Residents of Little Village — one of the communities most impacted by “Operation Midway Blitz” — found themselves again face to face with federal agents and Chicago police officers threatening use-of-force during immigration enforcement Saturday morning, with shots allegedly fired at federal agents.
Kevin Sanchez was among a handful of protesters screaming at officers as they stood guard near 23rd Street and Sawyer Avenue.
Sanchez said it was “horrible” to see what’s happening in the community where he grew up.
There are “people whistling, panicked, beeping their horns,” Sanchez said. “This is America?”
Border Patrol agents were spotted on Cermak Road and Kedzie Avenue and were present in residential neighborhoods in the area, drawing several dozen residents from their homes and an increased police presence. Tensions flared between residents and police, and at least two people were seen being detained.
Around 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Chicago police responded to a call of shots fired at federal agents in the 2500 block of South Kedzie Avenue, police said in a statement.
“CPD officers responded to the shots fired scene to secure the area. There are no reports of anyone struck by gunfire,” the statement said. Police deferred additional inquiries be directed to federal authorities who are handling the investigation.
Border Patrol and FBI didn’t immediately respond when asked which agency was investigating the alleged shooting incident. Border Patrol also didn’t respond when asked whether the incident was captured by dashboard or body cameras.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that agents were conducting operations near 26th Street and Kedzie Avenue when a man in a black Jeep fired shots at them and fled the scene.
The shooter remained at large, according to DHS.
Federal agents armed with pepper spray were seen giving warnings to individuals in Little Village Saturday. One agent appeared like he was going to toss a tear gas canister but ultimately didn’t. pic.twitter.com/xnItfPiA1B
— Mohammad Samra (@MoSamra16) November 8, 2025
Tensions between CPD officers and protesters rose Saturday as police secured perimeters and forced individuals away from residential neighborhoods where federal agents were operating.
Rodolfo Avila began following agents at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, initially spotting them near the Pilsen area before heading toward 26th Street and Pulaski Road to further protest after hearing more reports of immigration enforcement activity in the area.
“They started putting their guns up to different individuals,” Avila, 30, said.
Avila was following agents with a friend when he says a man in front of him was hit by Mace, which also hit Avila and his friend.
“I can’t even imagine how it feels like when they spray directly into your face,” Avila said. “My throat was hurting, my eyes were hurting.”
Agents armed with pepper spray and tear gas warned individuals to clear the street.
One individual used a shoe to repeatedly strike an unmarked car and broke a taillight of a marked CPD squad car. The windshield of the same squad car was also cracked by what appeared to be a paintball.
At least four officers arrested one man near 23rd Street and Sawyer Avenue and another was detained moments later.
“We’re starting to see more people not trusting CPD because they’re not helping the actual community,” Avila said.
Sanchez said he confronted police Saturday to tell them “that they’re on the wrong” side of history. The lifelong Little Village resident added, “They’re backing up [agents] who are going to keep taking innocent people.”
Little Village has been the center of several incidents since the Trump administration launched Operation Midway Blitz, including a caravan led by U.S. Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino on Thursday morning across the Southwest Side that started in Little Village. Agents made several stops, questioning residents on their immigration status.
On Saturday, police scanner traffic showed there was confusion and scrambling among Chicago police to respond to the reported shooting, the crowds that had gathered and the immigration enforcement activity in the area.
More cars were dispatched to 26th Street and Kedzie and 25th Street and Whipple Avenue around the time of the reports of shots fired. Chicago police were seen rerouting traffic away from 23rd Street and Sawyer Avenue for an investigation.
Around 9:45 a.m., there was a report of a Chicago police officer down after being hit by a car at 26th Street and Kedzie. After the crash, federal agents warned Chicago police they planned to release tear gas, but they never released it.
By 10:22 a.m., an officer told a dispatcher that a shooting scene still hadn’t been located. “We’re still looking,” the officer said over police radio.
Avila — who has friends and family who have been impacted by “Operation Midway Blitz” — said the continued immigration enforcement leaves him feeling “frustrated and sad for our community.”
“It just seems like they’re not human, like they have no type of heart,” Avila said. “They don’t care who they’re affecting. It has a lot of people on edge.
“It’s not a good feeling knowing that you can’t trust the country you live in,” Avila added.
Contributing: Cindy Hernandez, Tom Schuba
