ICE Agent Shoots Man in Chicago Raid

Chicago police said that at approximately 6:20 a.m. local time Monday, 53-year-old Felix Torres was shot during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood. Torres was reportedly shot in the left arm. Torres was taken to Stroger Hospital where he remains in stable condition.

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A spokesman for ICE confirmed the incident stating that agents were attempting to arrest a person when a second person pointed a weapon toward the agents and as a result, an agent discharged his weapon causing injury to Torres.

"Really sad and you know, I'm worried about my dad mostly. He's the one in the hospital. And my baby, we come out, like, with no shoes, nothing, we didn't know what was going on, we was sleeping," said Carmen Torres, daughter of the man who was shot.

According to Torres' daughter, the ICE agents were in pursuit of her brother, whom she stated is a U.S. citizen. She also denied that her father had a weapon. "My dad doesn't got no guns. My dad just went to see what's going on and that's why they shot him. He just opened the door and they shot him," she added. It is alleged the brother in question is wanted on weapons charges but ICE declined to confirm the report. Chicago police said they recovered two weapons at the scene, but there are several people living at the house so it is unknown who the weapons belong to.

Attorney Thomas Hallock said Torres is a permanent resident and that his children are U.S. citizens. Hallock further added that it is possible that ICE made a mistake or had wrong information.

A family friend, Mercedes Tavares, who also lives in the house said: "They are all just really good people and they don't deserve it, what's happening right now. They don't deserve any of it." Tavares stated that Torres' adult sons are U.S. citizens and that the family, who are of Mexican descent, have lived in that house for years.

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"Any time an ICE officer or special agent discharges their firearm in the line of duty, the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility reviews the matter. Due to this ongoing review, no further details will be released at this time," the ICE spokesman added.

Senator Omar Aquino released a statement, saying, "I am saddened and disturbed to hear that a man was shot in the arm by ICE agents this morning in Belmont Cragin. While it is important to wait for all of the facts, stories like these should make everybody nervous about living in Donald Trump's America. The immigrants that I represent, both documented and undocumented, should be able to contribute to our communities without worrying about government harassment. We must continue to work at the local and state level to protect rights that are under attack at the federal level."

Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa also released a statement, saying in part, "My heart goes out to Felix Torres and the eight members of his family terrorized by ICE's early morning guns-blazing raid. ICE's guns-blazing raid on a northwest side home filled with sleeping kids is exactly why the City of Chicago should refuse to collaborate with ICE. ICE routinely violates the American people's constitutional rights. This guns-blazing ICE raid deepens my resolve to organize my community so we can keep each other safe from the threat posed by ICE."