DHS says ICE agents in Chicago suburb 'boxed in by 10 cars' as tensions escalate

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced additional special operations personnel will be deployed to Illinois after federal agents were rammed and boxed in by 10 cars Saturday in Broadview, where anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) crowds have been gathering for days.

One of the drivers accused of ramming into the law enforcement vehicle was armed with a semi-automatic weapon, according to DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. She said officers, who were unable to move, "were forced to deploy their weapons and fire defensive shots at an armed U.S. citizen."

The armed woman, who was a U.S. citizen, was named in a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) intelligence bulletin, DHS wrote in a statement. She allegedly doxxed agents and posted online, "Hey to all my gang let's f--- those motherf------ up, don't let them take anyone."

Mclaughlin said no law enforcement officers were seriously injured during the incident, adding the woman involved drove herself to the hospital to get care for wounds.

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The Chicago U.S. Attorney's Office responded to the attack on X, calling the situation "serious" and noting the violence placed officers' "life and safety" at risk.

"This Department of Justice does not tolerate assaults and obstruction of our brave men and women in federal law enforcement," the attorney's office wrote in a post. "We will investigate and prosecute all those who assault or obstruct federal law enforcement, including public officials, and we will hold them accountable to the full extent of the law."

The agents were reportedly performing a routine patrol in Broadview, a suburb of Chicago, when the alleged assault occurred. 

The ICE processing center in Broadview has become a flashpoint for the protests. On Friday, Fox News witnessed more than a dozen protesters being arrested in the streets near the facility. 

Adding fuel to the fire, hours after the attack, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker posted a barrage of statements on X, accusing the Trump administration and federal law enforcement of "unprecedented escalations of aggression against Illinois citizens and residents."

"This morning, the Trump Administration's Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will," Pritzker wrote. "It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will."

The governor said in the coming hours, Trump intends to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard.

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"For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control," Pritzker wrote in another post. "I want to be clear: there is no need for military troops on the ground … I will not call up our National Guard to further Trump's acts of aggression against our people."

Andrew Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, said in a statement Saturday his office has already filed charges against more than 12 people "during this surge," and is continuing to review cases for additional criminal charges.

Boutros said assistant U.S. attorneys will staff the FBI-led command post on a daily basis to monitor real-time developments and "take swift action" when criminal offenders assault, obstruct, or impede law enforcement personnel, or destroy federal property. 

Noem said on Friday that she and her team were blocked from accessing the Village of Broadview Municipal Building, located about 12 miles west of downtown Chicago. Noem said she and her team were stopping for a "quick bathroom break." In the same post on X, Noem slammed Pritzker "and his cronies."

She also posted a video on Saturday of what appeared to be law enforcement activity. The video was captioned, "Chicago, we're here for you."

Pritzker responded on X, claiming Noem's efforts were not "in the pursuit of justice," but "in pursuit of social media videos."

"Yesterday, Kristi Noem's and Greg Bovino's masked agents threw chemical agents near an elementary school, arrested elected officials exercising their First Amendment rights, and raided a Wal-Mart," he said.

Earlier this month, ICE launched Operation Midway Blitz, describing the operation as one that, "will target the criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois because they knew Governor Pritzker and his sanctuary policies would protect them and allow them to roam free on American streets."

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Fox News Digital's Greg Norman contributed to this report.