several city blocks as agents endured four separate attempts to ram their convoy, including near an FBI facility where demonstrators tried to breach the perimeter before police restored order. Protesters also blocked streets and threw more objects, prompting agents to use crowd control measures to clear a path.
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Federal law enforcement vehicles sit damaged after rioters hurled bricks and other objects during violent clashes with U.S. Border Patrol agents in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood on Nov. 8, 2025. (Department of Homeland Security)
Over roughly three hours, agents came under gunfire, were rammed four times and faced mobs hurling debris.
Nine people — including eight U.S. citizens and one non-citizen — were arrested on charges ranging from assault to obstruction. DHS said the gunman who fired on agents remains at large.
The department described the assaults as part of “a growing and dangerous trend of violence and obstruction” targeting federal law enforcement.
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Broken glass and dented panels mark the aftermath of attacks on federal vehicles as Border Patrol agents faced gunfire and mob violence in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood on Nov. 8, 2025. (Department of Homeland Security)
Chicago police confirmed no officers or agents were struck by gunfire. The attacks quickly drew political reaction from Homeland Security officials.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin directly blamed Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson for fostering hostility toward law enforcement and accused the media of spreading false narratives about immigration operations.
“JB Pritzker and Brandon Johnson have fueled an environment of lawlessness and assault on federal law enforcement,” McLaughlin said.
CHICAGO ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS BLOCK VEHICLES, GET HIT WITH TEAR GAS AND PEPPER BALLS
United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conduct operations in the Little Village neighborhood, a predominantly Mexican American community in Chicago, on Nov. 8, 2025. (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)
She said agents endured gunfire, violent mobs, and vehicle attacks across Chicago in less than three hours, describing the wave of assaults as “unprecedented” and the product of anti-police rhetoric.
“Make no mistake: Our mission will continue despite the violence,” she said. “To any Antifa terrorist in Chicago: You will not stop us. You will not slow us down. And if you lay a hand on law enforcement, you will face the consequences.”
