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U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reportedly warned that Latin Kings street gang leaders issued a “shoot on sight” order targeting agents involved in immigration enforcement operations after officers faced gunfire and had bricks thrown at them in a Chicago neighborhood.
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Officers and agents are advised “to maintain heightened situational awareness and exercise extreme caution when conducting enforcement activities,” according to an internal memo cited by NewsNation on Monday.
Last month, the DHS announced the arrest of Juan Espinoza Martinez, a criminal illegal alien and Latin Kings gang member accused of placing a bounty on the Commander at Large of the U.S. Border Patrol, Chief Gregory Bovino.
The agency says it obtained “credible intelligence” that Mexican criminal networks are working with Chicago street gangs and groups like Antifa “to monitor, harass, and assassinate federal agents.”
A screenshot shared by the DHS of a Snapchat conversation that HSI Chicago received showed a user named “Juan” offering $2,000 for information, “cuando lo agarren,” which translates to “when they catch him.” The message, which Martinez allegedly sent, also included a photo of Bovino.
Another message that Martinez is accused of sending promised a $10,000 reward “if you take him down” before sending a third message that allegedly indicated the Latin Kings’ involvement, stating, “LK….on him.”
According to a complaint against Martinez, the Chicago-based street gang’s criminal activities include “narcotics trafficking, extortion, murder, assault, firearms trafficking, armed robbery, kidnapping, burglary, money laundering, racketeering, and intimidation.”
In a Monday statement to NewsNation, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said that “our law enforcement is now facing an 8,000% increase in death threats against them while they risk their lives every single day to remove the worst of the worst.”
The DHS spokesperson didn’t comment on the Latin Kings’ order regarding immigration officers and agents in the statement to NewsNation.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to The Christian Post’s request for comment.
In a Sunday press release, the DHS blamed “sanctuary politicians and the media” for an attack that occurred against U.S. Border Patrol agents conducting immigration enforcement operations in the Chicago neighborhood of Little Village.
“JB Pritzker and Brandon Johnson have fueled an environment of lawlessness and assault on federal law enforcement,” Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary for public affairs at the DHS, said in a statement on Sunday.
“In less than three hours in Chicago, Border Patrol faced gunshots, violent mobs at every stop, bricks and other objects thrown at them, and four vehicle rammings,” McLaughlin continued.
“The violence in Chicago against law enforcement is unprecedented — These attacks are the consequence of vitriolic smears from sanctuary politicians and the media,” she added. “Just last week, Chicago and national media falsely accused law enforcement of raiding a daycare center. Now, they are silent when our agents come under gunfire.”
Around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, a crowd boxed the agents into a street and alleyway, and, as the agents were in the middle of apprehending a suspect, a male driving a black Jeep Wrangler fired multiple rounds.
The man driving the jeep fled the scene after shooting at the agents, according to the DHS. In addition to the gunshots, Border Patrol agents had their vehicles damaged after the crowd threw bricks and paint cans from the roofs.
After the first wave of the attack ended, a car attempted to ram into the Border Patrol convoy at the intersection of Cermak and California, but a Controlled Tire Deflation Device thwarted the attack, according to the DHS.
Two drivers later tried to interfere with immigration enforcement operations as the Border Patrol convoy proceeded toward an FBI facility. One of the drivers who attempted to ram the convoy after ignoring a warning to stop was later arrested.
After reaching the FBI facility, the Border Patrol agents received help from Chicago police in securing the perimeter after rioters attempted to breach security, according to the DHS.
The agents left the FBI facility and encountered protestors near 26th and Pulaski, who threw objects and disregarded orders to disperse. Three suspects were later arrested after several individuals followed Border Patrol agents to a Sam’s Club parking lot, and a vehicle rammed a Border Patrol vehicle.
Following the attacks, Border Patrol arrested 8 U.S. citizens and one illegal alien, according to the DHS.
“Make no mistake: Our mission will continue despite the violence,” McLaughlin said Sunday. “To any Antifa terrorist in Chicago: You will not stop us. You will not slow us down. And if you lay a hand on law enforcement, you will face the consequences.”
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This article was originally published at The Christian Post. Photo Credit: Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Flickr.
