The US federal agency Customs and Border Protection (CBP) activated a maximum alert operation in Chicago after the criminal group Latin Kings issued a direct threat against federal agents.
As reported Newsweek In an exclusive report, the group’s leadership structure ordered “shoot at will” against immigration officers deployed in the city, increasing the risk in the context of the immigration operations promoted by the federal administration.
The notice, disseminated through an internal intelligence bulletin, asked agents to reinforce security measures during ongoing actions. Newsweek cited the original message stating that “officers and agents must maintain a maximum level of alert and exercise extreme caution during enforcement activities.”
In the words of Gregory Bovinohead of the Border Patrol’s El Centro sector, “a shoot-on-sight threat to federal police concerns us deeply. We issued an intelligence bulletin to all federal forces, especially the Border Patrol.”
The emergence of this warning occurs after two months of validity of Operation Midway Blitzthe federal campaign that seeks to locate and deport migrants with criminal records. According to data provided by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)more than 1,000 people in an irregular immigration situation have been detained in the city during this period.
A recent episode in which a Mexican citizen was detained on suspicion of shooting at Border Patrol agents during operations in the Little Village neighborhood raised tension. According to DHS, the individual in a van opened fire and fled.
Local police arrested the suspect, who had previous convictions for crimes such as illegal carrying of weapons and clandestine re-entry into the United States. The same weekend, a police officer assigned to crowd control was hit by a vehicle.
The DHS itself expanded the panorama of insecurity experienced in the city: “almost daily, our agents are the target of violence, attacks or smear campaigns, including yesterday when federal vehicles were rammed and shot at,” the federal agency indicated in a statement collected by NBCNews.
Recent actions are not limited to a single incident. The previous month, federal agents opened fire on a US citizen when her vehicles were surrounded by other cars on public roads, also in Chicago.
As explained by the undersecretary Tricia McLaughlinthe troops fired “defensive shots” due to the presence of a weapon, while patrolling the city. Neither CBP nor DHS have reported changes in strategy, and operations continue despite the increase in threats.
The recent alert arises after an alleged member of the Latin Kings was indicted for allegedly offering a reward for physically assaulting the head of the Border Patrol, Gregory Bovinoaccording to the Department of Justice. The identity of the accused corresponds to Juan Espinoza Martínezof Mexican nationality, whose immigration history has been classified as irregular.
The gang of Latin Kingsconsidered one of the oldest and most structured criminal organizations in Chicagowas born in the Humboldt Park area in the 1950s and gradually consolidated its presence in the rest of the country.
Police authorities describe it as a hierarchical group, with activities associated with drug trafficking, possession of weapons, aggravated assaults and other violent crimes. Among the group’s particularities, its strict internal code and symbols stand out: a five-pointed crown and the colors black and gold.
Historically, the Latin Kings They exercise dominance in the western and southwestern sectors of Chicagoinside and outside prisons. Statistics of the CBP They reflect that, in the last stage, at least 7 members of the group have been captured in different areas of the country.
The institutional response to the increase in federal pressure has not been long in coming. Spokespersons for the CBP They pointed out that, despite the risk, “agents must continue carrying out their work.”
From the municipal side, both leaders and civic organizations demand to evaluate the effects of the operations on confidence in the local police. “This is a delicate moment for the relationship between federal agents and the community,” he warns Newsweek a spokesperson for the defense groups installed in the city.
