Numerous officers from the Chicago Police Department were left incapacitated after being ‘accidentally’ tear-gassed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Saturday, according to confirmed reports from the Chicago Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security.
The National Guard was deployed to Chicago on Saturday to address what President Donald Trump claimed was “out-of-control crime” amid clashes between ICE agents and protesters. The situation has sparked significant concern among local authorities and residents alike.
Chicago has become a crucial battleground in the ongoing debate over ICE enforcement and the protection of constitutional rights. Protests against immigration enforcement have surged since the summer, with no signs of abating as demonstrators grow more radicalized by the way law enforcement and ICE respond to their actions.
Police Officers tear-gassed
On Saturday, at least five officers were left incapacitated after being exposed to tear gas from a canister that was “recklessly” thrown from a moving SUV by ICE agents. Bystanders reported the incident, claiming they had to flee from the gas. Not all those affected were part of the protest, as noted by CBS.
“I was offended… 37 years working… I’ve worked with a lot of federal agencies on criminal investigations, and that has never happened. We might not always see eye-to-eye, but we find a way to work it out.”
Broadview City Police Chief Thomas Mills described this as not the first time poorly trained ICE agents have targeted his officers. He also referenced an incident in September where he was verbally assaulted by an ICE agent. In his 37 years on the force, he has never witnessed such violent and unprofessional behavior from federal agents.
Poorly trained agents
President Donald Trump aimed to double the number of ICE agents by the end of 2025. Previously, training for ICE agents took five months, focusing on understanding the law and the Constitution. The agency once prided itself on expertise in peaceful arrest practices and de-escalation techniques.
However, under the Trump administration, training has been reduced to just 47 days, as reported by The Atlantic. The leadership of ICE has been unstable, with the agency struggling to meet the high deportation targets set by the administration.
This has led to an agency managed by what some describe as unqualified ideologists. California Representative Robert Garcia expressed concern that “It is deeply concerning that DHS may be allowing a temporary appointee to function as a senior executive without proper appointment.”
Currently, ICE has over 6,000 deportation officers, with plans to add another 8,000 by the end of 2025. To attract new recruits, ICE offers signing bonuses of up to $50,000 USD and has removed all age restrictions. Before August 2025, agents had to be at least 21 and no older than 40; these restrictions are now gone. The minimum age required to become an ICE agent is now 18.
The qualifications for becoming an ICE agent are minimal: pass a background check and meet basic fitness and medical standards. No prior law enforcement experience is required, and within 50 days, trainees are considered ready to be armed and deployed onto the streets.
Clashes with police this weekend
Tensions between ICE and protesters escalated on Thursday when multiple protesters rammed and blocked ICE vehicles. One woman, a U.S. citizen, was hospitalized after being shot five times by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer after her car collided with the officer’s vehicle.
At least ten vehicles attempted to impede the movement of federal agents, though no officers were injured. Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary, posted on X that “Agents were unable to move their vehicles and exited the car. One of the drivers who rammed the law enforcement vehicle was armed with a semi-automatic weapon.”
She added that “Law enforcement was forced to deploy their weapons and fire defensive shots at an armed U.S. citizen who drove herself to the hospital to get care for wounds.” However, law enforcement has not confirmed whether the victim was armed, contrary to the DHS statement.
After the incident on Thursday, President Trump announced on Saturday that he would deploy 300 National Guard troops to Illinois to assist with “out-of-control crime.” On Monday, he threatened to send an additional 400 troops from Texas’s National Guard.
Illinois and Chicago Sue
The state of Illinois and the City of Chicago filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday, alleging that the plan to “use American soldiers to punish his political enemies” was just one example of “months of threats by Trump, … Kristi Noam, and others in the Trump administration.”
The lawsuit claims that Trump’s deployment of troops is “patently unlawful” and calls on the court to “halt the illegal, dangerous, and unconstitutional federalization of members of the National Guard.” It cites Illinois’ right to self-governance and argues that the government’s actions will only increase unrest in the city.
A consistent presence in Broadview
Protesters have focused their demonstrations at the Broadview ICE facility, just outside Chicago, shutting down the Northbound exit of Beach Street onto Lexington Street for weeks.
ICE has installed three-foot-tall concrete barricades on either side of the street to manage the crowd. More than 1,000 people have been detained by Immigration Enforcement in Chicago in 2025, including over 900 during ICE’s “Operation Midway Blitz.”
