Federal agents were rammed and boxed in by 10 cars in Broadview, Ill., where anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) crowds have been gathering for days, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said.

“Pritzker’s Chicago Police Department is leaving the shooting scene and refuses to assist us in securing the area. There is a growing crowd, and we are deploying special operations to control the scene,” McLauglin wrote in a post on X.

DHS said agents were unable to move their vehicles and had to exit. One of the drivers accused of ramming into the law enforcement vehicle was armed with a semi-automatic weapon, according to McLaughlin. She said officers “were forced to deploy their weapons and fire defensive shots at an armed U.S. citizen.” 

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. Local authorities charged at least five people. 

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem hosted a press conference on immigration near Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s home in Springfield, Illinois. (Getty/AP) (AP/Getty)

DHS Secretary Kristi 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 Illinois Gov. J.B. 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.”

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.

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