Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security | official website
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were targeted in two separate vehicular assaults in the Chicago metropolitan area on October 1, according to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The incidents occurred in Bensenville and Norridge, Illinois, where individuals described as criminal illegal aliens allegedly used their vehicles in attempts to harm federal law enforcement officers.
In Norridge, Miguel Escareno De Loera, identified as a Mexican national who entered the United States without inspection at an unknown date and location, reportedly rammed his vehicle into an ICE law enforcement vehicle twice before crashing into a stop sign. In Bensenville, Widman Osberto Lopez-Funes, a Guatemalan national also present unlawfully in the country, is accused of ramming his vehicle into ICE agents during a targeted operation before fleeing into his residence. He was later arrested without further incident.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated: “Thankfully none of our law enforcement was killed because of these deranged criminals' attacks on law enforcement. This is exactly what happens when Governor Pritzker, Mayor Johnson, and other sanctuary politicians demonize ICE and encourage illegal aliens to resist law enforcement. Our ICE law enforcement is facing a more than 1000% increase in assaults—including cars—being used as weapons against them. Secretary Noem has been clear: anyone who assaults law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Both suspects remain in custody pending removal proceedings while authorities pursue criminal charges for assaulting federal officers.
The DHS emphasized that such incidents highlight the risks faced by ICE personnel engaged in enforcing immigration laws and reiterated its commitment to prosecuting those who attack federal agents.
