Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday condemned the death of a Mexican immigrant fatally shot by an ICE officer last week in west suburban Franklin Park.
Sheinbaum is also requesting information from the U.S. government and demanding a thorough investigation into the death of Silverio Villegas González, according to the Associated Press. The 38-year-old father and cook from Michoacán, Mexico, was shot by an ICE officer Friday after he tried to flee a traffic stop.
ICE said in a statement last week that an officer was hit by the car Villegas González was driving and “dragged a significant distance.”
“Fearing for his own life, the officer fired his weapon,” the statement released Friday said. “The target of the enforcement operation was Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, a criminal illegal alien with a history of reckless driving.”
Sheinbaum joined a growing chorus of calls for a thorough investigation into the death. Villegas González appears to be the first person shot and killed by an on-duty ICE agent since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January. Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday said his office has asked ICE for “all the information around” the shooting, but admitted, “they have given very little.”
“This is the most unusual situation I’ve seen in my entire lifetime, where we have no transparency and the federal government is not policing itself,” Pritzker said. “Even the offices of inspector generals are being dismantled under this administration. So we may never really know what the truth is.”
Reyna Torres Mendivil, the consul general of Mexico in Chicago said on Monday the Mexican government has requested “a thorough investigation,” into the fatal shooting.
“For everybody to be clear and to have peace of mind, I think it’s important to do that,” Torres Mendivil said.
The consulate has been in touch with Villegas González’s family here in Chicago and back in Mexico, and is making sure his kids are taken care of.
“We are working with the family to see what their needs are and how we can help,” she said.
The Mexican government has also requested “a thorough investigation,” according to Torres Mendivil.
Villegas González’s family has requested that his remains be sent back to Mexico. The consulate on Monday said it is waiting for the medical examiner’s office to release the remain to help facilitate this process.
Contributing: Adriana Cardona-Maguigad.
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