On a tense Saturday morning in Chicago, the city’s ongoing friction with federal immigration enforcement erupted into violence, leaving one protester wounded and two individuals facing federal charges. The incident, which unfolded on October 4, 2025, near West 39th Street and South Kedzie Avenue, has drawn national scrutiny and reignited debate over the Trump administration’s hardline immigration tactics and the city’s resistance to federal intervention.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the confrontation began when U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents were allegedly ambushed by a convoy of ten vehicles. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem described the scenario as a deliberate attack: “They had followed them and gotten them cornered, pinned them down and then our agents, when getting out of their cars, they tried to run them over and had semiautomatic handguns on them to where our agents had to protect themselves and shots were fired and an individual ended up in the hospital that was attacking these officers.” DHS officials further claimed that the protesters, described as “domestic terrorists,” escalated the violence by throwing smoke, gas, rocks, and bottles at law enforcement officers.
The woman shot during the incident was identified as Marimar Martinez. DHS alleged that Martinez was armed with a semiautomatic weapon and had previously threatened CBP agents, shouting expletives and telling them “they all needed to go down.” After being shot, Martinez reportedly fled the scene but was later found by paramedics at a repair shop about a mile away, near 35th Street and California Avenue. She was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Following her treatment, the FBI took Martinez into custody.
Federal prosecutors later charged Marimar Martinez, 30, and Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, 21, with forcibly assaulting, impeding, and interfering with federal law enforcement officers. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Illinois, the charges stem from their actions during the protest, which included using vehicles to ram and block federal agents. Prosecutors allege that the civilian convoy began following the agents near Oak Lawn, driving aggressively and erratically—disregarding red lights, stop signs, and even driving the wrong way on one-way streets. Martinez’s car sideswiped the driver’s side of a CBP vehicle, then boxed it in, trapping three agents inside. When the agents exited the immobilized car, one fired five shots at Martinez.
Anthony Ian Ruiz, the alleged driver of a second vehicle involved in ramming CBP vehicles, also fled the scene but was found at a gas station about half a block away. Both Martinez and Ruiz were held pending an initial court appearance in Chicago. A third suspect, who allegedly attempted to run an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) vehicle off the road, was arrested and is in the custody of Homeland Security Investigations, though their name was not immediately released.
While DHS painted a picture of a coordinated and violent ambush, Chicago Police offered a different perspective. In a statement, the Chicago Police Department (CPD) clarified its role: officers responded to the shooting scene to “maintain public safety and traffic control.” Importantly, CPD emphasized that no law enforcement officers were injured and that the department is not investigating the shooting; federal authorities are handling that aspect. CPD also responded to a separate call from federal officers about two hit-and-run crashes, which were unrelated to the earlier shooting. “We will always protect all individuals from harm, while prioritizing public safety and the sanctity of human life,” CPD said, underscoring its commitment to impartiality and public welfare. For incidents involving ICE agents, CPD supervisors respond to the scene and determine the next appropriate action.
The federal response to the day’s events was swift and uncompromising. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin declared, “We will not allow domestic terrorists to attack our law enforcement. If you lay a hand on law enforcement, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” Secretary Noem went a step further, claiming that DHS intelligence indicated the group involved was organized and recruiting more people to join them, with plans “to ambush and to kill” immigration officers. She asserted, “We have specific officers and agents that have bounties that have been put on their heads. It’s about $2,000 to kidnap them, $10,000 to kill them.”
The violence came against a backdrop of intensifying federal-state tensions. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced that President Donald Trump would deploy 300 National Guard troops to Chicago, despite Pritzker’s repeated opposition to such moves. Pritzker revealed on social media that the Trump administration had issued an ultimatum: “Call up your troops, or we will.” Noem confirmed that a request for National Guard deployment had been sent to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and that reinforcements would arrive within 24 hours. “I am deploying more special operations to control the scene. Reinforcements are on their way. If you see a law enforcement officer today, thank them,” Noem urged in a statement.
Governor Pritzker, however, fiercely criticized the federal deployment, calling it a “manufactured performance” designed for political control rather than genuine public safety. “They will pull hardworking Americans out of their regular jobs and away from their families all to participate in a manufactured performance—not a serious effort to protect public safety. For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control,” Pritzker argued.
As the protests broke out, armed border patrol agents deployed what appeared to be chemical irritants toward the crowd. Aida Flores, a protester who filmed the confrontation, recounted, “Even with all the masks, it still burns a lot. And a lot of the people actually only had masks and water.” The use of such tactics has drawn criticism from civil rights advocates and local officials, who worry about the escalation of force and its impact on community trust.
The events of October 4 are the latest flashpoint in a long-running struggle between Chicago’s leadership and federal authorities over immigration enforcement and public safety. Over the past month, President Trump has repeatedly threatened to send the National Guard into cities—particularly those run by Democrats—to curb crime and bolster immigration enforcement. He previously sent the National Guard to Washington, D.C., in August, deploying service members to transit hubs, parks, and other public spaces.
As federal and local officials trade accusations and wrestle for control, residents of Chicago find themselves caught in the crossfire—literally and politically. The city’s police force, for its part, continues to walk a delicate line, pledging to “respond to anyone who is being attacked or is under the threat of physical harm,” while also emphasizing the importance of protecting the sanctity of human life. With both sides digging in, and with more federal reinforcements on the way, Chicago’s streets remain on edge, uncertain what the next confrontation might bring.
Saturday’s events have left scars—physical, legal, and civic. As the city braces for further protests and federal deployments, the question lingers: how can trust and order be restored when every side feels under siege?
