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A violent confrontation on Chicago’s South Side Saturday morning led to federal agents shooting a woman now charged in what officials are calling an “armed attack on ICE.”

According to The Independent, Marimar Martinez, 30, was shot multiple times by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during the incident in the Brighton Park neighborhood. 

Federal prosecutors say Martinez and another suspect, Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, 21, deliberately rammed a vehicle driven by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer, trapping federal agents and sparking an exchange of gunfire.

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Chicago’s South Side Erupts After Armed Attack on ICE

U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros announced Sunday that both Martinez and Ruiz face felony charges of “forcibly assaulting, impeding, and interfering with a federal law enforcement officer.”

Court documents allege the suspects “used their vehicles to strike” a Border Patrol car near West 39th Street and South Kedzie Avenue, then boxed it in, preventing the agents from escaping. When one agent exited his vehicle, he fired approximately five shots at Martinez.

WTTW Chicago News reported that Martinez was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital in fair condition. No officers sustained serious injuries.

Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin stated the shots fired were “defensive”, adding that Martinez had been identified in a CBP intelligence bulletin days earlier for allegedly “doxing agents and posting online threats.”

“She called on others to ‘f–k those mother f—ers up,’” McLaughlin said.

Federal and State Responses

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem condemned the incident on social media, writing:

“Members of our brave law enforcement were attacked—rammed and boxed in by ten vehicles, including an attacker with a semi-automatic weapon.”

She added that special operations reinforcements had been deployed and vowed continued support for ICE and Border Patrol officers.

“Our brave men and women of law enforcement are being targeted and attacked by violent anarchists who seek to tear down America,” Noem wrote. “President Trump and I have your backs.”

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, however, expressed alarm at the federal escalation, revealing that the Trump Administration had threatened to federalize 300 Illinois National Guard members if the state did not cooperate.

“There is no need for military troops on the ground in the State of Illinois,” Pritzker posted on X.

Escalating Tensions and Protests

The violent encounter follows weeks of heightened tension between Chicago residents and federal law enforcement. Since August, the Trump administration has expanded ICE operations in the city, including helicopter-assisted raids and arrests of activists.

The shooting also comes just a month after an ICE officer fatally shot Mexican immigrant Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, fueling community outrage and protests across the city.

Federal authorities say the investigation into Saturday’s armed attack on ICE remains ongoing.

Links

Woman shot multiple times by ICE agents in Chicago, DHS confirms | The Independent

Border Patrol agents shoot woman accused of ramming car into ICE vehicles in Chicago

2 Chicagoans, Including Woman Shot by Federal Agents, Charged with Ramming Border Patrol Vehicle | Chicago News | WTTW