AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Tensions erupted into violence at a Chicago protest over the weekend after federal agents shot and wounded a woman. The Department of Homeland Security says the shooting happened after their vehicles were boxed in and rammed by multiple cars. Meanwhile, the governor of Illinois says the Trump administration gave him an ultimatum yesterday over the National Guard. Here to tell us more is member station WBEZ's Michael Puente. Good morning, Michael.
MICHAEL PUENTE, BYLINE: Good morning, Ayesha.
RASCOE: So you were at the scene after yesterday's shooting. What do we know about what happened?
PUENTE: Well, this happened on Chicago's Southwest Side. The Department of Homeland Security on social media said they were out patrolling when cars surrounded and rammed one of their vehicles. They say one of the drivers who rammed that car was armed with a semi-automatic weapon. And they said they were, quote, "forced to deploy their weapons and fire defensive shots at an armed U.S. citizen."
Now, neither WBEZ or our sister publication, the Chicago Sun-Times, had been able to independently verify that account. Now, the DHS spokesperson said the woman they shot drove herself to the hospital to get care for her wounds. The Chicago Fire Department said she was found on the street and was transported to a hospital.
RASCOE: What was it like in those hours after the shooting?
PUENTE: Tense. Very tense. You know, residents, young, old women, men came out to protest. Some got in the officers' faces. Federal agents were armed and ready to use tear gas at a moment's notice, and sometimes even when they didn't appear to be provoked. These protests have been happening outside an ICE facility in Broadview, just outside of Chicago, for weeks now, and federal agents have used pepper spray and other crowd control tactics during these demonstrations. So with this latest escalation, residents are worried about where things might go from here.
RASCOE: This is the second shooting in Illinois in recent weeks involving immigration agents. What's the mood like as you walk around?
PUENTE: Well, Ayesha, people are angry, and they're confused and they're disappointed. And just a few weeks ago, immigration agents shot and killed an immigrant after he allegedly resisted arrest and tried to drive his car into ICE officers. Yesterday at the protest, this is what 20-year-old Trayvon Howse (ph) told me.
TRAYVON HOWSE: They're about to start tear-gassing us because we're peacefully protesting, but they won't let us exercise our right to peacefully protest. It's just crazy. We're Americans, man. Like, why can't we live in peace, you know?
PUENTE: And right after that, federal agents did tear gas the crowd and people started running. There was also a stunning immigration raid on an apartment building here earlier this week. Witnesses said authorities pulled men, women and children from their apartments in the middle of the night. Dozens of residents were arrested, and some U.S. citizens were detained for hours. The governor is calling for an investigation into this.
RASCOE: Yesterday, Governor JB Pritzker said Trump's Department of War - and those were the words that the governor used - followed up with an ultimatum - call up your troops, or we will. How has Pritzker responded?
PUENTE: Well, Ayesha, Pritzker says it's outrageous and un-American. He says what he has said all along, that there is no need for military troops on the ground, and he will not call up the National Guard to further what he calls Trump's acts of aggression against Illinois residents. Pritzker said yesterday morning the Trump administration intends to deploy 300 members of the Illinois National Guard,. But so far, we haven't seen any troops in Chicago.
RASCOE: That's WBEZ's Michael Puente. Michael, thank you so much.
PUENTE: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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