CBP

Oct. 15 (UPI) — The Department of Homeland Security said it has credible intelligence that Mexican cartels have placed bounties on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection officers.

The Tuesday statement from DHS said criminal networks have instructed “U.S.-based sympathetics,” including Chicago street gangs, to “monitor, harass and assassinate” federal agents.

According to the federal agencies, the cartels are offering $2,000 for gathering intelligence, between $5,000 and $10,000 for kidnapping and assaults on standard ICE and CBP officers and up to $50,000 to assassinate high-ranking officials.

“These criminal networks are not just resisting the rule of law, they are waging an organized campaign of terror against the brave men and women who protected our borders and communities,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said.

ICE has been conducting an immigration crackdown in Chicago, employing aggressive tactics, such as the use of tear gas and forced entries, that have drawn criticism over the use of force and accusations of intimidation against residents. Local leaders have accused the Trump administration of overreach and violating the Constitution.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly attempted to deploy the National Guard to the city, but federal judges have blocked or delayed the move.

“ICE is recklessly throwing tear gas into our neighborhoods and busy streets, including near children at school and CPD officers,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said Tuesday in a statement.

“The Trump administration must stop their deployment of dangerous chemical weapons into the air of peaceful American communities.”

Trump has criticized out at Pritzker for resisting troop deployments, saying he and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson “should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers.”

According to the DHS, gangs have established so-called spotter networks in Chicago’s Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods. Groups including the Latin Kins have stationed members on rooftops with firearms and radios to track ICE and CBP movements to disrupt federal immigration raids being conducted under Operation Midway Blitz.

Last week, the Justice Department charged Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, with one count of murder-for-hire targeting a senior ICE agent involved in the Chicago operation.

Federal prosecutors alleged Martinez, identified as a Latin Kings gang member, sent a Snapchat message offering $10,000 “if u take him down” and $2,000 for information on the agent’s whereabouts.

On Oct. 3, DHS announced that more than 1,000 undocumented migrants had been detained under Operation Midway Blitz, which began Sept. 8.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) asked for an unprecedentedly massive drone flight ban over Chicago due to a “credible threat” that law enforcement would be attacked by uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) amid large scale detentions and protests. Their statement was in response to our questions about why such a large Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) was requested. You can catch up with our original story about the TFR here.

“CBP requested a Temporary Flight Restriction due to a credible threat of small, unmanned aircraft systems being used against law enforcement during Midway Blitz,” CBP told us. Midway Blitz is the name of the operation taking place in the Chicago area. The flight restriction extends for a 15-mile radius over the greater Chicago area and into Lake Michigan.

The CBP statement did not mention any specifics, but referenced prior incidents of violence during protests against the ICE immigration enforcement wave that has resulted in more than 1,000 arrests in several cities around the country. 

“Our brave law enforcement is facing a surge in assaults and violence, including a domestic terrorist shooting in Dallas and Antifa riots in Broadview,” the statement read.

Last week, a sniper opened fire on an ICE detention facility in Dallas. The shooter died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds, while two detainees were wounded.

In Broadview, as we mentioned in our previous story, protests against the ICE arrests have been aimed at a federal facility in this suburb located about 10 miles west of Chicago. The facility is being used to detain hundreds of people arrested on suspected immigration violations. At least five people have been arrested amid clashes between protesters and agents in which chemical agents have been deployed to disperse crowds.

“The Trump administration will utilize every tool to keep our law enforcement safe,” CBP added. “The TFR will be in effect until October 12th.” 

We asked CPB for proof of a threat from small drones, whether any officers had ever been attacked this way before, and if this was the first time they issued such an explanation. We also contacted a lawyer’s group representing protestors and the Chicago mayor’s office. We will provide updates with any pertinent details we get.

It is unclear if there have been any situations where protestors have used or attempted to use drones to attack officers. The proliferation of small and often commercially available weaponized drones for nefarious purposes is a story we have covered deeply over many years. There is increasingly concern that these systems could be used in kinetic attacks within the homeland by non-state actors. They are already in common use with drug cartels and foreign terror groups, for instance. Yet this is the first time we have heard of claimed intelligence linking them to protests or that these capabilities exist with groups participating in them.

We will continue to push for answers.

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